Posted on Friday, 25th November 2011 by Enzo Misuraca

With seven players away on international duty, the weekend match against was always going to be difficult for .

Coach Francesco would not have been able to prepare as normal and important players like Kwadwo Asamoah, Mauricio and Pablo Armero were doubts, as they returned from their country’s various engagements in less than optimum condition. The team on Sunday looked jaded and I Ducali were able to take maximum advantage.

It was strange that Guidolin failed to utilise some of the squad members that would have been with him during the break and in hindsight he may have wished he had. They would have had time to adapt to the various schemes of play that the coach likes to deploy and would have allowed those that played for their national sides a chance to draw breath and recuperate.

The managed to put in a performance that was all show and no substance, as basic defensive errors and some wasteful shooting left them empty handed on Sunday afternoon. They failed to play as they have done so far and even captain Antonio Di Natale seemed somewhat out of sorts. Losing to I Crociati is no disgrace but the worry will be the manner of the defeat, with basic defensive lapses allowing Jonathan to punish Guidolin’s men in the harshest possible way.

The Coach did not hold back when asked about teams showing. He told reporters, “This is not how a side at the top of the league plays. We took this game too lightly, we need to be more respectful. If we don’t, we will be on the end of some heavy beatings”.

Udinese have precious little time to recover, as they look to host an ever improving Roma on Friday evening. ’s men will be buoyed with confidence after their impressive performance against Lecce, although it appears they will once again have to make do with Francesco .

Reports suggest the Friulani are preparing for the match by training late in the day.  Their latest session was held at 5pm, to try and mimic playing under the lights and cooler temperatures of a November evening.

Although the majority of the squad is fit for the impending roman challenge, there are some fitness doubts surrounding Andrea (still not ready despite being back training with the squad for the last couple of weeks after injury) Brazilian striker Barreto (like , still not match fit) and defender Neuton (who is suffering with a knock to his ankle). The Udinese faithful will be hoping that of the three, Baretto makes himself available, as goals are still hard to come by especially if SuperToto fails to hit the net.

He is still the only recognised forward to have scored for the Friulani in any league match and this must be a concern for all at the club. Despite their endeavour, Antonio Floro Flores, Gabriel Torje and Diego have so far drawn blanks. This statistic can be made to read far worse when we add the midfield where the Serbian Dusan Basta is the only player to have found his shooting boots in .

Headlines in the peninsula this week have rather unsympathetically described the team from Udine as ‘all smoke and no fire’. When Roma come to town on Friday, supporters of the Bianconeri will be hoping their team will not have their flames completely put out by the Giallorossi.

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Enzo MisuracaAuthor Enzo Misuraca  (54 Posts)

Class of ’72, I have been involved in football since the age of seven when i received my first ever Panini football sticker album. A fan of Roma and still shudder to this day at the thought of Bruce Grobbelaar and his ‘elastic legs’ during the1984 European Cup final penalty shootout. Oh and i think I love La Nazionale more than i love my wife (only joking sweetie….). As an FA Qualified football coach I manage a regional senior team in Hertfordshire, UK. Hung up my own playing boots in 2010, but still turn out for an over 35s team…I just cant help myself.


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Posted in Features, Udinese | Comments (1)

One Response to “Udinese Club Focus: International hangover gives Guidolin Parma Pain”

  1. Darren Kemp Darren Kemp Says:
    November 25th, 2011 at 5:22 pm

    Here’s hoping that the problems at the Stadio Friuli continue for another week!!

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