On January 6, 2014, Udinese striker Antonio Di Natale made the announcement that Zebrette supporters had long dreaded. The then 36-year-old, after a decade of donning the kit of their beloved club, had finally decided to hang up his boots.
Like the proverbial “Little Engine that Could”, in recent times, Udinese had plugged away season after season, continuing to punch above its weight and post finishes in the top five alongside Serie A’s heavyweights.
Impressively, although the 2013/14 campaign saw them run out of steam and finish in 13th place, Di Natale’s 17 strikes were enough to earn him fourth on the Serie A goal-scorers’ chart. Despite their disappointing run, the general feeling was one of relief as he decided to reverse his retirement decision in May, but this also coincided with Francesco Guidolin stepping down from his coaching position to take on a new role as a general director.
In his stead arrived former Inter coach Andrea Stramaccioni. His appointment was greeted with ambivalence by some. Well, one certainly cannot fault them. When Stramaccioni first arrived as the Nerazzurri’s first team coach following Claudio Ranieri’s sacking, so unknown was the former Primavera coach to most that he didn’t even have his own Wikipedia page. His selection to take over the 2010 Champions League winners was widely viewed as one of desperation by Massimo Moratti to try to salvage what had been a disappointing campaign for the team. Yet, he was soon dismissed after finishing in a dismal ninth place and until Udinese hired him this past June, had been out of work for a year.
Yet the seemingly odd pairing of the former youth team coach and the veteran striker — only one year his coach’s junior — seems to have clicked. On a personal level, Di Natale is enjoying a great run of form that belies his 37 years of age with eight goals in all competitions so far, including four in a single game over Serie B outfit Ternana in the Coppa Italia in August.
Meanwhile, under the guidance of Stramaccioni, the team is looking like the Udinese side of recent seasons. Two losses sees them in third, resting just behind the two Scudetto favorites, with 16 points. And indeed, while this season has just begun, it looks as though they just may have found a new winning formula.
A key part of their success thus far, naturally has been the evergreen Di Natale still showing that indeed age is nothing but a number. And fans will certainly hope their talismanic captain avoids injuries like last season, which ultimately derailed their campaign and prevented him from enjoying a fifth straight season with 20+ Serie A goals. But, obviously, he cannot play forever and it is likely that this season (or maybe the next) will indeed be the one that he calls time on his impressive career.
However, new signing Cyril Thereau has started off well as the former Chievo man has scored three goals that have proved decisive in sealing all three points. So, should Thereau continue in this vein of form, a lot of pressure will be lifted off of Di Natale’s aging shoulders as he relieves the veteran of some of the goal-scoring burden.
For Stramaccioni, the Friuli based club has so far proved to be the perfect respite for him to re-start his fledgling coaching career at the senior level. Given that they finished in the bottom half of the table, there is a lot less pressure on him than there was when he was at Inter, where every move was readily scrutinized by the media.
Subsequently, he is more free to experiment and tinker with different formations to suit the players he has at his disposal, and there is, of course, the behind-the-scenes guidance that he certainly receives from Guidolin.
All in all, this hence creates a positive learning environment in which, relatively free of pressure, Stramaccioni can not only start re-building after Udinese’s prior disappointment, but also planning and laying the groundwork for a solid foundation for future campaigns. And for the present, after the derailment of last season, it appears that the Zebrette and Stramaccioni are moving full steam ahead under — once again and ever still — the leadership of their ageless talisman Di Natale.
Follow Michelle Bonsu on Twitter: @MichelleB289
