Udinese Club Focus: Exciting versus Exasperating

Date: 24th January 2014 at 6:55pm
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Over the last week, Udinese managed to play the worst game in the club’s 118 year history and the best game in the club’s 118 year history.

It is statements like the above that makes you think writing about Udinese would be easy, fun, and exciting; in reality, it’s what makes them exasperating, frustrating, and execrable.

That is because there does not seem to be any rhyme or reason to the club; rather, they seems to rely on good ol’fashion dumb luck. It is as though before each match, they land on the proverbial “chance” card and the outcome is solely based on God’s whim.

And what a whim He has.

Take this week for example, Udinese played two games with roughly the same skill sets, course of action, and basic strategies (give or take a few variables), however their outcomes could not be more different.

And not just because of the final scores; in fact, the final scores pale in comparison to the actual talking points of what happened on the pitch: it wasn’t the fact that Udinese lost to Lazio that made it bad, but the conditions surrounding the loss. Comparatively, it wasn’t the win over AC Milan that was great, but the circumstances of the win.

Now, this is not to take away from the players, the coach, or the staff. They all work hard and each individual has specific talents and values that they bring to the club to make them a cohesive, functioning, professional, unit.

However, it’s just that it seems like none of that really matters come match day.

No, rather, Udinese’s success and misery is at the sole mercy of God and the heavens above; there is no worldly explanation to Udinese’s success and failure, other than divine intervention and God’s twisted sense of humour.

Sunday: Why Udinese are the Worst

Take this past Sunday , for example, when Udinese faced Lazio at home in front of 13,000 spectators at the Stadio Friuli for the mid-day Serie A match up.

The home side scored early, due to a goal by Antonio Di Natale scored on a penalty in the 8th minute of play. Things continued to go well for the Zebrette, when Lazio’s Ogenyi Onazi was shown his second yellow at the beginning of the second half.

Unfortunately, Udinese did not take advantage of being a man up and Lazio equalized with their own Antonio (Candreva) scored penalty in the 62nd minute. However, despite several missed chances by his team members, Badu managed to bring Udinese back into the lead with a goal in the 68th minute.

Then all hell broke loose.

To make a long, depressing, and mystifying story short: Andrea Lazzari scored an own goal, resulting in an equalizer for the other team, and shortly after Hernanes—who came on as a Lazio substitution—clenched the game winner for the Roman side in the dying minutes of the game.

The end.

Udinese lose at home, with a man advantage, after leading twice. Now in the 15th position on the table, the Zebrette are only three points away from being in danger of  relegation.

Which leads to the question: has there ever been a Serie A team that has been relegated, the same season that they won the Coppa Italia?

Wednesday: Why Udinese are the Best

After the abysmal loss to Lazio, Udinese traveled to Milan for the Coppa Italia semi-finals, where they beat i Rossoneri 2 – 1.

The game itself was not particularly spectacular for the Little Zebras, but the fact that they won away, in a trophy competition, after a soul destroying loss, was.

Oh sure, it was only Clarence Seedorf’s second game as coach and sure, Milan are also (generally) terrible this season (despite Mario Balotelli’s early goal of the game), but the Zebrette still managed to advance in the competition.

Against all odds and logic.

What’s Next

Next up for the Zebrette is an away game against Parma at the Stadio Ennio Tardini on Sunday and the semi-finals against Fiorentina for the Coppa.

And for those two games, like every other game, Udinese’s fate remains in God’s hands and in God’s humour. But instead of reciting Padre Nostro , perhaps the Friulani should start brushing up on the words of a Roman poet instead: flectere si nequeo superos, Acheronta movebo (translation: if I cannot move Heaven, I will raise Hell).

You have half a season left, Little Zebras. Forget the prayers to heaven, it’s time to raise some hell.

 

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