Lazy stereotypes. Admit it, we've all done it. Writing about German football without using the word efficient is the journalistic equivalent of eating a doughnut without licking your lips. Italian football is slow, dull and built on playing not to lose rather than going for the win. England's players are fast, powerful but have the first touch of a fumbling teen that got the head cheerleader drunk. Even when players don't fit this mould they are dismissed as 'the exception that proves the rule' such as Brazilian midfielder Dunga who was as far removed from the ideals of Samba football as Paul Scholes was from what we expect English players to be.
Whole teams, whether club or International sides have become pigeon-holed in this manner as use of phrases like 'prototypical Argentine defender' or 'typical Brazilian goalkeeper' prove. Yet more and more, these incredible generalisations are being laid to waste as anyone watching Napoli's debut Champions League campaign will be fully aware. Even the performances of Wojciech Szczęsny and a number of his compatriots have made nonsense of Brian Clough's famous line about Polish goalkeepers.
Serie A side Udinese are another side falling victim to this however, still viewed as the same swashbuckling side that buzz-sawed their way through defences in the second half of last season on their way to a remarkable fourth place finish that ranks as probably the finest achievement in the club's history. Built upon the attacking flair of Antonio Di Natale and Alexis Sánchez, reinforced by the speed of a midfield that was in a constant state of flux, they were, as owner Giampaolo Pozzo was happy to label them, "an advertisement for football" that was at the time, playing "the best football in Italy". While his impartiality could obviously be called into question, the Gazzetta dello Sport declared it was "a shame it is we cannot have this Udinese represent us in the Champions League; and say to Europe: ‘Look how beautiful Italian football is’". It was hard to argue as the rest of the nations teams crashed out of European competition in decidedly meek fashion.
Yet to view them in the same light this season would be as erroneous as calling Marco Motta a typical Italian defender. Gone is the free-scoring, attacking side that scored more goals than anyone besides Inter, the loss of Sánchez - while far from being the only factor - has forced Francesco Guidolin into a change of mindset. Now at Barcelona, the Chilean notched twelve goals and six assists - almost all of which came in the last few months of the season - was vital in that success and his departure will clearly take time to overcome. His partnership with Di Natale was incredibly successful, their combined tally of 39 goals falling just two short of the all-time Serie A record held by Alessandro Del Piero and David Trezeguet (who netted 41 times in 2007–08).
In addition, the exit of midfielder Gökhan İnler - who left for Napoli in a transfer that, bizarre lion mask aside, surprised very few people - has also been a key factor. While other players, such as Kwadwo Asamoah, have stepped up in his place, the loss of such a key figure has hit their play hard. His crisp passing, so vital to those lightening counters, is notable by its absence. This fact is borne out when looking at his completion percentage which, at 87.6 this season, is ahead of any current Udinese player (Giampiero Pinzi comes closest on 84.8 but has completed an average of five passes less per match). His combined totals for tackles and interceptions per game (4) is is more than any current Udinese midfielder other than Pinzi (6.4).
Yet it is far from all negative for the Friulian side, currently sitting in third place in Serie A, having recorded wins over Fiorentina, Palermo and Roma as well as a draw with Champions Milan. Instead of the flair and invention that so characterised them last term, this seasons Zebrette are built on a previously unseen defensive solidity. They have conceded just six goals, three less than any other side thus far and a total they had surpassed by Week Three last season. They have also collected 24 points, compared to 17 at the same stage of 2010-11 and a total it took them until their Week 18 triumph over Chievo in January to reach last time out.
This new-found stability has been built on a defence consisting of Mehdi Benatia, Danilo and Maurizio Domizzi (averaging 7.17, 7.1 and 6.96 respectively in WhoScored.com's rating system) in front of goalkeeper Samir Handanovic. The Slovenian, whose performances last season prompted the iconic Dino Zoff to call him "one of the top three goalkeepers in Serie A”, is himself averaging 7.08 and has already kept eight clean sheets and is well on his way to beating last season’s total of 15.
Udinese may have been criticised all summer for the drastic changes in personnel, yet they deserve at least as much credit for their change in outlook. Less entertaining to watch perhaps and certainly much closer to the clichéd view of Italian football, but they are still flying high in the table and look set to represent the Nation in Europe once again.
A very good read.
Great read... smart breakdown... Who do we give the most credit to? The players stepping up or the coaches for being able to be flexible in style like that?