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Can Udinese sustain their position at the top of Serie A?
History and the bulk of football opinion tell us the top four places are usually reserved for the elite Italian clubs. However, Udinese, who qualified for the Champions League last term, are aiming to repeat their stellar campaign.
Their quest for top European action continues to spread from their small base in north-east Italy following Sunday’s 2-1 win over Chievo. Antonio Di Natale’s ninth strike of the season and a goal from Dusan Basta were enough to see Udinese finish the weekend looking down at their more illustrious rivals from the top of table.
Alberto Paloschi replied for Chievo with minutes to go, but Udinese defended well – as they have done all term with just seven goals conceeded – meaning they have the strongest defence in Serie A so far.
Coach Francesco Guidolin described Udinese’s current state as a “magical moment” after the game, but he raised genuine questions as to whether it will last. There is a direct connection with last season’s great journey.But, Guidolin’s men are short of Cristian Zapata who left the club in the summer. Alexis Sanchez, another big name departure, is now banging in goals for Barcelona – his most recent against Real Madrid at the weekend – proof, if any was needed, that the Italians are coping brilliantly without last season’s success stories who pushed the side over the hill as their exploration to match the major clubs took on new meaning.
It could be invariable for Udinese to disappear from the top of the table once Juventus play Roma on Monday night and the onset of fatigue kicks in as we move towards the winter break, but for now life is good as league rivals Milan struggled against Bologna on Sunday afternoon.
The champions fell behind to a Marco Di Vaio goal, but Clarence Seedorf and Zlatan Ibrahimovic were both hard-wired and eager to push their side on as their goals turned the game at the Renato Dall’Ara stadium on its head. However, Alessandro Diamanti, of former West Ham fame, undone the Milanese giants late on.
It was mundane football from Milan. They were lucky to end the game with 11 on the pitch as Seedorf should have been sent off for a handball inside the box earlier in the game, while Bologna were denied a penalty as controversy surrounds referee Gianluca Rocchi.
There was better news for Inter. Claudio Ranieri’s men continue to farm hopes of climbing the table following their 2-0 win over Fiorentina at the San Siro. Giampaolo Pazzini and Yuto Nagatomo were both on target against unsettled opposition as the landscape for Inter begins to change. They can start looking upwards as they play Genoa on Tuesday night.
OTHER SCORES
Lecce 2-3 Lazio, Siena 0-2 Genoa, Palermo 0-1 Cesena, Atalanta 1-1 Catania, Cagliari 0-0 Parma, Novara 1- 1 Napoli.
Roma play Juventus on Monday night.