Udinese overtook Napoli in first position thanks to Monday’s furious comeback versus Parma. They hadn’t been top of the table since 2011/2012, 13 years ago. Back then, they had picked up 15 points in 7 matches, Sky informs.
The Friulani had a host of recognizable faces in their squad. Future long-time Inter goalie Samir Handanovic was manning the sticks. In the back, they had Mehdi Benatia, who starred for Roma, Bayern Munich, and Juventus, and is now an exec at Olympique Marseille, and stalwarts Danilo and Maurizio Domizzi. Giampiero Pinzi was the anchor of the midfield. He has assisted a few of their recent coaches: Igor Tudor, Luca Gotti, Gabriele Cioffi, and Fabio Cannavaro.
Udinese were early adopters of 3-5-2. On the wings, Dusan Basta had a career year and eventually transferred to Lazio. Mauricio Isla was a jack of all trades. He had an unlucky spell at Juventus afterward. He’s still playing at Colo-Colo. Instead, Kwadwo Asamoah had more success in Turin before a major knee injury. He also played for Inter and Cagliari. He has become an agent.
On the left, they leaned on Pablo Armero, a Colombian international but a journeyman who spent time at Napoli, West Ham, Milan, and Flamengo. He was fired for indiscipline by Guaranì before hanging his cleats. His backup was Inter product Giovanni Pasquale, who’s the president of his hometown team Venaria Reale now.
The star of Udinese was Antonio Di Natale, who constantly rebuffed transfers to bigger clubs. He was the ‘capocannoniere’ twice, but not that campaign despite finishing with 23 goals. After retiring, he’s been a youth coach and the deputy president of Serie D side Orvietana. Their other top player was Roberto Pereyra, who eventually returned and another strong turn before heading to AEK Athens last summer.
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