On the way to Juventus-Udinese
Juventus’s password is revenge: after defeats against Sampdoria and Palermo, the Bianconeri must get back on winning track, dusting off the unbeatable defence back from the start of the season and getting back an outstanding attack. They cannot afford to go wrong against Udinese also because Spalletti’s squad are capable of punishing mistakes severely.
It’s no coincidence that, at the start of the season, coach Capello, who knows his stuff, had identified Udinese as one of the best organized teams, placing them just a step behind the favourites to win the title.
He got it right but now his prediction seems to be nearly pessimistic if one considers the Friulan team’s incredible path: they have become the third big club of this season along with Juventus and Milan and are racing at full speed towards an ambitious and so far never achieved target: qualifying to Champions’ League.
Spalletti leads a solid squad who, with the tested 3-4-3 pattern whose only new feature is Di Natale, have played a lively and spectacular game, also thanks to Sensini’s direction in defence as well as Pizarro’s in the midfield and the wonderful trio of strikers where Iaquinta is in charge of finalizing Di Michele’s and Di Natale’s passes.
After going through a less bright period, the Friulans are back to win and the match against Juventus is a sort of exam, a way to see if the radical leap from quality minor club to top club is within reach or has to be postponed. In such occasions, Juventus can be a very severe examiner.