Italy

Tom Oldfield

Make no mistake about it – Udinese are a force to be reckoned with. The club have made a very promising start this season and appear well-placed to challenge for silverware on several different fronts.

Udinese enjoyed a strong 2007/08 campaign, sealing seventh place and with it qualification for the UEFA Cup due to Coppa Italia finalists Roma and Inter both finishing sixth or higher. They seem to be going from strength to strength and much of that is down to the creative genius of Antonio Di Natale.

The 31-year-old attacker, who likes playing just behind a central striker, has been a key factor in the team’s progress in recent seasons and his prompting has helped Udinese embarrass some of the supposed big guns in Serie A.

He has many of the attributes of classic number 10s, possessing a great first touch, excellent vision and the ability to score and make goals. He is also a clever dribbler and an elusive man for defences to mark.

Di Natale began his career at Empoli. He enjoyed some good times at the club, making more than 150 appearances and notching up almost 50 goals. Empoli had sent him on a few different loan spells and these appeared to pay off as he burst onto the scene.

But when the club were relegated, the time was right for Di Natale to take the next step. It seemed inevitable that his talent would have been wasted if he had stayed with Empoli and it was no surprise to see Udinese move quickly to secure his signature in 2004.

Di Natale made an instant impact there, joining forces with strikers Vincenzo Iaquinta and David Di Michele to fire the club up the table. Some of the big boys were brushed aside as Udinese powered up the table and refused to take their foot off the gas. Di Natale and company held off Sampdoria to secure fourth place and, with it, Champions League football for the following season. It was a massive achievement and the newcomer had been a big plus on the road to Europe. The club could now dream of taking on the likes of Manchester United, Real Madrid and Barcelona.

While the Champions League adventure had a heartbreaking ending, Udinese were a better side for having experienced playing at that level. Di Natale and company were placed in a group with Barcelona, Werder Bremen and Panathinaikos and ended up with seven points from their six games. But defeat to Barcelona in their final group game allowed Bremen to snatch second spot away from the Italians. Udinese moved into the UEFA Cup but crashed out against Levski Sofia. And the club were unable to repeat the league heroics of 2004/05 as performances dipped.

By now, Di Natale had also made his name on the international scene. He was handed his debut for the Italian senior side against Turkey back in late November 2002 under the management of Giovanni Trapattoni, while still an Empoli player. And Di Natale remained in the thoughts of national team coaches in the years to come as he showed his appetite for the big stage.

He scored two vital goals for Italy on the road to Euro 2008, playing as a second striker behind powerful front man Luca Toni, and secured a place in the squad for the tournament in Austria and Switzerland. It was a major breakthrough for the Udinese man. He was picked in the starting line-up by Roberto Donadoni against Holland in the team’s opening match of Euro 2008 but it proved to be a humbling night for the Italians. They crashed to a 3-0 defeat against a rampant Dutch side and Di Natale was substituted in the second half after a quiet game.

He was left on the bench for the next two games but was back in action in the quarter-finals against Spain, coming on with 15 minutes to go. But again it was a night to forget. A dull match ended 0-0 after 120 minutes of football and headed for penalties. The Spaniards were the victors in the dreaded spot-kicks, with Di Natale one of the Italians who missed. His penalty was excellently saved by in-form Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas.

But the new Serie A season gave Di Natale something fresh to focus on and he was clearly pumped up when the campaign kicked off. Udinese have pushed their way to sixth in the table at the time of writing, and currently sit just six points behind leaders Inter Milan. Champions League qualification could be achievable again if the team continue to excel. Di Natale has netted four times already this season in Serie A and it would take a brave man to bet against the forward matching last year’s tally of 17.

Tottenham witnessed Udinese’s quality first hand in the UEFA Cup when they travelled to Italy in October. Di Natale was on the scoresheet that night, calmly slotting home a first half penalty and looking in fine form throughout in a 2-0 victory. Another good win in Europe – 2-1 away to Spartak Moscow – illustrated how solid and unflappable Udinese are. They have maximum points thus far and seem certain to top Group D. With AC Milan also firing in the UEFA Cup this season, Italy are being flawlessly represented in the competition.

It all bodes well for Di Natale and his team-mates as they step up their hunt for silverware and the side appear to have a bright future. If the talismanic front man can continue to produce inspirational performances, Udinese could have cause for celebration at the end of the season.