Back in September, had someone said that Udinese were going to qualify to the next Champions League, he would have been taken for a fool. Coach Guidolin's team was sitting at the bottom of the table after losing the first four rounds in a row. With the passing of time, Udinese started improving and climbing up the table, reaching the mid-standings. They seemed to be unbeatable at home and fragile on the road. Then, after the end of the Christmas break, things changed completely. Udinese became, by far, the best team of the Serie A in terms of the quality of play and of the results. Thanks to an outstanding thirteen-match-long positive streak, they reached the top four and seemed to be aiming at the Scudetto. In April, though, after an international break, they lost the achieved brilliancy, due to some injuries and several suspensions. After four defeats in five matches, they seemed to be doomed to a rapid fall. But they were far from dead and eventually they made it back to the top four for good. Captain Di Natale confirmed himself as the top scorer of the Serie A, with 28 goals, but it was Sanchez who really made the difference at some stage. Handanovic, with six penalty kicks saved out of eight, Benatia, Armero, Pinzi, Inler all proved to be fundamental for Guidolin's 3-5-2 formation and for the team's spectacular play. Had the coach been able to count on a wider squad and had the beginning been less traumatic, Udinese could have really become the main contenders for Milan.
