For the second year in a row, Udinese started their season with Champions League heartache from the penalty spot. At the beginning of the last campaign, Antonio Di Natale missed a crucial spot-kick against Arsenal which allowed the Gunners to qualify. However, his miss was more down to a great save whereas new Brazilian signing, Maicosuel, attempted to endear himself to the fans with a cheeky chipped effort in a shoot-out against Braga only to be thoroughly embarrassed as the keeper stayed upright to catch the ball. It was a decisive miss and once again Francesco Guidolin would be charged with the task of picking his players up from another disappointment. However, first he had to pick himself up as rumours swirled that the latest failure to gain qualification for the Champions League was the last straw for the coach. Calmer heads soon prevailed and Guidolin stayed on but he'd have to deal with a demoralised squad of players and one which had been severely weakened yet again by summer outgoings. Samir Handanovic, Kwadwo Asamoah and Mauricio Isla were the biggest losses from last season but the most important man stayed loyal. Skipper Di Natale has been the talisman for the club over the past few years and continued to thrive in that role. Despite a poor first half of the season for the Zebrette, Di Natale kept up his consistent level of goalscoring and eventually became only the second man in history after Gabriel Batistuta to score 20 or more goals in Serie A for four consecutive seasons! Youngster, Luis Muriel, returned from a loan spell and arguably provided Di Natale with his best strike-partner since Alexis Sanchez. Mehdi Benatia remained solid at the back whilst another new Brazilian signing was much more of a success as Allan slotted into central midfield seamlessly. Despite those impressive individuals, Guidolin encourages a great overall team ethic and this allowed Udinese to go from a side who looked like toiling in mid-table to one that stormed to eight straight victories during the run-in, securing Europa League football ahead of the likes of Roma, Lazio and Inter Milan. It was another incredible achievement for Guidolin who continues to consistently finish high up the table despite his modest budget and constant departures of key players. Udinese remain one of the best run clubs in Serie A.
