This was the first season post Francesco Guidolin era - the man who led a modest club like Udinese to several European qualifications on a shoestring budget. Andrea Stramaccioni was the rather surprising choice to replace him but it looked like a stroke of genius by the board in the early weeks of the season as Udinese got off to a flying start and looked set to be contenders for Europe again. However, once the honeymoon period ended, the cracks began to appear. The squad didn't seem to possess the same drive in the second half of the season and seemed content that they'd virtually secured safety instead of showing the ambition to push for more. It was quite a collapse from Stramaccioni's men and the young coach still has a lot of questions to answer after his only other ill-fated spell in charge at Inter Milan. This was supposed to be Antonio Di Natale's final season at the club but he changed his mind and was still able to show touches of brilliance in front of goal. The player of the season plaudits will go to Brazilian midfielder Allan, whose dynamic and energetic performances in the engine room were the highlight of the Zebrette's campaign. Stramaccioni was not given a renewal of his contract at the end of the season such was the way in which the team finished the campaign. It seemed slightly harsh but such is the nature of the business and his replacement will be former Atalanta manager Stefano Colantuono.
