Udinese...

05-03-2012

A small excused home downturn (??)… with two away matches ahead!

Let’s call it the “x-factor” (good idea perhaps to actually explain what the “x” is when it comes to soccer in Italy?). Which is what has been happening at the Friuli stadium to Udinese for the last weeks (“last few weeks”?). The 0-0 against Atalanta is the third home draw in a row among championship and Europa League matches. Same result all the times (“The same result all the time”?). Which is quite surprising if you take a look at the outcomes of the first part of the season, when Udinese kept winning at the Friuli stadium. From mid-February on, things seem to have changed: first a goalless draw against Paok Thessaloniki, then Cagliari, now Atalanta. It is a surprising datum (??) considering a home path (??) that had in Udinese one of the best of Europe in home matches: 9 home wins in a row between September and December. Nevertheless, even if the home path is facing a momentary downturn, the speed-ups (??) come in away matches. The performances in Thessaloniki and Bologna are clear, showing Udinese’s real face: sparkling, determined, merciless, having scored three goals each to (“against”?) Bologna and Paok. If this is the current trend, all these consecutive away matches are more than welcome (“will be more than welcome”?), starting form Thursday when Udinese will be heading to the Netherlands to face AZ Alkmaar, to end with Novara “(to end with the Novara match”?) for the Serie A.