Udinese Calcio in the 2013-14 Season

Serie A Finish: 13th

Match Results: W12-D8-L18

(Featured image: Udinese | Source: BBC)

Udinese were neither impressive nor horrible in the 2013-14 Serie A season. They placed in the lower mid-table by the end of the Italian top-flight tournament and managed to earn a dozen victories plus eight draws translated to 44 points from 38 appearances. However, they also conceded more goals than what they could afford, posting a final goal difference of -11. Clearly, the side suffered from inconsistency and an unpredictable defense last term.

The side kicked off their campaign with an embarrassing 2-1 away finish from Lazio. This resulted in the club being ranked in the bottom half of the league table by the season’s debut week. Their subsequent fixtures nevertheless opened some chances to keep their hopes high. They won over Parma 3-1 in their second match, drew with Bologna in their third, succumbed to Chievo in their fourth, and earned all the spoils against Genoa in their fifth. They were highly inconsistent throughout their campaign but their resilience made it sure that they would not plummet into the relegation zone—not even once.

Udinese were a favorite among online bookies and ‘adventurous’ bettors due to their unpredictability. One week they were the minnows and then winners on the other. However, it was apparent that Bianconeri had a challenging season and they were not always the top dogs in the more than three dozen matches they had in the entire tournament.

In spite of their roller coaster ride, Andrea Stramaccioni’s men still pulled off some of the most stellar stunts in Serie A’s pitches. Team captain Antonio Di Natale emerged as the squad’s best player and finished the season as the fourth (tied with two other players from other teams) highest scoring striker in the league. He netted 17 goals in total.