Chapter 102: Unified Goal
Udinese has returned to the Europa League Round of 16 after a year, drawing 2:2 away in their latest match. This season, Serie A teams have improved noticeably on the European stage compared to the last two seasons, with all six participating teams advancing to the knockout rounds. Although two teams dropped from the Champions League to the Europa League, none were eliminated.
After the start of the knockout stages, aside from AC Milan, who lost 0:1 at home to Atlético Madrid and faced likely elimination, four out of the five Serie A teams in the Europa League advanced to the Round of 16, with only Lazio being knocked out by Ludogorets.
In the Round of 16, Serie A teams faced each other, with Juventus and Fiorentina drawing each other. Napoli encountered a strong opponent, facing Portuguese giants Porto. Udinese, fortunately, drew Anzhi from the Russian Premier League.
In early 2011, Anzhi was bought by billionaire and metals tycoon Suleiman Kerimov. Fueled by significant investment, this young club, founded only 20 years ago, began to rise, securing European competition spots for two consecutive seasons. However, the limitations of "money football" became apparent. Without a deep-rooted football culture and significant financial input, Anzhi regressed this season.
Before the winter break, Anzhi was at the bottom of the Russian Premier League table, with 8 draws and 11 losses in 19 games, almost certainly facing relegation. Given their current form, everyone considered Udinese to have drawn an easy opponent as Anzhi was unlikely to pose any threat.
The only potential difficulties for Udinese were the long journey and the cold Russian weather.
After returning to Italy, Udinese quickly faced their 26th Serie A match, flying to Sardinia to play against Cagliari at the Sant'Elia Stadium. Cagliari, a typical mid-table Serie A team since their promotion in the summer of 2004, had their best finish in the 2008-2009 season at 9th place, usually finishing below 10th or near the relegation zone.
This season, Cagliari, after 25 games, had 5 wins, 10 draws, and 10 losses, totaling 25 points and ranking 15th in Serie A, just 5 points above the relegation zone. With limited capabilities, Cagliari was expected to be an easier match for Udinese, who had easily won 2:0 in their first meeting at the Friuli Stadium.
However, in this match, Udinese lost 0:3 away to Cagliari, marking their second game this season with a three-goal deficit. This was considered the biggest surprise of the round.
Fortunately, other top teams in the league also performed poorly this round. Napoli drew 1:1 away at Novara, and Fiorentina lost 0:1 at home to Lazio. The two non-European participants, Roma and Inter Milan, played out a goalless draw at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
Thus, after this round, Udinese maintained their third-place position in the league. However, their gap with league leaders Juventus widened.
After defeating AC Milan 2:0 at San Siro, Juventus led the Serie A with 22 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses, accumulating 68 points and leading second-place Roma by 10 points, with Udinese 15 points behind.
At this stage, the Serie A title race appeared to be over.
The current situation made Coach Guidolin appreciate Bruno's foresight. Compared to other Serie A teams, Juventus's squad depth was significantly superior. They not only eliminated Trabzonspor with two 2:0 victories in the Europa League but also dominated the league, seemingly unstoppable.
With Udinese's squad, competing with Juventus throughout the long Serie A season seemed a desperate reality. Serie A appeared hopeless, whereas their situation in the Europa League was favorable. Facing the weak Anzhi in the Round of 16, Udinese was almost assured of progressing to the quarterfinals.
From there, Udinese needed to fight through five more matches to possibly win the Europa League. At this point, a choice had to be made. With the knockout stages of the Europa League underway, any lapse could lead to a season's disappointment, so they needed full focus unless they decided to abandon the competition prematurely.
But who would willingly give up on the Europa League? Though less prestigious than the Champions League, it was still a significant European competition.
In Serie A, although Udinese currently sat third with qualifications for next season's Champions League play-offs, with the ongoing season, it was uncertain if they could maintain their position given potential declines in player fitness and increases in injuries.
Maybe they could; maybe they couldn't. Guidolin wasn't a soothsayer; he had to make a decision beforehand. With Udinese's squad, it was impossible to fight on two fronts without collapsing at the season's end.
This wasn't the outcome Guidolin wanted to see.
After returning from the Netherlands to Udine and playing against Cagliari, Guidolin had been pondering this issue. The loss to Cagliari solidified his decision—to focus solely on the Europa League, taking a calculated risk in that competition.
With no relegation worries and no title hopes, staying in the top ten was the minimal goal. Winning the Europa League would benefit both him and the team. Moreover, Udinese had also reached the final of the Coppa Italia, with a chance to win their first trophy in that competition.
Facing Napoli in the Coppa Italia final, though the Partenopei were strong, Udinese was not intimidated. If Udinese could win both the Coppa Italia and the Europa League this season, it would undoubtedly be the most successful season in the club's history.
Who doesn't chase glory in football? If possible, who wants a season of mediocrity?
With a clear goal, team training needed adjustments. The league would see more rotation to ensure the strongest lineup was available for the Europa League matches.
During Monday's training, Guidolin gathered the players and announced his decision. "After the last two matches, I've had an idea, but before I announce it, I want to hear your thoughts. Europa League or Serie A, which do you choose?"
Some players, quick to understand Guidolin's intentions, and others looked puzzled, not grasping why he asked. They were generally the slower ones.
Mahrez, always sharp, raised his hand and called out, "I choose championships, sir!"
This was a great response. Whether in Serie A or the Europa League, championships are the ultimate goal for a professional player. So, winning a title is paramount, no matter the competition.
So, which had a higher chance of winning a title? Winning the Europa League was straightforward: just keep winning each match. Winning the league was more complex because even if you could defeat Juventus directly once or twice, which was already the limit since Udinese only faced Juventus twice a season, you couldn't control the outcomes of Juventus's matches against other teams. Even if Juventus lost both games to Udinese but won against other teams, with the current point gap, overturning the league was impossible.
Mahrez's initiative led others to voice their opinions: "I think the Europa League is more exciting!"
"Yes, the opponents in the Europa League are unfamiliar, which makes the matches feel more thrilling. Compared to this, the league has lost its novelty for me..."
"As long as we don't get relegated in the league, why not try harder in the Europa League now that we've made it to the Round of 16?"
With Guidolin announcing the focus to all players, Bruno was somewhat surprised. Before this, only Guidolin, Giaretta, Dina Tale, and Bruno, summoned by Mr. Pozzo for a small strategic meeting, knew about this shift toward the Europa League.
Although Bruno had proposed focusing on the Europa League, which Mr. Pozzo approved, it remained a secret among the five of them.
However, since Guidolin chose to be transparent with all players, Bruno naturally supported him, as this was the outcome he desired.
So, Bruno quickly stood up and said, "I think we have a better chance in the Europa League."
Seeing the overwhelming choice for the Europa League, Guidolin knew his decision was supported by the players, eliminating concerns about motivation in the Europa League matches.
The previous "small committee" meeting, although decisive for Udinese's strategic direction, lacked full player support, sometimes leading to insufficient fighting spirit.
Now, with the team-wide meeting fermenting a unified goal, the situation was different.
Guidolin clapped his hands and declared, "It seems you all like the Europa League, so I announce that our next goal is to make an impact in the Europa League!"
He voiced his decision, and no one was surprised because that was precisely what they hoped for.
What does "making an impact" mean? In the world of football, aside from being champions, all else counts as failure. Surely, a failure can't be called "making an impact," right?
So, Udinese was aiming for the Europa League championship!
(End of Chapter)