Udinese capped off another great season by finishing fourth in Italy and earning a chance to qualify for the Champions League. This will be the last time the fourth place Italian team will have a chance to qualify as the coefficient has shifted giving Germany a fourth spot. Following the 2009/2010 Serie A season, 4th place Sampdoria played Werder Bremen to qualify for a spot in the 2010/2011 Champions League. Here was another opportunity for a Serie A team to help out its country by defeating a German team. After being only seconds away from the win, Werder Bremen scored a goal in the 3rd minute of stoppage time, forcing extra time which eventually led to Werder Bremen moving on. Midway through the following season Sampdoria sold off star strikers Antonio Cassano and Giampaolo Pazzini and ended the season relegated.
Looking ahead to this year's fourth place finisher, Udinese seem set to follow suit. It is unlikely that they will perform as poorly as Sampdoria, however Udinese are trying the best they can to make winning hard this season. During this transfer window Udinese have already sold three of their best players. Early on in the summer, Zapata was sent to Villareal while Inler will be playing in Napoli next season. Thursday marked the end of the Sanchez saga, seeing his move to Barcelona completed. So far Udinese have sold their second leading goal scorer, one of their top assist men, and one of their top defenders. All three were in the top ten for games played. The loss of these players is going make qualifying for Champions League impossible. Udinese have always struggled in Europe and this year they will be relying on a weaker team to bring success. Unlike Napoli, who have made several purchases to prepare for the Champions League, Udinese have been selling like crazy. If Serie A wants to regain its fourth position, teams like Udinese have to show a desire to perform both domestically and internationally. I predict Udinese are set to have a tough year. Di Natale has never proven himself on the big stage and I don't see this year being any different. If they do hope to win a spot in the Champions League then the front office needs to bring in some quality talent and quickly.
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