What Udinese are experiencing at the moment is more than just a new manager bounce. Think of them as rocket fired into outer space. Massimo Oddo has turned things around instantly in Friuli. The Zebrette have gone, at the drop of a hat, from a side battling relegation to one with a chance of qualifying for Europe for the first time since the Guidolin years.
Last weekend’s handsome 4-0 win against Verona was as emphatic as it was poignant because it was also Udinese’s fourth in a row in the league. This is their hottest streak in almost five years and, as a result, sixth spot and a place in the Europa League are now just three points away.
No one could have predicted this at the time of Oddo’s appointment in late November. Udinese were 14th and had lost eight of their opening 12 games of the season. Hiring Oddo did not, on first glance, inspire great confidence. Up until then, his only win as a Serie A coach had come “over the table” after Sassuolo’s 1-0 win over Oddo’s Pescara was declared null and void on account of them fielding an ineligible player. Apart from that, his record stood at a miserable 18 defeats and six draws and, as you can imagine, there were people who seriously wondered whether he was cut out for it at this level.
Udinese, however, chose to look beyond the results. They appreciated the style with which Oddo had got Pescara promoted via the play-offs and recognised how difficult it was going to be for him in Serie A after losing his top scorer Gianluca Lapadula and playmaker Luca Torreira. He was interviewed for the job already that summer but Udinese, perhaps mindful of what had happened with Andrea Stramaccioni, opted for experience and in the end settled on Beppe Iachini instead.
Given the boot by Pescara on Valentine’s Day, it looked like Oddo would have to start again in Serie B. Frosinone and Brescia called but he didn’t think either had the players suited to his philosophy. There were advanced talks with Cagliari in mid-October. But the Sardinian’s decided to go with what they know and brought Diego Lopez back to the club. “It’s not easy being out of the game,” Oddo told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “I have a lot of love for the job.”
Trips to Spain and England, and games of Foot Volley with his mates helped him overcome the boredom. He was taking in the north London derby and a Fulham game one weekend when the Pozzos considered it time for another interview. Oddo’s presence at Watford vs West Ham the day before his announcement as Udinese manager hardly looks coincidental.
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The scepticism wasn’t insignificant. At Pescara, Oddo only ever played 4-2-3-1. In order to play the football that had captured a lot of people’s imagination in the second division, he needed a certain kind of player too. Of interest to the doubters was whether Udinese have that kind of player and, if not, could the 41-year-old strike a compromise? These were the questions Oddo faced. To be fair to him, he has answered them in double-quick time. Udinese are the polar opposite of Oddo’s Pescara. One is a compact, physical and direct team. The other was fluid, technical and possession-based.
It’s not as if Oddo has just tweaked one or two things either. He switched the system from 4-4-2 to 3-5-2, brought in a more vocal goalkeeper in Albano Bizzarri, dusted off Ali Adnan, who had been marginalised under Delneri, and reviewed Seko Fofana’s position, settling on a new role in front of the defence. Udinese’s two most talented players, the Czech midfielders Jakub Jankto and Antonin Barak, have suddenly come alive. The pair of them have been involved in 11 goals in four games, often setting up each other.
The transformation is remarkable. Udinese now look like a completely new team with different prospects to the one that started the season. “We work a lot more on tactics with the new manager,” Kevin Lasagna told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “We know the movements we have to make. And now we’re a lot more solid.” Three clean sheets in their last four league games is indicative of that. As are the shots Udinese are conceding, a figure in sharp decline since Oddo’s arrival in Friuli.
OK, those clean sheets have come against Crotone, Benevento and Verona. But that should take nothing away from the job Oddo has done. Look at how well Udinese competed against Napoli, losing just 1-0 in Serie A and the cup. Consider also the 3-1 win against Inter, the stand-out result of Oddo’s brief spell in charge, not only because Udinese went to the then league leaders and ended their 19-game unbeaten run stretching back to May, but because of the in-game adjustments Oddo made in the second half, such as subtly altering Rodrigo De Paul’s position to one between the lines rather than alongside Lasagna. Try as Inter may, they couldn't pick him up.
After that game De Paul spoke at length about the Oddo effect. “He has changed our mentality. When you keep losing, you get used to it and it’s hard to change.” But change Oddo has. And not just Udinese but perceptions of himself too. “The manager must adapt to his players, not the other way round,” Oddo insists.
What at first seemed like an odd couple now looks very well-matched indeed.
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