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Luca Gotti's two-year spell at Udinese came to an end following the club's embarrassing 3-1 defeat to Empoli. It was the club's third defeat in five matches. Gotti managed just three wins from 16 league games in charge before getting the sack.
Gotti's first season in charge
Gotti's appointment in 2019 came with the major objective of taking Udinese to a top-ten finish. In the 2018/19 season, the club had finished outside the top 10 for the first time in four years.
Gotti, despite coming midseason after the sacking of Igor Tudor, steadied the ship and Udinese eventually finished 13th that season.
In the summer of last year, Udinese splashed a lot in the transfer market to rope in the likes of Victor-Makengo from OGC Nice and Tolgay Arslan from Fenerbache. The only major departure was that of Seko Fofana to Lens, which at this point in time looks like a mistake.
The results on the pitch, however, remained the same.
Cracks started appearing last season
Gotti opted for a more conservative 4-4-2 in his second year in charge. However, in no less than five games, the cracks in the system became apparent.
An aged backline comprising captain Bram Nuytinck and Stryger Larsen was often caught cold against the big teams in the division. Even the teams that fought relegation managed to expose Udinese's chinks at the back.
For instance, back in December last term, Benevento managed to pull off an upset away win against Udinese. They fired fifteen shots on target against the hosts, exposing their defensive frailties.
Draws at Cagliari and Crotone pushed them way behind to even contest for a top-ten finish. By virtue of winning four out of their last seven games, they finished 14th in the table and Gotti escaped the sack.
Further embarrasment for Udinese this season
Besides the opening day win against Empoli, little has gone well for Udinese. They failed to convert early leads into victories against Fiorentina, Sampdoria and even Bologna.
As a result. at the halfway stage, the club has drawn 50 percent of their games. More importantly, at the time of Gotti's sacking, the club was stuck 14th in the table, just seven points off the drop.
Gotti's dismissal was inevitable and now it is time for the new man in charge, Gabrielle Cioffi - his assistant - to turn Udinese's fortunes around.
