Chapter 103: The Alleged Fall of Bruno

Chapter 103: The Alleged Fall of Bruno

While Udinese has unified in their goal to target the Europa League, this doesn't mean they will completely give up on the Serie A. Even if Udinese were to forfeit the remaining 12 league matches, they would not face relegation. After 26 league games, Udinese is in third place, two points ahead of Napoli, with a real chance of qualifying for next season's Champions League.

Therefore, in the Serie A match on March 8, facing AC Milan at home, Coach Guidolin made only moderate rotations. Bruno, the key attacker, started, and Dina Tale, recovering from an injury, was also on the match roster. Guidolin planned to bring Dina Tale on in the second half to regain match fitness.

AC Milan's season has been dismal. They are likely to be eliminated from the Champions League after losing the first leg of the knockout phase at home, were ousted early from the Coppa Italia by Udinese, and are currently languishing in twelfth place in Serie A, almost certainly heading towards a season with no trophies.

Udinese won the first leg away at San Siro 2:1. Now hosting, Udinese showed no signs of leniency.

The first half ended goalless.

Early in the second half, not satisfied with a draw, both teams made substitutions. AC Milan brought on Essien for the underperforming Bierhoff and Balotelli for Robinho; Udinese substituted Dina Tale for Muriel.

In the 67th minute, Udinese launched a swift counter-attack. Bruno sprinted 40 meters, played a one-two with a teammate, and sent a low cross from the left of the box. Dina Tale, 10 meters from the goal, slotted the ball into the bottom right corner to give Udinese the lead.

Udinese maintained the lead and won 1:0 at home, completing a season triple over AC Milan and a double in the league.

However, the post-match Italian media buzzed with a surprising narrative: "Bruno has fallen!" An article in the "Turin Sports Daily" titled "Another Premature Fall of a European Golden Boy" noted that Bruno had not scored in six games, with four goalless rounds in Serie A. This drought was unusual for Bruno, who had scored 14 league goals and 21 in all competitions this season.

The article contrasted his recent two goals in 15 matches with his explosive start of 19 goals in the first 25 games of the season. It traced his decline back to December of the previous year, after winning the European Golden Boy award. Apart from a standout performance against Napoli, where he scored twice, Bruno experienced a six-match goal drought, only breaking it on January 19 against Lazio.

The reporter speculated that Bruno might be a "Anderson-type" talent, referencing a precipitous fall post-award. This slump was said to correlate with Udinese's downturn in form, from a title contender to being 15 points behind Juventus, with no hope of winning the league.

The "Turin Sports Daily" even suggested that Juventus's Pogba would have been a more deserving Golden Boy.

The narrative of Bruno's decline sparked significant reaction in Italy, especially with his scoring stats apparently supporting the claim. However, Coach Guidolin refuted this by pointing out that while Bruno had only two goals in the last 18 matches, he provided 14 assists.

Guidolin argued that judging a player who contributed to 16 goals in 18 games as "fallen" was absurd, emphasizing that Bruno's primary role was not as a scorer but as the team's playmaker. He preferred the assisting Bruno of recent games over the earlier scoring spree.

After some media back-and-forth, a new image of Bruno emerged: by March, he had played 40 matches across Serie A, the Coppa Italia, and the Europa League, scoring 21 goals and providing 24 assists. With the season still more than two months from conclusion and already achieving a double 20+ in goals and assists, how could anyone call such a player "fallen"?

Udinese fans argued that if this was what "fallen" looked like, they wanted more such "fallen" players. Fans from other Italian teams also expressed a desire for a "fallen" player like Bruno.

Bruno himself didn't take the criticism to heart. "Only the mediocre are never envied," he thought, recognizing that with greater success and influence, the number of detractors would only increase. Engaging detractors only fueled their fire, as they thrived on creating controversy for attention.

The best response was to remain composed and let undeniable on-field performances speak for themselves. While this wouldn't stop the critics, delivering on the pitch provided a satisfying rebuttal.

Especially now, as Udinese focused on the upcoming first leg of the Europa League Round of 16.

On the evening of March 13, just five minutes before kickoff against Anzhi at home, the stadium's big screen displayed the starting lineups. Udinese was poised, despite Anzhi's more assertive approach, not intimidated by the third-ranked team in Serie A.

Anzhi's left-back, wearing number 2, was particularly active, frequently pushing forward to support attacks. The young Kanselo faced a tough challenge against the experienced and skillful opponent but managed to recover quickly after being outpaced initially.

Anzhi's coach appeared relaxed, satisfied with the aggressive start, while Guidolin, despite his calm exterior, clenched his fists, worried about his team's prospects in a crucially focused Europa League campaign.