Chapter 123: The Coppa Italia Final

Chapter 123: The Coppa Italia Final

Udinese didn't return to Udine from Turin. Instead, they took a direct flight to Rome. This was because, at 9 PM on May 4th, the Coppa Italia final of the season was set to kick off at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

For Udinese, this match was extremely challenging. The kickoff time for the Coppa Italia final was only 48 hours after the second leg of their Europa League semifinal against Juventus! Such a short interval meant that even players with incredible stamina, like Bruno, couldn't recover to their best form, let alone veterans like Di Natale.

Fortunately, in the second leg against Juventus, Guidolin wisely chose to rest Di Natale and employed a defensive strategy to secure a 0-0 draw. Of course, this was possible because Udinese had won 3-1 at home in the first leg; otherwise, Guidolin wouldn't have dared to take such an approach away from home.

By 8 PM on May 4th, Guidolin and the entire Udinese team had already arrived at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome by bus. In the mixed zone, Bruno briefly spoke to the media: "Napoli is a strong team, and we had a tough game in Turin just two days ago, so this will be a very challenging match. But we have the confidence to win." He ended by showing a victory sign to the reporters.

"I don't understand where that Portuguese kid's confidence comes from," grumbled a Napoli journalist. "Probably from beating Juventus," another journalist joked, prompting laughter from Napoli, AC Milan, and Inter Milan reporters, while Juventus journalists looked awkward.

This season, Juventus, possibly on their way to a record points tally in Serie A, had a poor record against Udinese: one win (in a match Udinese strategically forfeited), one draw, and two losses in their other three encounters. Especially embarrassing was the 0-0 draw in the second leg of the Europa League, where a largely rotated Udinese side held Juventus scoreless in Turin.

It's clear that Juventus's elimination by Udinese in the Europa League will be a topic of ridicule for a long time among fans and pundits.

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In the Udinese locker room, the atmosphere was quiet. Some players listened to music, some engaged in light conversation, while others read books. Each player had their way of mentally preparing for the upcoming match. However, all of them occasionally glanced at their coach, waiting for the final pre-match talk and tactical instructions.

Guidolin was staring intently at the tactics board. It displayed his predicted starting lineup for Napoli, focusing particularly on the names Inler and Jorginho.

According to Guidolin's assessment, Napoli would field a double-pivot midfield with Inler and Jorginho. However, this was just his prediction. Swiss midfielder Inler had previously played for Udinese and spent a season under Guidolin's management, where he was a key defensive midfielder. In the summer of 2011, he transferred to Napoli and quickly established himself as a regular starter. Inler faced some difficulties in the 2012-2013 season and temporarily lost his starting spot. But with the arrival of Spanish coach Benitez in the summer of 2013, Inler regained his place in the starting lineup.

Though primarily a defensive midfielder, Inler has a strong offensive capability, excelling in long-range shots from the edge of the box and precise passing during counterattacks. It was rumored that Wenger wanted to sign Inler in 2008 after losing Flamini but couldn't agree on a transfer fee with Udinese.

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Napoli's other midfielder, Jorginho, had only joined from newly-promoted Verona in the winter transfer window. Jorginho was highly regarded in Italy as a talented player. He had solid technical skills, which made him reliable in ball control and dribbling. He also had an excellent passing ability, consistently delivering both short and long passes. This made him an effective midfield orchestrator. However, his drawbacks were a lack of physicality, slow pace, limited creativity, and overly conservative passing.

Overall, Jorginho was seen as a rather average player. Guidolin circled Jorginho's name on the tactics board. Napoli had players like Callejon, Insigne, Hamsik, and Higuain, who favored a fast-paced style. But Guidolin noticed that Jorginho didn't fit well with the team's tempo. His slower speed and tendency to hold onto the ball often disrupted Napoli's quick attacks, like hitting a brake.

Therefore, Guidolin decided to target Jorginho as a weak link. The question remained whether Benitez would start Jorginho. If Jorginho didn't start, the specific training focused on exploiting him would be wasted. Of course, Guidolin had alternative plans ready if Jorginho wasn't in the lineup.

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In the home team locker room at the Stadio Olimpico, which served as Udinese's locker room, a TV screen played footage of Napoli's players. Guidolin was giving his final tactical briefing.

"Let's go over some key points for today's match," Guidolin smiled at his players. "Once the game starts, you won't hear me shouting from the sidelines."

"Napoli has several players we need to pay special attention to." Guidolin paused the video, freezing the image of Napoli's number 9.

"Gonzalo Higuain. He's a very versatile forward—fast, capable of dribbling, and with excellent ball control. Our defenders must not give him too much space and opportunity. Stay close to him!"

"Higuain's heading ability isn't his strongest suit, so if we have to, let him go for headers rather than allowing him to control the ball at his feet."

Guidolin viewed Higuain as a nearly perfect striker template, apart from his slightly weaker heading ability. Higuain had explosive power, exquisite shooting skills, and was always in the right place at the right time. His off-the-ball movement was excellent.

Higuain was also capable of creating opportunities for teammates and pulling defenders out of position. Notably, he worked hard in pressing goalkeepers and defenders, showing great effort in the front line.

Or, as Guidolin would say, Higuain was his kind of player.

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"Marek Hamsik—balanced with both feet, excellent vision, passing, and off-the-ball movement. His downside is his lack of physicality, making him less effective in physical duels. Pressure him and make contact; that's not his strong suit."

"Insigne and Callejon—both are very sharp in dribbling down the wings. We need to block their crosses."

"Inler, the Swiss player, has a powerful long shot. Don't give him space or opportunities to shoot within range!"

Guidolin went through each of Napoli's most dangerous players, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses, and explaining how to handle them.

"Finally, let's focus on Jorginho," Guidolin said, clapping his hands. "He's precise with his passes, which is something to watch out for. But he's slow in pace and decision-making, and he likes to hold onto the ball. As soon as he gets the ball, press him hard—harder than anyone else! If we can intercept the ball from him, it will be a great chance for a counterattack."

The locker room filled with laughter. The team had practiced pressing and quickly counterattacking during the past few days, specifically targeting Jorginho. By now, the entire Udinese squad felt a sense of familiarity with him. Bruno even joked that Jorginho was like the key to opening the door to victory for Udinese.

Captain Di Natale chuckled and shook his head, acknowledging the accuracy of Guidolin's assessment of Jorginho.

"If Jorginho doesn't start, Benitez will likely pair Behrami with Inler," Guidolin added. "Behrami is a tough defender with good stamina, but his technique is rough. He often relies on fouls and physicality to stop opponents. We can draw fouls from him and get set-piece opportunities."

"Also, Behrami has a short temper, which we can exploit. Remember that," Guidolin emphasized.

"Lastly, Napoli plays at a fast pace. They like quick transitions and slick combinations. Today, our goal is to disrupt their rhythm!"

"We'll use an even faster pace to throw Napoli off!" Guidolin declared.

Using a faster pace to disrupt Napoli's fast pace? It sounded contradictory, but the players understood. The coach meant more aggressive pressing and tighter marking.

"Don't give Napoli players time to breathe or space to think. Make the ball feel like a hot potato so they have to pass it hurriedly," Guidolin concluded, swinging his arm emphatically. (End of Chapter)