With just under a month until the start of the Serie A season, VAVEL take a look at how Udinese will fair in the upcoming campaign under their new head coach, Stefano Colantuono.

Last time out

Udinese went in to the 2014-15 campaign with strong hope that they could improve on their disappointing 14th place finish the previous season; but it wasn't to be.

Last time out was, again, a difficult season for the Italian side. Despite a positive start in which they won four out of their first five fixtures to leave them in 3rd place, Udinese struggled to find a solid run of form and eventually finished up having come out on top of just three of their last 20 fixtures.

An inexperienced manager and strong rumours of the departure of club captain Antonio Di Natale to the MLS, hindered the Little Zebras as they slumped to a 16th place finish, just seven points above the Serie A relegation zone.

As a result, in light of the fact they managed just 10 victories throughout the whole campaign, head coach Andrea Stramaccioni was allowed to leave, following Udinese's 4-3 defeat to already relegated Cagliari, after just one year in charge of the club.

A new reign

Step up the new man in charge: Stefano Colantuono, who many consider a massive gamble after a string of managerial sackings over the last few years.

Colantuono
The new man in charge

Colantuono has lost his position with a number of Italian clubs including Torino, Palermo, on two occassions, and the dismissal from Atlanta last season after leaving the side just three points above the relegation zone following a poor run of results.

However, the former defender has previously proved his worth in Italy's top-flight under Atlanta having guided them to an impressive 7th-place finish in 2005-06, followed by a run of comfortable league finishes over the last handful of years despite the club's severe lack of resources.

He is also able to boast a wide amount of know-how throughout Italy's footballing pyramid. In the 2001-02 season he guided Sambenedettese to promotion from Serie C2 and in addition to this he has experienced some near promotion misses, notably in the following Serie C1 season with Sambenedettese and whilst also managing Perugia in the Serie B.

Now at the age of 52, Colantuono will be looking to secure a stable future with Udinese and will eventually have his sights set of returning the club into Europe.

Arrivals & departures

In his first month behind the reigns of the White-blacks, Colantuono has been very busy in the side's transfer activities with five arrivals and seven departures to date.

Notable in's include Iraqi defender Ali Adnan who previously applied his trade with Turkish side Caykur Rizespor. At the age of 21, Adnan is regarded as one of the best young talents in Asia having already claimed the acolade of the 2013 Asian Young Footballer of the Year.

Arriving by his side is Brazillian midfielder Edenilson who links up with Udinese from fellow Serie A side Genoa whilst fellow South American Duvan Zapata has signed a two-season loan deal from Napoli.

Adnan
Adnan - a bright prospect

The club have also secured the signing of experienced Chilean Manuel Iturra, who has 33 international caps to his name spanning from 2005. The defensive midfielder has joined along with 26-year-old defender Ivan Piris. The Paraguayian previously spent time in Italy with Roma during the 2012-13 but fell out of favour with coach Aurelio Andreazzoli.

The most stand out name from the in's and out's is without question Roberto Pereyra who has left the club to join Juventus. Having played a major role in the side's Serie A and Coppa Italia dominancy whilst on loan last season, Pereyra has now made his deal permanent, signing a four-year deal for a €14 million fee.

Also to leave the club are Matej Vydra and Allan Nyom who have both joined Premier League new boys Watford. Meanwhile, Brazillian defender Naldo has linked up with Sporting CP, Filippo Berra has moved to Pro Vercelli and Serbian goalkeeper Zeljko Brkic has joined Cagliari.

The first six

Sunday 23rd August, Juventus v Udinese

Sunday 30th August, Udinese v Palermo

Sunday 13th September, Lazio v Undinese

Sunday 20th September, Udinese v Empoli

Wednesday 23rd September, Udinese v AC Milan

Sunday 27th September, Bologna v Udinese

Stefano Colantuono couldn't have asked for a tougher first test as the new man in charge - an away trip to Turin to face the defending champions Juventus.

Following on from that, things don't get any easier as Udinese host a Palermo side who will be looking to push themselves in the top half this season. That is followed by a visit to the Stadio Olimpico to line-up against S.S. Lazio before welcoming AC Milan to Udine on the 23rd September.

Juventus
An opening day trip to the Juventus Stadium

Udinese finish off their season with a home game against newly promoted Carpi on Sunday 15th May, which could turn out to be a very important fixture if Colantuono's first season in charge doesn't go to plan.

Our prediction

Serie A - 13th - With not much expectation on their shoulders for them to succeed, Udinese could well come out the blocks and surprise a few people this season, especially if they can keep star man Di Natale fit.

However, if Colantuono's experiences should follow suit, this campaign could swing either way, whether it be a shock top half finish or a relegation dog fight to maintain their survival.

At this stage, he should be looking to firstly consolidate his side's Serie A status before working more in depth to develop a squad which is able to compete in the top half of the league in the upcoming seasons.

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About the author
Ben Betts
Ben joined the VAVEL team in June 2014 and has since gone on to become an active member of both The Football League and Serie A offices. At the age of 19 he is currently on a gap year, working at a local college before he embarks on a Finance, Accounting and Management degree at the University of Nottingham.