Udinese hero Di Natale can't stop scoring
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/ Michael Lintorn / 01 November 2011 / Leave a comment Bet Now View Market
Udinese won’t be disappointed if Di Natale retains a fairly low profile while achieving extraordinary things as it increases the probability of him finishing his career at the Stadio Friuli.
Antonio Di Natale found the net once again at the weekend, leaving him in a great position to regain Serie A's top goalscorer crown...
Udinese sold Alexis Sanchez, Gokhan Inler and Cristian Zapata this summer without investing in any high-profile replacements, yet nine weeks into the new Serie A season, deservedly find themselves second in the table.
How can it be possible? The simple answer is Antonio Di Natale. Those who left in the window may be more high-profile and receive greater international recognition, but nobody delivers as consistently as the club captain.
And that's not just at Udinese, there are few players on the continent who push their potential to quite the limit that the 34-year-old forward manages, and even fewer who do so while gaining so little acclaim.
Di Natale has topped the Serie A scoring charts in each of the last two campaigns and is a worthy [3.6] favourite to complete a hat-trick having surged into an early lead with seven goals in his first eight appearances.
The last week alone has provided a perfect illustration of how Udinese perform with and without their talisman, as they fell 2-0 against his hometown team Napoli in midweek, their first defeat in the first league game that he had missed.
Sporting director Fabrizio Larini wasn't afraid to acknowledge how much his injury had affected the Zebrette but he was back on Sunday for Palermo's visit and got the only goal to put them back on track.
The former Empoli goal-getter looks set to see his stunning form recognised globally for once with it widely believed that he is the sole Italian player on the as yet unconfirmed Ballon d'Or shortlist.
That feat will render even more remarkable the fact that he hasn't represented Italy since Cesare Prandelli was hired last summer after their World Cup flop, and at present is unlikely to be part of the [16.0]-rated Azzurri Euro 2012 squad.
However, Udinese won't be disappointed if Di Natale retains a fairly low profile while achieving extraordinary things as it increases the probability of him finishing his career at the Stadio Friuli.
Their next match comes away to Atletico Madrid in the Europa League. They are [6.4] outsiders to triumph, though be sure to check if "Toto" is travelling before backing them, as he was rested in their last two European encounters.
