Udinese hold Africa's power of three

They say good things happen in threes and for Udinese that certainly seems to be the case, as the famous yo-yo club has managed to find themselves three of Africa’s rising stars, in the shape of Emmanuel Badu, Mehdi Benatia and Kwadwo Asamoah. 

Renowned for their constant fluctuation on the Serie A league table, as well as alternating between first and second division in the early 90’s, the Zebrette have finally seemed to have found a rhythm of consistency in the past few seasons. 

 

At the start of the 2009 campaign Udinese made their first steps in securing youngsters for the future; players who would grow and prosper, along with providing a sense of stability that has lacked so much at the Stadio Friuli. 

Their first notable signing was that of the Ghanaian Kwadwo Asamoah, who, after joining Udinese on a six month loan spell from Torino in January 2009, moved on to be a permanent player in that summer transfer window.

Despite finding themselves in a relegation battle where they eventually finished 15^th and 9 points clear from the bottom, there were several players who didn’t disappoint.

 Asamoah worked his way into the regular first team football where he under no circumstances failed to impress.

It was against Fiorentina where he scored his first goal for the Bianconeri, which left many blown away by his ability with the ball, even earning praise from the opposition.

The Ghanaian’s strong tackling, close ball control and ability to pick the right pass proved to be a colossal attribute that season that helped prevent then coach Pasquale Marino from avoiding the drop.

The following season saw the arrival of two more unknown talents, who would eventually; prove to be fundamental in an Udinese side who lost three of their top players- Gokhan Inler, Alexis Sanchez and Christian Zapata- to bring in an impressive profit of €40m.

Mehdi Benatia and- fellow Ghanaian to Asamoah- Emmanuel Badu were signed, sealed and delivered to the squad in 2010. Though despite only losing their previously mentioned magic trio in the summer of 2011, the three African’s ran through fire to prove their worth under new coach Francesco Guidolin.

The season of 2010/11 saw Udinese qualify for the Champions League under Guidolin. It was a season that saw them produce some of their best displays in recent history, and it was with the assistance of their African trio and Sanchez that helped to harvest some of their best form.

Having lost their revelation Sanchez to Barcelona in the summer of 2011 along with Inler and Zapata, many thought that their departures would be a gargantuan loss to the side; however that was not to be the case.

Badu stepped into his accustomed defensive central position with ease, as he took over from Switzerland’s Inler’s position, which saw him mold to the new formation of 4-1-4-1 and 4-4-1-1.

Badu’s transition into the central midfield role was completed with such success that the Zebrette faithful haven’t had a chance to mourn the sale of Inler to Napoli.

Badu partnered up well with fellow countryman Asamoah to cover the attacking midfielder role of Giampiero Pinzi.

 Behind the two Ghanaians there is the defensive pillar of Morocco’s Benatia, who has since taken over from Zapata, has seen his defensive prowess swiftly earn his way into first team football.

Playing over 30 matches and scoring three goals in little over a year, has seen the solid 6ft2 stopper do nothing but impress Guidolin.

With Benatia’s strong defensive ability, coupled with the excellent cover provided by the two pairings from Ghana, it is unsurprising to see the Bianconeri joint leaders of the Serie A table with only one goal conceded: the least out of any Serie A side this season to date.

Labeled as the heir to Alessandro Nesta, Benatia has even been called by former teammate Samir Nasri to join Arsenal.

 

“Oh yes, he wants me to come. When I was in France playing for a small team he used to tell me, ‘I will speak to Arsene Wenger’. I always replied he was crazy.

“We are big friends, we shared the same room in Marseille,” concluded the 23-year-old.

Despite strong calls from clubs playing in Europe Benatia did reiterate that he was in no hurry to leave the city of Udine.

There is little doubt that the power of the admirable African threesome has been a key component to Guidolin’s success this season, with the trio having already been linked alongside Europe’s elite further demonstrating that they have a bright future ahead of them.