The Sporting Urgency: A New, Courageous Identity

To reignite the fans’ passion, the most immediate and visible change must happen on the pitch. This begins with a clear-eyed assessment of the current coaching situation. While Kosta Runjaić has another year on his contract, his first season revealed several red flags that suggest his approach is ill-suited to the Udinese DNA and is actively harming the club’s assets and future.

Based on my observations and public reports, here are my specific concerns:

• Reactive and Fearful Tactics: He has shown a baffling lack of conviction. For example, after finding success with a more dynamic 3-4-2-1 formation, he reverted to the defensive 3-5-2 immediately after the first loss, abandoning a winning strategy out of fear. Even when using a 4-4-2 formation against a big team like Napoli, he described it as the “‘only chance'” for the team, framing a proactive choice as a defensive necessity, and although we got a good result, he changed it for no reason at all.
• Mismanagement of Key Talent: This tactical rigidity leads to a gross mismanagement of talent. A coach who cannot adapt his system to accommodate a world-class player like Alexis Sánchez, forcing him to the bench simply because he “doesn’t fit the 3-5-2,” is failing in his primary duty, and this also shows disrespect for the fans who wanted to see Sanchez play more.
• Lack of Ambition: After reaching theoretical safety last season, he failed to use the remaining games to experiment with new ideas or players, instead resorting to ultra-defensive formations like a 3-6-1, which shows a crippling lack of foresight that for sure dosn’t make him fit for long project.
• Poor Youth Integration: He has persisted with older, underperforming players like Ehizhube instead of giving valuable minutes to younger talents like Pafundi, Bravo, or Zemura, hindering their development and costing the club potential money from sales or beneficial loans.
• Loss of Squad Control: His approach may have led to a loss of control within the squad. This was highlighted by a bizarre incident where star striker Lorenzo Lucca was substituted immediately after scoring a penalty because he had taken the spot-kick instead of the designated taker, Florian Thauvin, and what happened twice between Pafundi and Lovric when they fight about a long free kick.

These issues are symptomatic of the larger problem that has plagued the club for a decade: the team is haunted by the ghost of Guidolin’s successful 3-5-2 formation. It has become a “shield against being held responsible for failure” for a generation of coaches. This must end. The team needs a new, proactive, and courageous tactical identity. If I may be so bold, I would suggest including a clause in every new coach’s contract: if they resort to a 3-5-2 (or 3-5-1-1) and fail to win, say, three consecutive matches, their position is automatically subject to review. This might seem extreme, but it underscores the deep desire for a change in philosophy.