2011–12 season | |||
---|---|---|---|
President | Franco Soldati | ||
Manager | Francesco Guidolin | ||
Stadium | Stadio Friuli | ||
Serie A | 3rd | ||
Coppa Italia | Round of 16 | ||
UEFA Champions League | Play-off round | ||
UEFA Europa League | Round of 16 | ||
Top goalscorer |
League: Antonio Di Natale (23) All: Antonio Di Natale (29) |
||
Highest home attendance | 28,588 vs Juventus (21 December 2011, Serie A) |
||
Lowest home attendance | 5,200 vs Chievo (11 January 2012, Coppa Italia) |
||
Average home league attendance | 18,595 | ||
|
The 2011–12 season was Udinese Calcio's 17th consecutive and 32nd Serie A season. The club had a successful league season, finishing third in Serie A, but disappointed in the three cup competitions in which it competed. Udinese were eliminated from the Coppa Italia in the round of 16, and also experienced disappointment in the UEFA Champions League, where it was eliminated in the play-off round and thus failed to make its first appearance in the group stage since the 2005–06 season. As a result, Udinese dropped down to the UEFA Europa League, where it successfully advanced from both the group stage and the round of 32, only to be eliminated in the round of 16. Club captain and legend Antonio Di Natale was once again the team's top scorer, with 23 goals in Serie A and 29 in total.
Udinese were unbeaten in their first seven Serie A games, and only conceded one goal in that period, which was the best defensive record in top European leagues at the time. They were also top of Serie A at the moment, and compared to much more expensive squad of Manchester City, which also top Premier League at the same time.
Udinese were drawn against English side Arsenal for qualification into the UEFA Champions League. The first leg was played away at the Emirates Stadium, which resulted in a 1–0 defeat. The second leg was a heavily contested match, with Udinese taking a 1–0 lead at half-time to level the aggregate score to 1–1 but Arsenal caught up in the second half and Udinese lost 2–1, and 3–1 on aggregate. Udinese were then drawn into the Europa League.
As of 31 August 2011Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.