Udinese got absolutely thumped 2-0 by Swansea City today in a pre-season friendly, and the word coming out is already a massive red flag: fitness levels are *not* where they need to be. We’re less than a month away from the Serie A season kicking off, and seeing a team look this sluggish this close to the real games is just brutal.
Udinese’s Rough Start Raises Big Questions
Man, this is the kind of stuff that makes you sweat even before the season really starts. Udinese looked like they were running in quicksand out there against Swansea City. Swansea, who kick off their actual season on August 8 with the EFL Cup, clearly had their legs under them. That “big difference in fitness levels” isn’t just a casual observation from the sideline; it is a giant flashing warning sign less than a month before Serie A action. It makes you wonder what kind of training camp they’ve been having, doesn’t it? Liam Cullen jumped on them with an early goal, which is never a good look, but then new signing Elijah Just decided to mark his debut by scoring a late goal to seal the 2-0 Swansea victory. You want your new guys to make an impact, but not like that when you are on the losing side. This team needs to find another gear, and fast.
Como Shows Real Grit in 2-2 Draw
Meanwhile, Como put on a much more exciting show, battling Paris FC to a 2-2 draw at the Stadio Sinigaglia. Coach Cesc Fabregas, even without his World Cup players, saw some real fight from his squad. Andres Cuenca made his debut in defense after his move from Barcelona, which is cool to see a new face stepping up right away. Alessandro Gabrielloni even opened the scoring, getting Como on the board early. But then Paris FC’s Pablo Pagis decided to go off, hitting a brace and flipping the game around on them. That’s a gut punch, right? To go up, then be down in a friendly? But Como didn’t quit. Tasos Douvikas came off the bench and delivered a late equalizer, securing that 2-2 final score. That kind of resilience, even in a pre-season friendly, shows character. It’s the kind of thing you want to see your team build on heading into the new season.
What This Means as Serie A Nears
So, what are we looking at here with less than a month until the Serie A season? Como showed heart and a never say die attitude, which is awesome to see. They battled back, and new players are already integrating. That’s a positive vibe. Udinese, though? They’ve got some serious work to do. Looking at a “big difference in fitness levels” this close to the start of competitive play is concerning. They need to turn this around, fix whatever is going on in training, and get their legs under them. The clock is ticking, and you don’t want to start the real season already playing catch-up just because you weren’t ready to run.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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