Maduka Okoye: Why Udinese legend Padelli has defended Super Eagles star

Super Eagles goalkeeper Maduka Okoye has been backed by Udinese teammate Daniele Padelli after coming under criticism for his performances in the club’s difficult start to the 2026/27 Serie A season.

The 27-year-old has conceded 25 goals in 11 league appearances, keeping just one clean sheet with Udinese languishing at the bottom of the Serie A table. However, Daniele Padelli believes it would be unfair to place the blame on the Super Eagles star alone.

Speaking on TV 12’s Udinese Tonight, the veteran goalkeeper argued that struggling teams often look for an individual to blame rather than addressing their collective shortcomings.

“In these situations, you look for a scapegoat. It’s happened with everyone; it happened to me too,” the 41-year-old said in quotes revealed by Udinese’s official website.

He also referenced Udinese’s recent 2-1 defeat to Venezia, suggesting that the opposing goalkeeper, Filip Stankovic, was more decisive in determining the result.

“We’re trying to build a team identity, not focus on individuals,” he added.

Why Padelli believes Maduka Okoye is not the problem

Padelli’s defence of Okoye is rooted in his belief that Udinese’s problems extend beyond the goalkeeper.

The Italian explained that conceding goals has affected the team’s confidence, making it very difficult for the players to recover mentally during games.

“If they score against you, you struggle mentally, the spaces become even wider, and you find it increasingly difficult,” the former Inter Milan goalkeeper explained.

His assessment is relevant, given Udinese’s recent results. They have suffered eight defeats in their last nine Serie A matches, including losses to Torino, Lecce, AC Milan, Roma and Venezia.

Maduka Okoye has not been without mistakes, and his performances against Torino, Roma and Venezia attracted scrutiny. However, the statistics also point to a team that has struggled to protect its goalkeeper.

Padelli further highlighted the inexperience in Udinese’s defence, pointing out that young defenders Matteo Palma and James Abankwah have only 20 Serie A appearances between them.

He insisted that the pair should not be expected to carry the responsibility of organising the entire defensive unit.

Udinese need a collective response to turn things around

Padelli’s comments come at a difficult moment for Udinese, who recently replaced Kosta Runjaic with Paolo Zanetti in an attempt to change their fortunes.

“We got 94 points in two years with Runjaic and that doesn’t happen by chance.

“He has a lot of qualities as a coach. However, all good things come to an end. I don’t know what went wrong.

“Something changed after the Lazio game. Things started to happen that were quite shocking, like the goal against Cagliari, and after that your confidence starts to go.

“It’s not about the coach – he kept doing what he was doing before. It’s up to the players to take the coach’s ideas onto the pitch.

“Now we need to stick together and stay positive. We must forget about why things have happened and start over with new methods, new ideas and fresh energy. That’s the only thing we can do.”

The goalkeeper stressed that the team must improve its defensive movements and establish a solid foundation under the new manager.

He also insisted that the players must take responsibility rather than dwell on the reasons behind their poor run.

“We need to get out of this moment of mental fragility; we need a breath of fresh air,” Padelli concluded.

For Okoye, the backing of an experienced teammate offers encouragement, but the Nigerian still needs to deliver stronger performances as Udinese attempt to climb away from the relegation zone.