Few can argue the fact that Udinese are the most in-form team in Italy at the moment.

The northeasterners started the season with a modest target of a safe place in mid-table but they are currently sole leaders in a compact Serie A standings.

Udinese lost a couple of key players in the transfer season but Francesco Guidolin and his players are doing incredibly well to make the departures of Alexis Sanchez, Gokhan Inler and Zapata go unnoticed.

Udinese are perched at the top with 15 points from seven games, a result of four wins and three draws.

They are still undefeated and possess the best defensive record in the division, having conceded only one goal – a Stephan El Shaarawy 64th-minute equaliser in a 1-1 away draw with defending champions Milan.

Antonio Di Natale, 34, was the Serie A top scorer in the last two years. The ex-Empoli hit-man continued where he left off in May. He has been in splendid form lately and is leading the 2011-12 scorers’ list with six goals.

Udinese’s campaign has been close to perfection up to now, bar their exit from the Champions League at the hands of Arsenal in the qualifying round in summer.

However, the Friuli team reacted formidably to that premature exit and continued to build on their strong finish of last term.

This auspicious start contrasts starkly with Udinese’s stuttering take-off of 12 months ago.

In season 2010/11, four defeats in their first four outings had left Udinese pointless, anchored at the bottom of the table.

But this summer, Udinese did not go through any bumpy period of transition notwithstanding losing their best three players from last year.

Coach Guidolin is indeed doing a splendid job. The team has obtained very good results both at home and in Europe, playing some entertaining and positive football... a rare occurrence these days in the Serie A.

In the Europa League, Udinese are currently top of Group I following home wins against Rennes and Atletico Madrid and a valuable 1-1 away draw at Celtic.

Many argue that Udinese boast the best scouting system in Serie A.

Over the years, they established a particular knack for signing unknown players in low-budget transfers and later selling them at huge profits after giving the newcomers ample time to shine and develop their talents.

Take the case of Mehdi Benatia for instance.

Up to 2010, the towering defender was playing for Clermont in the French Ligue 2. He was then signed by Udinese for a very small fee and this season the Moroccan has been among the best performers for the club, also finding the net with well-taken goals against Bologna and Atletico Madrid.

Moreover, Benatia contributed heavily towards Udinese keeping six clean sheets in their first seven league outings.

The omens indeed look good for Udinese but as Guidolin himself said these are still early days to assess one’s credentials.

Due to their involvement in the early rounds of the Champions League, Udinese had their pre-season earlier than normal so it is no surprise for them to show peak form at this time of the season.

A crucial factor will be whether Udinese can succeed in keeping their best players, including Di Natale, Benatia, Kwadwo Asamoah, Mauricio Isla, Larangeira Danilo and Emmanuel Badu, free from injury.

Another aspect to take into account when analysing Udinese’s possibilities in Serie A is their involvement in the UEFA Europa League.

Guidolin does not have a resourceful squad so the longer Udinese are involved on two fronts, the bleaker their chances may become to outwit the giant clubs in Europe and Serie A.

But, the wily Guidolin quite rightly keeps playing down his team’s achievements.

The 56-year-old knows only too well that once the big guns will step up a gear or two, Udinese’s chances could diminish and the fairytale stops.

Serie A statistics

1 penalty awarded by referees last weekend from which Massimo Oddo put Lecce temporarily 2-0 up against Milan. Of the 20 penalties taken so far, 17 were scored. On Saturday, Sinisa Mihajlovic (Fiorentina) became the latest coach to be ordered off his bench. Udinese and Juventus are still undefeated. Bottom side Cesena are still in search of their first win. Franco Colomba’s Parma have still to figure in a draw.

2 successive wins (vs Palermo 3-0 and Lecce 4-3) saw Milan recover some lost ground in the standings. The upset was Lecce’s fourth from as many home fixtures this season. Atalanta brought Parma down to earth courtesy of a 2-1 away win. This was Atalanta’s first win at the Tardini Stadium since February 2008 (3-2).

3rd straight goalless draw at home for Cagliari who on Sunday shared the spoils with Napoli in the only 0-0 of the weekend. Cagliari have last beaten Napoli at their Sant’Elia Stadium in April 2009 (2-0). Roma, meanwhile, bounced back from their 1-2 reverse in the derby with a hard-fought 1-0 home win against Palermo. For the Sicilians this was their second consecutive setback, following the 0-3 reverse against Milan.

4 draws (vs Bologna, Catania, Chievo and Genoa) for Juventus in their last five outings as the Bianconeri threw away the lead twice to share the spoils in a pulsating 2-2 home draw with Genoa. The latter, winless in their last four outings, have last conquered Turin two decades ago. Fiorentina extended their winless run to four games as they could not go beyond a 2-2 home draw with Catania. The Sicilians are unbeaten in their last four games (one win and three draws).

Kevin Boateng – Milan

27 goals were scored on the seventh day: 15 coming from the hosts and the remaining 12 from the visitors. Foreigners contributed with 15 goals while there were 13 first-half goals. Total number of goals scored so far is 169. Kevin Boateng came on as a second-half substitute and inspired Milan to a formidable 4-3 comeback win against Lecce by grabbing a hat-trick. Apart from Boateng, Andrea Caracciolo (Genoa) and Jaime Valdes (Parma) were the other two substitutes who found the back of the net last weekend. Di Natale is the leading marksman with six goals.