AMOROSO - The most expensive Bundesliga player of all times got off to
a great start into the season bagging 4 goals in his first three matches
which catapulted Dortmund to the top of the table. In Czechs Rosický
and Koller he has found congenial partners which help him cover his
weaknesses (workrate, defense) and maximize his strengths (finishing).
Even though the signing of Ewerthon at the end of September shifted the
focus in attack a little bit away from him, he remains the league's
joint top goalscorer and a valuable match winner for the Borussia.
PIZARRO - Without a doubt the most complete attacker in the league.
Has a powerful shot with either foot, is strong in the air and possesses
an extremely sleek ballhandling for an 1,84m guy. Barring a sudded total
loss of form or injury Claudio should do even better than last season
where he found the back of the net 19x, only trailing Barbarez and Sand
in the goalscoring charts. With a creative team featuring Effenberg,
Scholl, Élber & Co. behind/beside him, his first topscorer trophy seems
inevitable.
ROSICKÝ - The "Midfield Mozart" as he's called by the Yellow & Black
faithful has won over neutral observers of the game as well with his
magic passes which seem to come almost out of nothing. Equipped with
silky ball control and excellent vision he has easily picked apart
the defensive lines of the league week after week. Dortmund's sports
director Michael Zorc put it best when he said "Tomas is priceless.
If we sell him, our fans will destroy our stadium" after he turned
down an £34 million bid by Inter at the end of September.
ZÉ ROBERTO - Actually he didn't even want to play for Leverkusen
anymore. His transfer to Deportivo in the summer seemed like a done
deal when the Spaniards bowed out at the last minute and "Zé" was
stuck with Bayer. He made the best out of his situation improving
every aspect of his game and thus becoming the most dangerous
"deliverer" of the ball in the league. 9 assists from 14 matches,
either from his perfectly-timed crosses or deadly set pieces, he
is a key player in the league's best midfield.
BALLACK - 2001 has been a breakout year for the "James Dean" of
German football. Often criticised for his laid-back appearance and
overly-relaxed attitude the 1,89m giant has shut up his critics
with performances which merit the label World Class. His 9 goals
and 5 assists have catapulted Leverkusen to the top of the league
standings. He added another 2 goals and 2 assists as Bayer stormed
into the 2nd Group Phase of the Champions League as well. And on
top of that he was one of the few guys who also performed for
Germany, proof: 6 goals from the WCQ matches including 3 in the
crucial ties against the Ukraine. Ballack is already better than
Effenberg has ever been, now he has to stay motivated and become
one of the all-time greats!
FRINGS - "Der Lutscher" (the lollipop) as he's called at Werder is
one of the hottest properties in the league right now. He made his
debut in 1996 as striker and then moved further back into midfield,
defense and, since this season, defensive midfield, thus retiring
Werder legend Dieter Eilts (finally!). Frings brings combativeness,
strong tackling, precise passing and a great transition game to the
Green & White midfield. The only thing that separates him from the
very elite in his position is the instinct for the goal (or lack
thereof). A midfield with him, Ballack and Deisler will give the
national team a very strong core for the years to come.
SCHNEIDER - Probably the best thing ever coming out of the pathetic
excuse for a town called Jena is truly enjoying a career season.
A friend of mine once asked the coach of Carl Zeiss (his ex-club)
how he rated him back in the days when he was still playing there
and he answered: "This kid will never make it, he simply doesn't
have what it takes." Now we now that this "expert" was wrong.
Schneider is a member of the league's best midfield and his stellar
play also rotated him straight into the national team for the key
relegation matches against the Ukraine. Schneider is an intelligent
player who can both create and find the back of the net himself plus
he can hold onto the ball under pressure.
LÚCIO - "The Friendly Animal" has outstripped Nowotny as best defender
of Bayer. He dominates his opponents not only with his sheer power but
also cleverness and strong ability on the ball. In my opinion he's the
best central defender to come out of Brasil in the past 20 years! His
price tag is set at £25 million and it looks like both Juventus as well
as regular Leverkusen shoppers Roma are more than willing to pay the
price. They will get a player who does not only have the ability to tie
it up at the back but also makes almost unstoppable forays into attack.
His finishing is of a caliber most forwards would be proud of. Lúcio is
without a doubt one of the Top 5 players in the Bundesliga.
BORDON - Marcelo José Bordon has improved by great leaps in every
season he's been in Germany so far. In his first years, he was solid,
if not spectacular. Last season he already received soccer-europe.com
All-Bundesliga Third Team honors and this year he's been playing on a
level that can only be described as World Class. Bordon is rated among
the Top Five defenders in the league by both of Germany's football
authorities (kicker average and ran database) and the pure stats back
him up as well: Bordon leads the 4th best defense in the league which
him aside features an U-20 international for Germany in his first full
pro season (Hinkel), a below average partner in central defense (Rui
Marques) and an average left back (Wenzel).
R KOVAC - Arguably the best "pure" defender in the league. You try to
beat him in a running duel, he's got so much pace to easily take the
ball away from you without tackling. You try to beat him in the air,
there's no way to do that even though he's "only" 1,82m. You try to
challenge for a 50-50 ball, you better forget about it as he's hard
as steel and won't pull back for sure! Kovac was one of the defenders
who where made great by Christoph Daum (the others: Nowotny, Wörns).
He taught them to never stop charging after the ball. That's why
Bayern only conceded 5 goals in their first 14 matches (!) before
breaking down physically and that's why, along with Tudor and Šimic,
Croatia is likely to have (one of) the toughest defense(s) in Japan
and Korea.
KAHN - Is there any superlative that hasn't been used for him?
The first non-field player since the great Dino Zoff to finish in
the Top 3 of the voting for the prestigious Ballon d'Or (European
Footballer of the Year). Quite simply put: The best goalkeeper of
the 90s and a player who deserves to be mentioned in one sentence
with all-time greats like Lev Yashin, Sepp Maier or Dino Zoff!
ALL-BUNDESLIGA SECOND TEAM ALL-BUNDESLIGA THIRD TEAM
Élber (FC Bayern München) Ewerthon (Borussia Dortmund)
Neuville (Bayer 04 Leverkusen) Lokvenc (1.FC Kaiserslautern)
Marcelinho (Hertha BSC Berlin) Lincoln (1.FC Kaiserslautern)
Rahn (FC St. Pauli) Goor (Hertha BSC Berlin)
Borimirov (TSV München 1860) Albertz (Hamburger SV)
Ricken (Borussia Dortmund) Dárdai (Hertha BSC Berlin)
Salihamidzic (FC Bayern München) Basler (1.FC Kaiserslautern)
Skripnik (Werder Bremen) Kuffour (FC Bayern München)
Nowotny (Bayer 04 Leverkusen) Baumann (Werder Bremen)
Wörns (Borussia Dortmund) Simunic (Hertha BSC Berlin)
Rost (Werder Bremen) Lehmann (Borussia Dortmund)
ALL-ROOKIE TEAM ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
Amoroso (Borussia Dortmund) Koller (Borussia Dortmund)
Ewerthon (Borussia Dortmund) Rath (FC St. Pauli)
Lincoln (1.FC Kaiserslautern) Marcelinho (Hertha BSC Berlin)
Rahn (FC St. Pauli) Lizarazu (FC Bayern München)
Borowski (Werder Bremen) Dárdai (Hertha BSC Berlin)
Kaluzny (Energie Cottbus) Hargreaves (FC Bayern München)
Rau (VfL Wolfsburg) Živkovic (Bayer 04 Leverkusen)
Knavs (1.FC Kaiserslautern) Bordon (VfB Stuttgart)
West (1.FC Kaiserslautern) Nowotny (Bayer 04 Leverkusen)
Song (1.FC Köln) R Kovac (FC Bayern München)
Kampa (1.FC Nürnberg) Kahn (FC Bayern München)
ALL-STINK TEAM
Reich (1.FC Köln)
Labak (Energie Cottbus)
But (SC Freiburg)
Gibbs (FC St. Pauli)
Inceman (FC St. Pauli)
Nemec (FC Schalke 04)
Sanneh (1.FC Nürnberg)
Nikl (1.FC Nürnberg)
Rui Marques (VfB Stuttgart)
Hoffmann (TSV München 1860)
Fiedler (Hertha BSC Berlin)
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
Most Valuable Player : Ballack (Bayer 04 Leverkusen)
Most Improved Player : Skripnik (Werder Bremen)
Rookie Of The 1st Leg : Amoroso (Borussia Dortmund)
Coach Of The 1st Leg : Toppmöller (Bayer 04 Leverkusen)
Offensive Player Of The 1st Leg : Ballack (Bayer 04 Leverkusen)
Defensive Player Of The 1st Leg : Bordon (VfB Stuttgart)
Best Goalkeeper Of The 1st Leg : Kahn (FC Bayern München)
tim@milanmania.com
http://milanmania.com
http://soccer-europe.com
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