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| Best XI 2001-2002 |
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| Formation 4 - 4 -
2 |
| |
| Vieri |
Hubner |
| (Inter) |
(Piacenza) |
| |
|
| Manfredini |
Corini |
Doni |
Contra |
| (Chievo) |
(Chievo) |
(Atalanta) |
(Milan) |
| |
|
|
|
| Candela |
Materazzi |
Samuel |
Oddo |
| (Roma) |
(Inter) |
(Roma) |
(Verona) |
Toldo : Toldo is now
Italy's undisputed #1 'keeper. World Class.
Candela : Admittedly quality left backs are thin on the
ground in Serie A
but Candela has maintained his excellent form from last
season
Materazzi : While Vieri, Ronaldo and Kallon have grabbed
the headlines
Materazzi has held the defence together and established
himself at
International level. World Class
Samuel : Not only is he the best defender on the planet
he is also
deadly from set-pieces. A one man defence. World Class
Oddo : An attacking full back who is outstanding going
forward. Still
needs to work on his defending
Manfredini : A classical winger who has been arguably
Chievo's best
player of their remarkable season
Corini : Whether it's from dead balls or open play
Corini's delivery is
outstanding
Doni : After what seems an eternity Italy finally have a
goalscoring
midfielder. Could be one of the stars of the World Cup.
Borderline
World Class
Contra : One of the best dribblers in Serie A and a
superb crosser.
Milan should relieve him of defensive duties and let him
concentrate
on attacking. World Class
Vieri : Bobo is back! Has set Serie A on fire since
returning from
another injury. World Class
Hubner : The Boss is still knocking in goals at 34 years
of age and
tops the goalscoring charts ahead of some of the best
strikers in the
World
2001-2002
Season Analysis
INTER
Inter were not expected to push for the title until the
return of
Ronaldo and Vieri from injury but Kallon proved a worthy
deputy
as his goals maintained a title challenge. In recent
weeks Ronaldo
and Vieri have returned to shoot the Nerazzurri clear at
the top of
the league. Inter have failed to record a single victory
against the
title contenders. If they rectify that during the second
half of the
season a long awaited Championship will be within their
grasp.
Key Players : Materazzi, Vieri, Kallon
Prospects : Champions/Champions League
ROMA
An outstanding victory in Turin over Juventus
kick-started the Giallorossi's
season despite missing the first choice forward line
through injury.
Superbly marshalled by the awesome Samuel in defence,
Tommasi in
midfield and Totti in attack Roma's brutal football (an
average of 20
fouls per match) has proved too much for their opponents.
Roma's
record against fellow title contenders is outstanding,
picking up 13
points from a possible 15 against Juve, Milan, Chievo,
Lazio and Inter.
Where they finish will depend on whether they can
maintain their high
octane pressing (and systematic fouling) throughout the
season.
Key Players : Samuel, Tommasi, Totti
Prospects : Champions/Champions League
CHIEVO
The favourites for relegation topped the table longer
than any other
team. Chievo's direct, rapid football is reminiscent of
Sacchi's Milan
team of the late 80's complete with an outdated offside
trap which has
proved to be their achilles' heel. So far Chievo's
expected collapse has
failed to materialise but without the depth of their more
illustrious
rivals an injury to a key player could prove fatal.
Key Players : Manfredini, Corini, Eriberto
Prospects : Champions League/UEFA Cup
JUVENTUS
Buffon and Thuram was supposed to shore up the teams
defence. They
haven't and Juve's other big signing, Nedved, has so far
failed to provide
a desperately needed spark from midfield. Juve have been
impressive
against the likes of Venezia and Brescia but struggled
against the title
contenders and their away form is abysmal. The pre season
favourite
are paying the price for blowing most of their transfer
budget on three
players and neglecting the bench.
Key Players : Trezeguet, Del Piero, Buffon
Prospects : Champions League/UEFA Cup
MILAN
Once Carlo Ancelotti became available at the end of last
season Milan were
looking for an excuse to get rid of the luckless Fatih
Terim. Ancelotti has,
as expected, favoured his former team-mates and fellow
Italians most
notably the wretched Costacurta, Simeone and Donati
(possibly the worst
player to wear a Milan shirt over past decade) while
Laursen, Javi Moreno
and Contra sit on the bench. Injuries to Maldini,
Serginho and Inzaghi
haven't helped nor has the clubs ridiculous transfer
strategy. Barring an
unlikely title triumph Milan risk loosing arguably the
best striker in the
World, Andriy Shevchenko, to Real Madrid at the end of
the season.
Key Players : Shevchenko, Serginho, Laursen
Prospects : Champions League/UEFA Cup
LAZIO
Lazio were starring relegation in the face and initially
even the appointment
of Alberto Zaccheroni failed to turn the clubs fortunes
around. Zac took
the brave decision to drop the summers most expensive
signings,
Mendieta and Fiore, and the club haven't looked back
since. Crespo
and Claudio Lopez have been on fire in recent weeks but
the club
still lack depth in defence. The title remains a long
shot but isn't
beyond the Romans.
Key Players : Crespo, Nesta, Poborsky
Prospects : Champions League/UEFA Cup
BOLOGNA
Goal shy Bologna have started to find the back of the net
in recent
weeks but have also started to leak goals at the other
end. The club
desperately miss the presence of Signori in attack and
still lack quality
in defence though Bologna have some promising youngsters.
This
could be Guidolin's last season in charge before a move
to a bigger
club.
Key Players : Pagliuca, Fresi, Zauli
Prospects : UEFA Cup/Intertoto Cup
VERONA
Verona may have been upstaged by their city rivals but
are making
headlines of their own with their excellent football.
Oddo and Seric
are two of the best attacking full backs in the league
and Mutu is
slowly beginning to realise his potential. Verona have a
great future
if they can hold onto their star players.
Key Players : Mutu, Frick, Oddo
Prospects : UEFA Cup/Intertoto Cup |
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