Best XI 2001-2002 |
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 |
(Inter) |
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 |