More Obscure facts - Round II (fight!)

Again, simple stuff really with a few tricky ones thrown in.

There was an unlikely winner of Ligue 1 in 1998. What was more remarkable was that this team was inspired by an unlikely duo who did not feature in that summer's World Cup. The first would have gone but The Czech Republic team missed out. The latter was dropped from the Yugoslavia squad days before the final squad was announced. Name the team and both players.

Name the big Welsh striker sold by Arsene Wenger in his first season. Yes, he used to play for Arsenal.

Name the team that the above player was sold to and name his fellow strike partner, who followed him there a year later.

Milan finished 11th and 10th in 2 turbulent, confused seasons in the mid-late nineties. Right after winning the Scudetto in 1996 they hired a lesser known Uruguayan Manager who lasted barely a month before Sacchi was brought back. Name the unlucky chap.

We all know Patrick Vieira used to play for Milan before being 'rescued' and brought to North London by Arsene Wenger. Which other famous midfield warrior, a contemporary of Vieira's, also languished at Milan around the same time, before going on to flourish elsewhere ?

Staying at Milan, in typical fashion, after 2 barren years, they signed a Manager and 2 players from fellow Serie A team Udinese in 1998. All 3 were crucial as Milan romped to the Scudetto in 1999. Name all three.

Champions' League final 1998, Real beat Juventus by a solitary goal. Who scores it ? Now for extra credit, the same player would miss a crucial, late penalty in the subsequent World Cup in a knockout game with the scores tied 1-1. Name the opposing team.

We all know Arsenal won the Premiership title going unbeaten in 2003-04. But they came very close to achieving that same record when they won the title once before. What year was this and how many games did they lose then ?

Lazio, won the Italian League and Cup double in 2000, but who were the last team before that to win both in the same year in Italy ? Name the team and year.

Staying in Italy, name the unlikely winner of the Copa Italia in 1997.

Juventus won the Champions' League in 1996, Borussia Dortmund won it in 1997. Intriguingly, there were was one player who started both games, and won both. Name him.

Inter came within a whisker of winning the Serie A title in 2001-2002 before losing a tense, tight game on the last day of the season that allowed Juventus, who else, to pip them to the title. Whom did they lose that game to ?

Finally, Basketball player Kobe Bryant of the LA Lakers is a fan of a Serie A team, having grown up there. Name the team. For extra credit, name the position he claims he grew up playing in football.

Welcome everyone.

Today we have an Interview with Gabriele Porri, Serie A fan and expert.
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How are you Gabriele? Especially knowing that Inter and Milan are now alleged to have engaged in illegal bookkeeping? Juventus leading the probe then? ;-)

It’s just the result of many and many years of bad administration of Italian football. We knew the facts: Inter and Milan exchanged some young players, overrating their value so that the incomes were put in the balance sheet of the current year, while the payments were spread over many years (and it was possible according to a law done by Government Berlusconi). Anyway, also Juventus (so they cannot leave the probe), AS Roma, Lazio, Genoa and Sampdoria are alleged. The problem is there are no enough rules in Italian sport law against this malpractice, and the same persons that sent away commissioner Rossi (the man who would have made new rules), now would like to see those teams punished.

What do you make of the season so far?

Well, the “problem” is that Inter is dominating, but I don’t think is due to Juventus’ absence. I think that 20 teams are too much for main League in Italy. Anyway, we could see in first half some good matches and good goals.

Biggest Surprise ? Team and Player.

Team is Catania, newcomer and fourth, player is Cristiano Doni of Atalanta: I didn’t expect he would have been back to Italy at the age of 33, playing so good as he did in 2002

Biggest Disappointment ? Team and Player.

AC Milan, without penalty they would be 20 points behind Inter, player Oliveira, compared to 20 million Euros Milan spent for him.

Will Inter hold on and win the Scudetto? Can they go unbeaten? If they take the Coppa Italia seriously can they win the Treble ?

I think Inter will win the Scudetto at the end, but it’s difficult they go unbeaten for 38 games. For sure Mancini takes seriously the Coppa Italia as he won it many times both as a player and a coach, but the Treble is very difficult. In Europe there’s a tough competition, I’d say Inter has 15% probability.

What do you make of Javier Zanetti's resurgence and Dejan Stankovic in general?

I think Javier Zanetti’s great season is also due to his very good physical condition, which is necessary for him to do well. Stankovic has always been one of my favourite midfielders, has a great shot, now he can also play in the position he likes more, and he is only 29. I think Inter has a super midfielder for 5 years more.

Can Palermo cement its place in the top 4/5 (6th in '05, 5th in 06 and now 3rd) or will it's lack of financial muscle cause it drop down into mid-table security/obscurity?

Palermo is a toy in its chairman’s hands. It’s up to Zamparini if Palermo will stay in top 4-5 for the next years or not. Well, I think Palermo fans are happy about choosing between these two options: in the recent past they knew bankruptcies and a lot of seasons in Serie C (Third Division)!

What do you make of Ronaldo coming to Milan?

In my opinion, AC Milan will have a good striker, but also a 30 years old overweight man. Maybe he will bring them to 4th place, but he’s not the same player we saw in black and blue jersey in 1997-98.

Do you think Ricardo Oliveira is a bust or just needs more time to settle?

Do you know what AC Milan fans and some media said when he came to Milan? That signing Oliveira, whose agent was Ronaldinho’s brother, would have been the key to sign the Brazilian star next year. Today, Ronaldinho’s brother isn’t his agent anymore. Don’t know if Oliveira is a bust (let’s give him a choice in the second half), surely he’s not a star.

Best player pickup in the off-season? Was it Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Inter?

I think so, Ibra has the potential to become one of the 2-3 top European players. He has very good technical and athletic skills, it’s incredible what he can do with his enormous feet!

Will Parma get relegated and then sell off even more of its players?

Parma is one of the main candidates to be relegated, and it’s a pity how this glorious team fell-in. Don’t know what’s going on with its public sale, anyway their hope is the big number of young players.

Can Roma ever get consistent enough to mount a serious challenge again? Do you think Francesco Totti will end his career there?

I think it’s easier that the pope leaves Rome rather than Totti!

AS Roma has just a problem: their starting 11 is one of the best, but the other players cannot replace them the same way.

Udinese this season, are they underachieving or just really mid-table material? Will Antonio Di Natale and the 2 Ghanaians - Gyan Asamoah and Sulley Muntari - move onto to greener pastures in the off-season?

I think Udinese could qualify to UEFA Cup, but they did wrong sacking Galeone. Iaquinta is the Udinese player the other teams seek most, let’s wait and see. Maybe Muntari will leave, but he’s not so good in this season, too nervous and already sent off three times!

Messina were top 2 of Serie A briefly and now are one spot above the trapdoor - how come? Will they drop down?

It will be difficult for them to avoid relegation, especially now that Storari and Di Napoli have been sold.

Who has the best Youth Development System in Serie A - Empoli? Atalanta? Roma?

Empoli, Roma but also Juventus in last years.

Who is better this season - Sampdoria's Cristiano Zenoni or Udinese's Damiano Zenoni? Who do you think has had a better career so far?

This year Damiano is doing better, but Cristian in his career has won 2 Scudetti when he was in Juventus, so I think he had a better career

Is Mancini the best attacking right winger/wingback in Serie A - what about Serginho?

Mancini is one of the best, Serginho prefers to play in the left side and this year is injured.

Can Emiliano Bonazzoli at Sampdoria go on to become a top forward? What about Francesco Flachi?

Bonazzoli is one of those eternal hopes that never become top players, but he is 27 and hasn’t missed the last train yet. Flachi isn’t a star, but really a good Serie A player

Similarly, who do you think is a better striker - Milan's Alberto Gilardino or Fiorentina's Luca Toni?

I do prefer Toni, but you must consider that Gilardino is 24 and Toni when he was 24 used to play in a small club like Vicenza, and was at his very first year in Serie A

In Serie A which young player do you tip for greatness? Ricardo Montolivo? Alberto Aquilani?

I’d say Aquilani has better skills than Montolivo, in this half season I have been impressed by Alessanro Rosina of Torino and Fabio Quagliarella of Sampdoria

Roughly between 1997 and 2001 Serie A had become a little stale, too defensive, not enough flair players being successful, too many fouls. Since Roma won in 2001 things have changed it seems, with the final product on the pitch being more entertaining - would you agree?

Well, I do not agree completely, between 1997 and 2001 you could see players as Ronaldo, Roberto Baggio, Del Piero, Weah: in those seasons (until 2002) clubs used to win the Scudetto at the very last step. Maybe now it is more entertaining, but less interesting

Finally, what would you like to see changed for the better in Serie A in the future?

Less teams, 16 or 18, comfortable stadiums with many services, more and more rigid rules on the administration side, new people on the top of our Football Association (Carraro isn’t anymore at FIGC, and who they are thinking about? Antonio Matarrese who is 67 and became president for the first time 20 years ago), more attention to young players and Youth Development.