The best players of the season 2001/2

Nice work again comme. I'll probably come back to it later, but I remember Brighi was made amazing on an edition of the FIFA video game around this time (a severe case of over-rating him I'm sure but the average rating from DBS Calcio at least helps to show why!).

I think Ronaldinho, as a forward, might be the first idea that comes to mind (I know his season can't be boosted by the World Cup though).

I guess you were a bit torn on full-back or winger for Cafu? Maybe a wing-back category would even be justified, if there'd be enough players in it.

 

Gazzetta had Totti as #1, with four AS Roma players in the top 10

http://archiviostorico.gazzetta.it//2002/maggio/07/Totti_tribuna_diventa_trono_ga_0_0205071477.shtml

Totti had 8 goals (with 2 pens) and 4 assists in 24 games (23 starts) this campaign. Maybe 3 assists, maybe 5.


The full top 10:

6,75 Totti (Roma)
6,70 Corini (Chievo)
6,64 Vieri (Inter)
6,56 Montella (Roma)
6,47 Frey (Parma)
6,45 Doni (Atalanta)
6,45 Samuel (Roma)
6,45 Zanetti (Inter)
6,44 Perrotta (Chievo)
6,43 Antonioli (Roma)


I've searched for the full list but cannot find it, but PDG and comme might try.


Remarkable is no Juventus player in the top 10, the domestic champions, not even Nedved who typically scored very well the previous years and three/four seasons after (and rightly so, in my opinion).

Frey had replaced Buffon for Parma.

Doni played all of his 7 caps for Italy in 2001 and 2002.

Totti his production is not really fantastic next to his peers (if I'm not mistaken). Not even in the Champions League although he had a great game against Barcelona and was solid against Real Madrid (scoring a goal).

I'll think about the top group (Zidane, Henry, Pires etc.).

 

Can you say what you have for Mauro Silva? In what recognitions was he honored? He was good against Arsenal and in one of the games against Real Madrid yes.

 

Del Piero had 16 goals (4 pens) and 8 assists in 32 games (31 starts). Maybe less of a player who made his side 'tick' though.

I mentioned Roberto Carlos for the previous campaign (2000-01) but was in doubt here. Was a bit more one-dimensional in his offensive play, fewer goals and assists in the league and Champions League, looked defensively vulnerable at times while Madrid finished 3rd in the league. Still one of the best side-backs in the world, if not the best, but at a lower level. What boosted his Ballon d'Or standing was the World Cup and his two assists in the Champions League final (by far his best graded game in the KO phases).

I would include at least these in the top group for this season in my view:


Michael Ballack

Was the 2nd most productive player in the Bundesliga, had a great Champions League campaign with 6 goals (no pens) and three assists. At the age of 25 he had the best season of his career, and also by a distance the most influential season. His games against Deportivo la Coruna, Liverpool and Manchester United were of 'Keane against Juventus', 'Redondo against Manchester United' level (or somewhat approaching this), but then three times in the same season.




Thierry Henry

His breakthrough to the higher stratospheres brought 24 goals (incl. 4 penalties) and 5 assists. Arguably in the league just edged ahead by the all-round offensive play of Pires, but in the Champions League 'TH14' scored 7 goals (2 pens, 0 assists), and arguably also 'prompter' Bergkamp was more prominent with remarkable, almost iconic, interventions against Juventus, Mallorca and finalist Leverkusen. It's individually not Henry his very best or most productive season, but think he merits a place in this bracket.




Robert Pires

The FWA player of the year (ahead of RvN) and 3rd in the PFA poll (behind RvN and Henry at 2nd). Led the league in assists (ahead of team mate Bergkamp) and was also #1 in the OPTA Index before his injury. After his injury Henry jumped ahead, and Ljungberg scored 6 goals in the last 6 games to sealing the championship. Written in more detail here.

Good reminder of his 2001-02 season:
www.dailymotion.com/embed/video/x1vau3x


Ruud van Nistelrooy

Van Nistelrooy sort of welcomed his arrival to England by his performance and goal against the England national team in August 2001. He won the PFA player of the year and came just 5 points short to get the favor of the large FWA journalist pool. 23 goals (4 pens) and 4 assists in 31 games (29 starts) was the delivery.
Remarkably, he became the 1st or 2nd man to lead the Champions League in both goals and assists (the first? Dwight Yorke). His 10 goals included 3 penalties, but two of those penalties were drawn by himself. Was in the Champions League somehow a better provider (qualitatively and quantitatively) than at league level.

Certainly not the purest footballer of his generation, at the same time not piss poor either.






Zinedine Zidane

Whether his league season was of the expected standard is open to debate (2002-03 was his best and most productive season for Real Madrid), but in the Champions League he was very good and productive in the key games against Bayern Munich (quarter finals), Barcelona (semi finals) and Bayer Leverkusen (final). He missed eight Champions League games. Domestically Don Balon made him foreign player of the season, but there wasn't a place for him in the ideal team of the season, for one of the four midfield spots.



kicker graded these two games with a 2.0, the semi final games both with a 3.0, the final a 1.0.


Probably to be continued with other suggestions (Valeron, maybe) but at least these.

 

Yes I saw it now, there's not something else it seems (Don Balon, ESM, player of the month things etc.). He as a 34 years old did have some good games.

Maybe informative:




Added the goals plus assists to this team of the season (assists per Marca, goals plus pens per bdfutbol).


Goalkeeper: Santiago Cañizares, Valencia.
Right back: Carles Puyol, Barcelona. (2 goals, 2 assists in 35 games)
Centre back: Fabricio Coloccini, Alavés. (6 goals, 0 assists in 33)
Centre back: Fabián Ayala, Valencia. (2 goals, 0 assists in 29)
Left back: Amadeo Carboni, Valencia. (0 goals, 0 assists in 33)
Right midfield: Joaquín, Betis. (4 goals, 4 assists in 34)
Central midfield: Rubén Baraja, Valencia. (7 goals (1p), 0 assists in 17)
Left midfield: Santiago Solari, Real Madrid. (1 goal, 2 assists in 28)
Support striker: Juan Carlos Valerón, Depor. (3 goals, 9 assists in 36)
Support striker: Pablo Aimar, Valencia. (4 goals, 7 assists in 33)
Centre forward: Diego Tristán, Depor. (21 goals (2p), 4 assists in 34)

Bench:

Zinedine Zidane (RM) (7 goals, 5 assists in 31)
Mauro Silva (Depor) (0 goals, 0 assists in 27)
Mami Quevedo (Rayo) (1 goal, 1 assist in 28)
Denílson (Betis) (3 goals (1p), 6 assists in 34)
Saviola (Barça) (17 goals, 2 assists in 36)



Notably the most productive players of the Big Two didn't make it.

Real Madrid's most productive player was Morientes on 18 goals (no pens) and 2 assists. Raul was on 14 goals (no pens) and 6 assists. Raul was their most productive player in the UCL.

Barcelona's most productive player was Kluivert on 18 goals (3 pens) and 8 to 10 assists. Was also with 6 goals and a couple assists their most productive player for the semi finalists in the Champions League.

Morientes maybe less so, but the other two were proper footballers. I don't think they were frequent set piece takers (to boost assists).


I was doubting (still do) about Valeron - he rarely completed a game but is in the Don Balon team (ahead of Zidane, yes). In the Champions League he had 3 goals (no pens) and 3 assists in 13 matches which is kind of adequate (Zidane had 3 (no pens) and 2 in 9 games, but typically it came for him when it counted the most). I remember the pundits expected things from Valeron at the 2002 World Cup.


On this remark above: "Remarkable is no Juventus player in the top 10, the domestic champions [and Coppa Italia finalist..], not even Nedved who typically scored very well the previous years and three/four seasons after (and rightly so, in my opinion)"

In goalscoring it was one of his more timid seasons, but per memory Nedved was immediately a good provider and that is correct. Had 9 assists from open play, 3 more than anyone else in the league.

http://soccer-europe.com/Archives/Seriea/Seriea0102/Performers.html

(in 2000-01 Zidane and Cafu had with 10 the most assists from open play, which was backed up by other sources)

Of course Nedved relied in part on his crossing but personally do think his passing range is underrated by many folks (his euro 2004 should also be remembered better, and that his injury vs Greece was crucial). For his type of player it was above the grain.

Also for him I'm doubting where he stands in 2001-02. I noticed/know that he had only one ESM selection, which is fewer than in the previous season for Lazio and of course fewer than the vintage 2002-03. But, in his favor, he is the only Juventus midfielder to do so, and his team mates to make it were defenders Thuram, Ferrara (both once) and striker Trezeguet (twice). This is different from 1996 to 1998 Juventus.

 

Ronaldinho had 9 goals (3 pens) and 7 assists in 28 games. At European level he had 2 and 2 (or 1?) in 14 games. Maybe you was impressed by his perceptive play against 'unbeatable' Lyon?


I think/see among the listed forwards Henry and Raul had the best stats, followed by Bergkamp, ADP and Neuville.

Bergkamp had 9 goals (no pens), 12 assists in 33 games (incl. a rare set piece assist, in that famed Newcastle game). In the Champions League 2 (no pens) and 2 in 6, and yes there are some good videos available of those matches.


Personally think Totti (certainly in comparison to ADP) and Bergkamp had as added gift that they helped to make their side 'tick' - or at times played like that (typically in effect playing behind two or three other players). Of Totti we know that he was a superb through baller (backed up by the stats) and about Bergkamp we know he had an unusually high amount of pre-assists.

Totti vs Barcelona is a good one as mentioned above:



That's incidentally the only assist this UCL campaign. He had 3 goals (1 pen) and 1 assist in 11 - but as said he was also a prompter for his team.


Basturk is among attacking midfielders a good call, with things going for him. Maybe easy to overlook. Possibly #3 or #4 among the attacking midfielders (certainly when including his decent contribution in the World Cup?).

 

For Ronaldinho, it's a mixture of 'story' (including things like Fernandez saying he'd been very good in that season, while questioning his focus etc in the following one, on the Football's Greatest episode), highlights, accolades IIRC (some award PSG specific, or French league related for foreigners....I should have tried to check before posting really though!), memories about his reputation as one to watch in WC2002. Plus having mentioned him in other threads for this season, I suppose I feel obliged to do it again (but more as a suggestion for the list rather than a definite *** rating or something).

Yeah, agreed on Totti and Bergkamp compared to ADP (and maybe ADP did that sort of thing slightly more in about 97/98?). Totti around this time could even be deemed an AM in a lot of matches (in the system in which arguably comme felt Cafu could be deemed winger too - both could be seen as part of the midfield, with Totti the most advanced part I suppose but also the hub that they played through and looked to to initiate plays). Bergkamp was increasingly becoming like an AM himself a lot of the time (although while Totti often, but not always this season or generally, played behind two strikers Bergkamp rarely did and maybe not at all this season). Maybe he was half-way between Totti and say Sheringham from the season before (who got some nice assists in the CL with back-heels around the edge of the box etc) - he did assist Ljungberg several times towards the end of the season, as Arsenal carried on with good enough results to clinch their double without Player of the Season Pires after his injury (Ljungberg doing very well on the left in his absence).

I think it gets harder for me to add players the more recent the seasons get as comme does an increasingly great and thorough job in the first place, with all his sources (including possibly the DBS Calcio ratings for the Premier League?) as well as the fact his memories are probably just as good as mine or better by this stage. But if I come up with some more possibilities I'll post them. I might be a bit more convinced to suggest say Edmilson or Dennis Rommedahl if the World Cup is included, but not to say I'm ruling them out for sure based on the main season.

Zidane and Pires didn't quite have 'perfect' seasons in every respect of course, but I'd be tempted to be picking between those as my pick for the best of the season, with Zidane likely getting the decision I'd think (prioritising CL impact, and recognising Pires lost a month or two when he could have really put the cherry on his season in that time....even if we can see in hindsight that no extra trophies would have been added for Arsenal).

 

Found something for filling the gaps on Juventus and Inter:

AS Roma, Juventus and Inter finished within two points from each other, with then a 14 point gap to 4th placed AC Milan. Although the Serie A was losing its supremacy, third season in a row with no Italian semi finalist in the Champions League, there is an argument possible that it was still as good as any other league.

Gazzetta review for Juventus here:
http://archiviostorico.gazzetta.it/...indici_piu_grandi_tutti_ga_0_0205061419.shtml

The best rated Juventus players in DBScalcio are Ferrara (graded 22 times), Tudor (graded 14 times) and Nedved (33 times), followed by ADP (31 times). On Nedved it notes: "Once you find the right place for the most complicated piece of the board - the horse - you usually win: that's what happened to Lippi, whose car started to run at full speed when Nedved was placed behind the tips. The horse strikes unpredictable, out of any geometry; the Czech played the part with the usual enthusiasm, and in Piacenza scored the goal for the Scudetto."

Review for Internazionale here:
http://archiviostorico.gazzetta.it//2002/maggio/11/intruso_sw_0_020511416.shtml

Think the main candidates for Inter in the respective lines are Zanetti (defense), Seedorf (midfield) and Vieri (attack). The Italian Cristiano Zanetti had a similar grade to Seedorf in DBScalcio but wasn't anywhere near as productive so would personally doubt he was their main midfielder. Maybe Inter could have won the title with a healthy Ronaldo? Who knows. A fit Ronaldo did play against Feyenoord in both semi final games for the UEFA Cup and that wasn't enough either.

Seedorf had a classic game against Juventus at the end of the season, with two thunder goals. Playing more adventurous than usual that season I think. The title was at stake. Nedved had also an assist in this match (for Tudor), Zambrotta assisted the other Juventus goal (for Trezeguet). Shame that the Italian version of FWA/PFA was at the end of the calendar year instead of season. The other Juve vs Inter match ended in 0-0; the encounters Juve vs Roma in 0-2 for Roma and 0-0.

 

OK, just to confirm that I'd probably keep the top group that way, with the possible exception of Juan Carlos Valeron, who was great and productive against Real Madrid and Barcelona (not in all meetings, but in two or three), and did reasonably well in the Champions League. He glided so effortlessly past players. I saw that Hiddink and Cruijff had him in their World XI (the article also named Cruijff "riding his pet project Raul, he is Raul's greatest fanboy").

Nedved didn't do enough in the Champions League (just 1 assist, 0 goals) and had against the top four of the league only one assist. This is different in his other seasons. Still I think he was Juve's most important player (I'd say Vieri was this for Inter, but not the most multi-faceted player for them).

I can also see why Del Piero was benched in favor of Totti for the national team. Totti was a more influential prompter and did also some things against the top teams while the best thing ADP can show (and I hope I'm not too harsh) is a penalty goal against Milan (after foul on Zalayeta by Maldini of all ppl) and an easy tap in against Leverkusen (transfermarkt lists him with an assist but that's incorrect). The Gazzetta review seems to imply it was his best season since his 1998-99 injury, and I can see that, but also see why Totti was ahead in the pecking order, and the 'test' in the Champions League and his games against the top four didn't change this.

Maybe you'd place defensive players at that top group too? I think here that many of them had better seasons elsewhere in their career. From Kahn, Buffon to Nesta, veteran Ferrara, Lucio. Best rated defenders per season in DBScalcio here.

Cheers.

 

Sorry, now I just thought about a possible omission by you. That is Craig Bellamy of Newcastle that finished 4th and qualified for the Champions League, after four seasons outside the top 10.

He was the PFA young player of the year, Newcastle player of the year in his first season, and ranked high in the Opta Index among the 'strikers' despite only 10 goals (0 pens) and 4 assists in 27 games. Given the value assigned to goals by Opta (not without a reason), it helps to assume he and his energy did other things well.

He was the only other 'striker' to score high in the OPTA Index despite not scoring in large volumes. OPTA themselves noticed this ahead of a game against Tottenham: "The Dutchman is arguably in his most productive form for Arsenal at the moment playing a superb supporting role for Thierry Henry. Bergkamp's sublime talent has blossomed at Highbury since quitting the Dutch national team and he is likely to be a key figure as the Gunners chase their second league and cup double in the last four years. Bergkamp's awareness of his team-mates' position is immaculate -setting up seven strikes for his colleagues in the Premiership - and was evident when he set-up Freddie Ljungberg for the second goal at Charlton on Easter Monday. Latching onto Henry's through ball, Bergkamp took the ball around the Addicks goalkeeper Dean Kiely and squared the ball without looking into the path of Ljungberg to tap the ball into the empty net."
Strange that he and Ljungberg became 'player of the month' in 2001-02 but not the outstanding/technical Pires and Henry.

 

Yeah, I do think Edmilson (Lyon, centre-back) and Dennis Rommedahl (PSV Eindhoven, winger) plus maybe already Juninho at Lyon too, might be worth considering.

Also, high DBS Calcio ratings aligning with my recollections could suggest * would be within reach of Steed Malbraque (Fulham, winger), Damien Duff (Blackburn, winger) and Marcel Desailly (Chelsea, centre-back) possibly too.

 

I was also thinking about Adrian Mutu although I haven't personal memories for him around that time so I cannot say from first hand view whether he played well. But he's the 5th best rated at DBScalcio and the best rated forward (Totti is 17th overall). His team Hellas Verona got relegated while he's among the most productive forwards of the league with 12 goals (2 pens) and 4 assists in 32 games. Not shocking numbers but numerically only ADP and Doni did better among forwards and midfielders.

He moved to Parma in the summer, after which I have a better view (then in the summer after that, to Chelsea). Really not confident enough to make a call. For Parma he was shortlisted for player of the year.

Anyway, I've made enough posts now!

 

Yeah, interesting call for sure (like with Duff and Juninho Pernambucano probably more likely seasons will emerge later, but that's not necessarily a reason to take them out if they really merit it).

I can't help too much regarding his form that season though to be fair.

I noticed for his 2002 (including World Cup, and all 2002 internationals...but otherwise based on 2001/02 club wise) list on Tom Stevens 23 players Ballon d'Or list thread, that Peru FC put Edmilson, Malbranque, Duff and Desailly in his honourable mentions (extensive list though) but not Rommedahl or Juninho.

 

These could possibly help for Juninho (the impressive assists and pre-assists, plus confirmation of a decent number of them being likely....and even the fact people deemed his season worthy of a video perhaps although it'd hard to use that as a reason!):

 

It does seem to me vs Barcelona (I looked at some highlights just now) Juninho might have been nominally playing on the right side, with Carriere indeed more central. Juninho not by default taking every free-kick at that stage either, but he makes a nice chance at one point.

Yeah, that paragraph gives a number of possible candidates from the French champions doesn't it!

 

It must seem like I'm on commission for recommending Brazilians playing in France lol!

Maybe the likes of @wm442433 and @babaorum can help regarding the French league in general.

 

I'm not sure what award I thought I saw that he was awarded with when watching some compilation (match or general highlights) of him, but of course for 2002 as a whole he did make Onze's team of the year (Mexes also in there) and took the Onze de Bronze too, behind Ronaldo and Zidane:
http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/onze-awards.html

 

Thank you for all that interesting information. Now I'm also curious whether it has something on Valeron? Maybe I'm totally wrong there.

Raul wasn't as prominent as in his high scoring previous season, but possibly he was more involved in the patterns of play. As shown, his index score for 2000-01 was low-ish for a striker and that's undoubtedly related to the involvement. Despite his form he was assisting more in this season although that can be coincidence (6 league + UCL assists in 2000-01 and 9 in 2001-02). Morientes had become the striker while he - or another striker - wasn't a starter in 2000-01.

That Totti started ahead of Del Piero for Italy has an extra edge with Totti his fitness in doubt (but guess you've yourself a picture on the state of Totti his fitness before the 2002WC).