So far, a brilliant one, as I hoped and predicted. Today, a superb assist from Cassano and an incisive run by Pazzini.
So true. Sometimes he would get long-balls hit towards him when his teammates should have played ball to feet. Another thing is that he didn't get enough time to play and he wasn't Prandelli's first choice. Now at Sampdoria, he will be Mazzarri's first choice and with the greater reliance or trust that has been shown upon him, he is more able to deliver. It was a great goal and it showed the great attributes both players possess all at once. Cassano's close control and vision and Pazzini's sublime finishing demonstrated how good this partnership is and how great it can be. Franceschini should have scored in the first half though. The win against Atalanta is a great positive to take into the Metalist game. We need to win by two goals in Ukraine and we can't rely on Cassano and Pazzini, regardless of how good they are. Here are the highlights: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ISQcz_Iwes"]YouTube - 25 Giornata Sampdoria-Atalanta 1-0[/ame]
Samp just laid a full-bore beatdown on Inter. Cassano and Pazzini simply cannot be stopped. Palombo was dominant, Padalino(!) was lively, Castelazzi simply huge. Even 10 on 11, Samp looked better than Inter until Cassano was subbed out for the utterly worthless Belluschi.
I didn't watch the game so I can't say. This is a great result for i doriani. Inter's defence were bad apparently but Sampdoria had control of the match anyway. Pazzini has scored 7 goals in his last 6 matches. Bellucci isn't too bad but he's out of his depth now. He will be 34 this year and with Pazzini on fire, he should either go to a smaller Serie A club, play in Serie B or retire.
From C4... Blog: I Gemelli del Gol Antonio Cassano and Giampaolo Pazzini have virtually dumped Inter out of the Coppa. Serafino Ingardia pays tribute to the dream pairing. Perhaps Giampaolo Pazzini was the precious missing piece in the Sampdoria jigsaw. It was no secret that the Liguri needed a new centre-forward at the start of this year to partner Antonio Cassano after the difficulties encountered by Emiliano Bonazzoli and Claudio Bellucci. But not even transfer guru Beppe Marotta expected the January signing to so quickly find an understanding with Cassano, in a partnership which is truly getting the best out of both men. Doria are unbeaten in six League games with Pazzo now scoring in each of his last five, ably assisted by the creative Cassano. The two combined to perfection again last night as Inter were swept aside in a 3-0 Marassi mauling. Their partnership alone has been able to solve so many of Sampdoria’s problems and one can only wonder how far the club can now go with these young guns leading the line. Pazzini will certainly be going nowhere for some time, while it seems that the Barese wants to stay despite interest from bigger clubs. Antonio enjoys playing alongside Giampaolo because the two compliment each other as players, as well as having a good relationship away from the field of play. While Cassano likes creating openings for his teammates, Pazzo is a natural scorer – he just needs someone to support him. Boss Walter Mazzarri truly has something special at his disposal. No one in Serie A can count on such a talented Italian attacking duo. In fact, we may be looking at the best peninsula based pairing since another led Sampdoria to an unprecedented Scudetto in 1991. Back then Roberto Mancini played the Cassano role and Gianluca Vialli bagged the goals which Pazzini is now striking for the club. And like the original Gemelli del Gol, Antonio and Giampaolo seem like they’ve been playing together for years.
Sampdoria won 3-1 against Torino. Pazzini and Cassano are still on fire and the former got a call-up from Lippi.
FORZA DORIA! Despite losing 1-0 to Inter, we facing Lazio in the Final. Thank goodness it's not another Roma v Inter final! Interesting scene after the match. Cassano strips down to his jocks and hugs Mourinho!