I just recieved 'Calcio Italia's' latest issue. It is thier 100th issue and in it they list thier Team of the last ten years. Here is the team they came up with: ---------------Buffon---------------- Cafu-----Ferrara----Baresi-----Maldini ---Baggio-----Gascoigne----Nedved-- ---Vialli------Batistuta--Van Basten-- Coach: Mazzone Subs: Peruzzi, Bergomi, Zidane, J. Zanetti, Shevchenko, Mancini Some choices appear to be peculiar, especially Gazza. They seem to put him on their team because he increased interest in Serie A in Britain. He is the main reason they even started the magazine. Vialli and Ferrera also don't belong on the list imo as well. I think thier longevity is the main reason they are on the list. Here's my team: GK Buffon: Best keeper in the world and he has already achieved so much at the age of 25. RB J. Zanetti: This is the toughest position to pick. Cafu and Thuram are also world class but I think Zanetti is the most complete right back. CB Baresi: Do I need to explain myself here? CB Nesta: Nesta has been the best center back in the world since '98. So that's half a decade being the best. He clearly belongs ahead of Ferrera, who was never mentioned as the best center back of his day. LB Maldini: See Baresi. DM Davids: I think for his time at Juve it is arguable that he was the best at his position in the world. CM Totti: He led Roma to the title. That alone is an achievement besides the obvious class he has. CM Rui Costa: Forget his time at Milan. At Fiorentina he was a magician. CM Nedved: He was great at Lazio and he is even better at Juve. F R. Baggio: See Maldini. F Batistuta: Best pure goalscorer in the last ten years. Coach: Capello. He has proven he can win everywhere he goes. I left off Gullit, Rijkaard, and Van Basten because they only played 1 or 2 years of the last ten years. I picked more players whose careers mirrored the last 10 years.
Nesta an Rui Costa? I cannot agree. Ferrara is way ahead of him in terms of victories. It's "team of the decade", not "Team of the last 4 years". Rui Costa: although I never liked him, in terms of victories, importance for his team and even "magicianship" Zidane is better than the Portoguese 433 Buffon Maldini Baresi Ferrara Cafu (Zanetti isn't a real defender) Nedved Zidane Totti Baggio Vieri Batistuta
Answer me this then. Has Ferrera ever been as good as Nesta? And Nesta hasn't just been good the last 4 years. He has been good for almost 8 years now. And Rui Costa was far more important to Fiorentina than Zidane was to Juve. You can't compare Juve to Fiorentina so the "victories" they won has no bearing. If Zanetti is not a real defender than what is Cafu?
And no Pagliuca? Should Buffon really be on their for the best of the last 10 years? Maybe he is indeed the most talented but he's still only 25.
I don't think Dino will be getting many votes So you are probabaly correct. Buffon made his Azzurri debut at 19 so he has been superb for 6/7 years now. That just shows how good he is if he can start for a country with the greatest keepers in the world at the age of 19. Pagliuca and Perruzzi fall behind Toldo and Buffon, imo.
So what were the criteria - performances from 1993 to 2003? If so, that pretty much covers the era I've been following Serie A, and some of these selections seem downright bizarre. Gascoigne?! Baggio? Baresi? They must've HIGHLY emphasized the years 1993 and 1994. Anyway, Ciro Ferrara has been a key figure on 7 championship-winning teams and one European championship-winning team. If any central defender deserves not to be there, it's Baresi. I know - that smacks of blasphemy. Of course he'd be on any team of the 90s or 80s-90s, or even all-time great teams. But he's been retired most of "this" decade, so I don't see how he should be included above, as you say, Nesta.
this is an interesting topic, going 93-03 is kind of an odd time parameter...and it does eliminate some all time greats... my only cop out is I want both Cafu/Thuram, who I'll move to the center of defense in a 4-4-2: GK: Peruzzi D: Maldini, Nesta, Thuram, Cafu M: Nedved, Davids, Boban, Veron F: Batistuta & Signori Beppe over Baggio as he's been more consistent, Sheva not enough time in Serie A.
Does anybody know of a site which provides quick and easy access to player statistics over this time period? I know Del Piero hasn't lived up to the hype he promised as a youngster, but god dammit, he's been one of the top players in the league practically this entire time period, yet hasn't been given a single mention in this thread. I'm curious to see how his goal-scoring stats in the past decade compare to, say, Vialli and Signori.
soccerage has basic career stats,here's Alex: http://www.soccerage.com/en/04/00026.html ever since euro 2000 I've had a strong dislike for Del Piero but he has put up good #s and creates goals too... I'll stick with Signori over the 10 yr span: http://www.soccerage.com/en/04/00090.html
Thanks. Not sure why they don't have the appearance numbers for last season, but from what I can tell, the totals for the 10 seasons are ADP - 113 goals/217 appearances (+ last year) Beppe - 123 goals/233 appearances (+ last year) Pretty even really. Be interesting to know how many of these goals were PKs as both have been the main PK taker for their respective teams. I'll give the edge to ADP based on the the championships he's won in this period. And I'm biased, of course. Batistuta would be my other forward, hands down.
signori says that he wishes to play until he reaches 200 goals, and he's pretty close to it , so probably there's an error...maybe he scored like 173
your right, Sue's total comes from JUST the last 10 years...wouldn't include an 26 goal season Signori had for Lazio 11 yrs back. He's at like 193 or so for career Serie A goals... back to the topic, the question between Signori and Del Piero is whether to punish Beppe since he's been on lesser-talented teams or reward him for scoring a ton without the best supporting cast. I give him the edge for that reason and a 33-goal season on his resume.