The 2001-02 Serie A season will without end be related to Inter’s exceptional final-day collapse.
The Nerazzurri had appeared set to say their first Scudetto since 1989, having gone into their final sport some extent forward of Juventus on the prime of the desk. Nevertheless, Inter capitulated, struggling a 4-2 defeat that gifted the Scudetto to Juve, who had triumphed 2-0 at Udinese.
Though Inter’s self-destruction was the story of the season, the Bianconeri had bought their simply reward for rounding off their marketing campaign with 5 successive victories. It was additionally a private triumph for Marcello Lippi, who had returned to Turin after his chastening expertise at Inter.
Juve’s board additionally deserved for credit score for offsetting the lack of Zinedine Zidane to Actual Madrid by bringing three males who would develop into membership legends: Gianluigi Buffon, Lilian Thurman and Pavel Nedved.
CHANGES
Inter turned to Hector Cuper of their hope of lastly ending their Scudetto drought and the previous Valencia boss was handed a few sturdy defensive additions to work with: goalkeeper Francesco Toldo and centre-half Marco Materazzi.
Milan additionally had a brand new man on the bench, with Fatih Terim taking on from Alberto Zaccheroni, and the Turkish coach introduced Rui Costa with him from Fiorentina, for €42m.
David Trezeguet’s spectacular debut season in Serie A had additionally persuaded Juve to money in on Filippo Inzaghi, who joined Milan for €37m.
The Bianconeri used the proceeds from promoting ‘Tremendous Pippo’ and Zidane – who moved to Actual Madrid for a world-record €77.5m – to plunder Parma for Buffon and Thuram, in addition to prise Pavel Nedved and Marcelo Salas away from Lazio. All bar Salas excelled, with the Chilean spending most of his time in Turin both injured or on the bench.
Lazio, in the meantime, struggled with out Nedved and in addition Juan Sebastian Veron, who left for Manchester United, after losing a major chunk of the cash accrued on Gaizka Mendieta.
SEASON SUMMARY
Juve and Inter each started the season strongly nevertheless it was Chievo who, remarkably, made the early working. Certainly, the Flying Donkeys soared to the highest of the desk on October 21 and remained there till December.
Chievo ultimately ended up fifth, a spot and some extent above Lazio, who had been hampered by Hernan Crespo’s damage issues and ended the season with Zaccheroni on the bench following the dismissal of Dino Zoff.
Terim, in the meantime, didn’t make it to Christmas, sacked by Milan at first of November and changed by former midfielder Carlo Ancelotti, who led the Rossoneri to a fourth-placed end – after which on to even larger issues…
Fiorentina endured a depressing marketing campaign, initially relegated to Serie B after ending 18th solely to finish up within the fourth tier due to their chapter.
Reigning champions Roma began the season slowly however seven successive victories noticed them transfer prime by the halfway level of the season, only a level forward of Inter. As Chievo fell away, although, Juve clicked into gear to make it a three-way scrap for the Scudetto.
March noticed the title race flip in Inter’s favour, as Cuper’s facet snatched a 2-2 draw at dwelling to the Bianconeri with a thunderous injury-time strike from Clarence Seedorf earlier than beating Roma 3-1 at San Siro because of Alvaro Recoba’s double.
Regardless of dropping factors to Atalanta (2-3) and Chievo (2-2), Cuper’s stuttering facet nonetheless went into the ultimate weekend of the season one and two factors away from Juve and Roma, respectively. Victory at Lazio would, subsequently, clinch the Scudetto.
Nevertheless, regardless of main twice, by way of Vieri and Luigi Di Biagio, Inter imploded, shedding 4-2 at a Stadio Olimpico by which most of the dwelling followers had been truly hoping that the guests would win, as that was preferable to seeing both Juve or Roma prevail.
Regardless of Roma’s victory at Torino, it was the Bianconeri who ended up on prime of the pile, thanks, fittingly, to targets from Del Piero and Trezeguet.
Thus, the abiding picture of the day was Ronaldo in tears on the Inter bench on the finish of his last sport in Serie A, because the Nerazzurri in some way contrived to throw one other title away.
AWARDS
PLAYER OF THE SEASON
DAVID TREZEGUET
The Frenchman took benefit of Inzaghi’s departure and Salas’ struggles to kind a formidable partnership with Del Piero that gained Juve the Scudetto.
MANAGER OF THE SEASON
LUIGI DELNERI
Lippi might have landed one other Scudetto in Turin however Delneri qualifying Chievo for the UEFA Cup was undeniably the teaching achievement of the season.
TOP GOALSCORER
DAVID TREZEGUET & DARIO HUBNER – 24 GOALS
The pair shared the capocannoniere award, with each having netted 24 targets apiece. Trezeguet’s tally hadn’t been bolstered by penalties however Hubner’s season was no much less spectacular, given he’d been taking part in for lowly Piacenza.
GOAL OF THE SEASON
CLARENCE SEEDORF’S last-gasp leveller in opposition to the Bianconeri took the breath means, for each the sweetness of the strike and its timing.
MOST EXPENSIVE TRANSFER
Gianluigi Buffon
Parma to Juventus
€52m
KEY MOMENT OF THE SEASON
Inter had been main 2-1 as half-time approached on the Olimpico when Vratislav Gresko made a horrendous mistake that allowed Karel Poborsky to steal in and stage the sport. Bizarrely, Inter by no means appeared remotely like reclaiming the initiative.
