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| | Week 31 Spotlight: Oddo man out | Monday 27 March, 2006 |
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 Player of the Week: Oddo (Lazio)
There is one place up for grabs in Marcello Lippi’s Italian side for the World Cup and Massimo Oddo staked his claim to it on Sunday. Not only did he remind the tactician of his ability by scoring both goals in Lazio’s 2-0 win over Sampdoria, but his defensive performance – so often degraded in the past – was also of the highest calibre during Week 31.
Lippi has a clear problem at right-back even if he’ll never admit to it. After freezing out Christian Panucci - the Azzurri’s best option in that position - following a bust-up between the two during their time together at Inter, Lippi has looked elsewhere for a man to fill the No 2 shirt.
He initially chose Parma’s Daniele Bonera, but injury and poor form have seen the former Under-21 international lose his way. Palermo’s Cristian Zaccardo was then handed the shirt even if his displays did leave many perplexed, which was also a reason why the tactician opted to switch the marauding Gianluca Zambrotta from the left on to the right.
Yet Oddo has pushed himself into the thoughts of Lippi in recent months after some fine displays at the Stadio Olimpico. He had already forced his way back into the squad for the 4-1 win over Germany at the start of March and is refusing to let his performance level dip in the months which the former Juventus boss will use to finalise his squad plans for Germany 2006.
Oddo is taking nothing for granted though and insists the best way to earn international recognition is to just keep doing as much as he can for Lazio. “This win was fundamental for us because Sampdoria, despite now losing their last six games, are a direct rival of ours for a place in the UEFA Cup,” he said. “That has given us a great stimulus for the rest of the season.”
Not too many people were sure of what to expect from Lazio this term, with Oddo himself admitting that keeping their status as a Serie A side was at the top of their agenda. “Our first objective for this season was to avoid relegation,” he noted. “Now that we have achieved that, we can now focus on our second target which is to qualify for Europe.”
Oddo opened the scoring at the Olimpico with a fierce drive which beat Francesco Antonioli with the aid of a deflection. He then made sure of the points by living up to his reputation as a penalty expert by slotting home a spot-kick in the closing stages of the game. Defensively, he kept the usually dangerous Max Tonetto anonymous down the flank.
“I need to thank the medical staff, though, for my display,” said Oddo who was a major doubt ahead of the tie. “Their treatment allowed me to feature despite the problem I am having with a toe on my foot. I dedicate my goals to them and all of those who love Lazio out there.”
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Goal of the Week: Di Napoli (Messina)
It wasn’t enough to keep his Coach in a job, but Arturo Di Napoli’s strike against Udinese was a gem for a player who has only lived up to his potential in the provinces. He may have been a little fortunate in the way that his back-heeled drag bamboozled Cesare Natali, yet his quick-fire finish with his left foot left Morgan De Sanctis stranded at his near post. |
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Number of the Week: 23
Parma’s 1-0 win over Inter on Saturday, their fourth in four games, saw their points tally since the halfway point of the season rise to 23 – an amazing figure when you consider that they collected only 15 points in the first 19 games of the campaign. The Gialloblu are looking increasingly likely to survive the dreaded drop as they are now 10 points clear of the relegation zone. |
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| Words: Antonio Labbate |
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Past Spotlights
A unique review of each round of Serie A 2005-06, including Player of the Week, Goal of the Week and Number of the Week. More
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