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Scudetto quest Italian season poised for kick off... finallyPosted: Friday September 13, 2002 8:07 AM
ROME (AP) -- Maybe Ronaldo made the right move in leaving Italy. The first-division season in this soccer-crazy country finally starts Saturday after a two-week delay caused by eight teams' failing to sign television contracts. The openers -- AC Milan at Modena, Torino at Internazionale, AS Roma at Bologna and Empoli at Como -- were ensured only Tuesday, when the top six teams agreed to make a contribution to the 12 others. "The important thing is that the season starts and the country returns to normal," said Adriano Galliani, the president of the league and AC Milan, the team owned by Premier Silvio Berlusconi. Ronaldo's decision to leave Inter for Spain's Real Madrid was the biggest move of an offseason relatively free of big-money deals. Rivaldo joined AC Milan from Barcelona, and the most significant moves within Italy were of defender Alessandro Nesta from Lazio to AC Milan, forward Hernan Crespo from Lazio to Inter and defender Fabio Cannavaro from Parma to Inter. Juventus won the title last season, overtaking Inter on the final day of the season. AS Roma won in 2000-01, succeeding Lazio. "Now Milan has two top squads, but sometimes you can stumble when expectations are so high," AC Milan forward Filippo Inzaghi said. "We need to stay concentrated and accept the coach's choices, which won't be easy." Rivaldo joins a roster that already includes playmakers Rui Costa and Andrea Pirlo. "The internal competition will be good for everyone. It's part of the structure of a great team," AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti said. Across town, Inter coach Hector Cuper is feeling a little pressure after the team stumbled on the final day with a 4-2 loss at Lazio. The previous two years, he lost the European Champions Cup final with Spain's Valencia. "I have no excuse. This year I must win something," Cuper said. Juventus didn't make many changes after winning its record 26th title. The biggest addition was Marco Di Vaio, a striker acquired from Parma. "We made fewer moves because we're already the strongest," goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon said. "We're the champions of Italy." AS Roma captain Francesco Totti is expected to miss the first few games of the season because of a knee injury. But Argentine forward Gabriel Batistuta appeared to regain his form in the extended preseason. "It's true that Inter, Milan, and Juventus have restocked," Totti said. "But that that doesn't mean we can't win." Chievo, which finished fifth in a surprise and qualified for the UEFA Cup for the first time, added former AC Milan star forward Oliver Bierhoff. Brescia, with veteran forward Roberto Baggio, also could finish among the top teams. Piacenza returns with one of last season's top goalscorers, 35-year-old Dario Hubner, whose 24 goals tied David Trezeguet of Juventus for the league lead. Inter's Christian Vieri scored 22 times last season and four more times at the World Cup, but Italy was eliminated by South Korea in the second round. Como, Empoli, Modena and Reggina were promoted from the second division and will try to avoid relegation. |
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