Serie A's marks
Pomigliano d’Arco (NA), 18-6-74
FORWARD
"I don’t understand why Maldini doesn’t call Montella to play with the national team".
This is what Vujadin Boskov has been continuously saying over the last few months, while Montella’s performances showed him to be right.
After scoring bunches of goal both in Serie C and in Serie B, Montella kept on arousing enthusiasm also during his first year in Serie A.
Last season, then, he made even further improvements, maturing both technically and strategically.
He scored another 20 goals, and showed a great ability to adapt himself according to his team’s needs.
A modern and complete forward, Montella is a great striker and a good finisher, able to figure out in advance where the ball is going to end up and to feel the goal almost from anywhere around the field.
Francesco Colonnese (Inter) - 6,29
Potenza, 10-8-71
DEFENDER
Francesco Colonnese owes a big part of his current success to Inter’s coach Gigi Simoni.
Simoni discovered and launched him in Cremona, during a season that saw the red and gray team going back from Serie B to Serie A.
Shortafter, Simoni allowed Colonnese to make his debut in Serie A in 1993-94.
Finally, still Simoni, brought Francesco to Napoli and Inter, keeping him at the highest levels of the Italian football, after a negative stint with Roma.
Colonnese repaid Simoni through his brilliant performances, becoming a starter even during the last season in spite of a very solid competition.
His feet are not particullary soft but his guts and his habitual concentration make him a very tough, classical stopper.
Alain Boghossian (Sampdoria) - 6,28
Digne (Fra), 27-10-70
MIDFIELDER
After Marseille and Napoli, there is now Genova in the life of this Provencal player born far from the seaboard but once again landed at some seafaring city.
With Napoli he experienced a difficult season because of his injured knee but later he went through a couple of years of renascence that pushed him to Sampdoria, where he found again Boskov and the right atmosphere to emerge.
Teaming up with Veron and Franceschetti, this playmaker of Armenian origin proved to be a pivotal piece of Sampdoria’s midfield and also a very effective scorer (6 goals during the last season).
Benoit Cauet (Inter) - 6,28
Chatellerault (Fra), 2-5-69
MIDFIELDER
Last season, in spite of having still another year of contract with Paris St. Germain, he decided to move to Inter, looking for that final seal that only an internationally competitive team could assure him.
In spite of being already 29 he promptly found his room, during his first, successful, Italian season and, coming off the bench, he left his mark on many Inter’s matches.
Tireless and multivalent midfielder, Cauet proved to be effective also as a fullback and to get benefit from being used as a backup.
Jonathan Bachini (Udinese) - 6,28
Livorno, 5-6-75
MIDFIELDER
A few people bet on him, at first.
Udinese sent him to Serie C and Serie B (Alessandria, Juve Stabia and Lecce) waiting for his maturation.
This year Bachini finally exploded and won a starting role that nobody would contest.
In spite of a certain slowing down during the last part of the season, his performances along the the left side of the field were this year just overwhelming.
Good technical abilities, great guts and endless stamina made him one of Giampaglia’s (Under 21) favourites.
Nevertheless he still looks to be able to make even further improvements.