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NEWS

30-8-2002

Cannavaro To Inter Channel: "In the Champions League there are only difficult opponents."

On his return to Appiano Gentile today, Fabio Cannavaro spoke to Inter Channel about the Nerazzurri's Champions League draw.

"In this competition there are only difficult opponents, we couldn't have had a luckier draw," said Cannavaro , who also wished his Parma pals good luck in their UEFA Cup tie against Bulgarian side CSKA Sofia.

"I'm at ease in a three-man defence, but if we had to play with four at the back I would prefer the position of central defender," added the Italian international, whose adventure in Nerazzurro 'officially' got underway last Tuesday against Sporting Lisbon.

27-8-2002

Inter Edge Through Against Sporting Lisbon

Two first half goals were enough to ease Inter into the lucrative group stages of the Champions League against Sporting Lisbon.

Sporting began well with Queresma and Barbosa shooting just off target, whilst Toldo had to be alert to deny Rui Costa's header.

Inter held firm though and took the lead on the half hour mark when Luigi Di Biagio powerfully headed home a flighted corner from Alvaro Recoba.

A minute from half time, the lead was doubled as provider turned scorer when Recoba found the net with another header after a decent cross from Domenico Morfeo.

The second half saw no further additions to the scoreline as the Milanese side did what they had to do to book themselves a place in the Champions League group phase, whilst Sporting make do with the UEFA Cup.

27-8-2002

Inter beat Sporting 2-0 to qualify for Champions League

Inter are through to the group stage of the Champions League 2002/03 after beating Sporting Lisbon 2-0 at the San Siro.

A veritable end-to-end affair, the first chance of this crucial Champions League qualifier fell to the visitors in the 7th minute when Sporting captain Barbosa struck a fierce long-range shot wide of Toldo 's right-hand post.

Inter responded immediately through Recoba , who should have passed to a team-mate but instead twisted and turned on the edge of the Portuguese box before being caught in possession. Recoba was provided with a further opportunity a minute later when put through by captain Zanetti, but after the excellent work down the right by the Argentine, the Uruguayan's final shot was disappointing and easily saved by Tiago.

A protagonist in defence and attack, Italian international Di Biagio cleared a dangerous corner by Barbosa in the 10th minute before testing Tiago from the distance minutes later. In the 17th minute a diagonal aerial ball in from a classy Dalmat was tipped far enough away by the Sporting custodian to deny Materazzi a clear chance.

The Inter defence then held tight during a period of dominance by the Portuguese. In the 19th minute, Quaresma thundered in a shot that finished just off-target. Toldo made an acrobatic save to push Rui Jorge's header wide in the 24th minute, then Cordoba expertly headed wide a Sporting free kick to deny Niculae.

Back at the other end, Recoba carved out an opportunity for himself in the 31st minute after beating his marker, then fired in a left-footed long-range shot along the ground that was pushed around for a corner. Recoba 's inswinging corner found the head of Gigi Di Biagio , who powered a header past Tiago.

Increasing frustration in the Sporting Lisbon ranks resulted in the booking of captain Barbosa in the 38th minute, then in the final minute of the half Recoba put Inter 2-0 up. Dalmat 's ball from the centre to the left wing was crossed in by Morfeo , then the Uruguayan international headed past Tiago to send the San Siro into ecstasy.

Sporting Lisbon made their intentions clear right from the start of the second half. With less than a minute played, Toldo was called into action to make a save from Tonito. In the 5th minute, Sporting were awarded a free kick on the edge of the Inter box after Quaresma was brought down, but Cesar Prates wasted the set piece, shooting way over.

Inter regained composure and Morfeo was presented with a chance in the 9th minute after a delightful one-two with Dalmat , but the former Fiorentina ace's final touch was too weak to create any serious problems for Tiago.

With Dalmat and Di Biagio running the show in the middle of the park, Sporting looked to exploit the right flank. But Coco proved his value to the Nerazzurri, keeping a quiet Cesar Prates and a creative Quaresma under control.

Fabio Cannavaro came on for Guglielminpietro in the 14th minute to make his debut in an Inter shirt, and the Italian international defender slotted into the right-back position alongside Materazzi . Two minutes later, Quaresma was fouled by Morfeo to the right of the Inter box, but Niculae's resulting free kick posed no threat to Toldo and finished well over the bar.

On 20 minutes, a trademark long-range effort by Recoba forced Tiago to stretch but the shot went wide of his left-hand post, then Bobo Vieri had two chances in quick succession to increase the Nerazzurri's lead. After heading a Morfeo corner wide when it would have been easier to score, Vieri struck wide again, this time with his right foot, after a superb defence-splitting ball through by Morfeo .

Cannavaro defused a potentially dangerous Sporting move in the 32nd minute, racing across the Inter area to clear. After a typically gritty performance in midfield, Di Biagio was substituted by Almeyda a minute later to deafening applauses from the crowd.

With the luxury of a two-goal lead and five minutes left on the clock, Hector Cuper made his third substitution, bringing on Bernardo Corradi for Christian Vieri . Right at the end, Corradi provided an assist for Recoba , who hit a first-time volley that finished inches wide.

Referee Rene Temmink blew his whistle after three minutes of injury time and... mission accomplished - Inter are into the Champion League!

23-8-2002

Cannavaro: "Against Sporting Lisbon we need a sold out Stadium."

Fabio Cannavaro press conference (2).

Against Roma it was a good test insight of the upcoming match against Sporting…
"Yes we won and it is important to win and to get use to winning. It never hurts. However, who ever stepped on the pitch demonstrated good things, and this is an important signal”.

Tuesday it is a must win situation.
"Yes, it is a difficult task, Every match in the Champion League hides some type of trap. But, we are at home and we want to satisfy our fans and there will be a lot of them, that’s what Bobo Vieri said..”.

Yesterday the fans chanted your name…
"The affection from the fans makes you feel great. They encourage you. It is awesome.”

What did Vieri say?
“He told me that he wants a sold out stadium therefore, I invite all the fans to come out to San Siro! Our fans are always close to us, even at Pinetina. He also told me that here with Inter he wants to win. I also talked to Gigi and Marco. I know them all, and this helped me to fit in quickly.”

23-8-2002

Cannavaro: "Anyone on this team can be a starter."

Fabio Cannavaro press conference.

What is Inter's strength?
I repeat whoever enters on the field has the potential of doing well. Anyone on this team can be a starter. In a difficult league like this one it is very important. It is fundamental to be ready?

Champions League or cudetto?
It is difficult to chose. We start off to conquer both. The scudetto is missed the most: to the fans, the club and players. But we may not put either one aside.

23-8-2002

Fabio Cannavaro: "To mark him is a problem, it would be difficult to give Ronaldo up."

After his debut as captain of the Italian national team on Wednesday, Fabio Cannavaro played his first match for the Nerazzurri in Thursday's 2-1 win against Roma in the Pirelli Cup. The Neapolitan defender, who played 57 minutes in his debut as an Inter player, spoke about Ronaldo after the match.

How many times have you marked Ronaldo ?
A lot.

It is hoped that you will always have him on your side, right?
To mark him is a problem, the defenders can only limit the damage.

How's the squad reacting to this situation?
The squad is very united. We're calm all the same, even though it would be difficult to give Ronaldo up. However, we're waiting for him because we want to play with him."

22-8-2002

Inter 2 Roma 1 - Goals From Adani And Gamarra Seal Pirelli Cup Victory For Nerazzurri

Inter lifted the seventh edition of the Pirelli Cup with a 2-1 win against Roma at the San Siro on Thursday evening.

New signings Adani and Gamarra , who came on as substitutes in the second half, hit the target for the Nerazzurri in front of their new fans after Gabriel Batistuta had given the visitors a first-half lead.

Former Fiorentina defender Daniele Adani punished his Roma counterparts within just two minutes of coming onto the pitch. The Italian international latched onto the loose ball after Guglielminpietro 's initial long-range shot was blocked, then sent a diagonal shot past Antonioli.

Paraguay defender Carlos Alberto Gamarra stole the winner for Inter at the death, rising above the Roma defence to head Morfeo 's inch-perfect free kick out of Antonioli's reach and into the net.

22-8-2002

A last minute goal from Carlos Gamarra gave Inter a 2-1 win over AS Roma in the Pirelli Cup.

Roma put out a weakened side due to injury with Cafu, Vincent Candela, Francesco Totti, Emerson and Vincenzo Montella all out. Fabio Capello elected to play Damiano Tommasi and Christian Panucci who started Italy's game with Slovenia on Wednesday night, while Inter started with new signing Fabio Cannavaro.

The Inter fans vented their anger at Ronaldo who is the subject of constant speculation over a move to Real Madrid.

The first chance of the game fell to the Nerazzurri but Guly fluffed Domenico Morfeo's cross in front of an open goal. Shortly after, though, the Argentine tested Francesco Antonioli with a shot from the edge of the box which the Roma stopper had to tip over.

Morfeo was the next to come close as he shot inches wide of Antonioli's goal.

Roma, though, often looked dangerous on the counterattack and they took the lead on 36 minutes when Gabriel Batistuta collected an Antonio Cassano

22-8-2002

List of Nerazzurri caaled up for Pirelli Cup clash against Rome

Hector Cuper has named his squad for tonight's Pirelli Cup clash against Roma at the San Siro. Here's the player list:

Goalkeepers: Fontana , Moreau
Defenders: Adani , Cannavaro , Materazzi , J.Zanetti , Vivas , Cordoba , Gamarra , Franchini, Sorondo
Midfielders: Conceio , Almeyda , Dalmat , Morfeo , Guglielminpietro
Strikers: Corradi , Martins

(This is the first game Cannavaro's played for Nerazzurri. :))

22-8-2002

Italy VS Slovenia - How the papers rated Cannavaro

TRIESTE - Here's how the Italian sports dailies rated new national team captain Fabio Cannavaro 's performance for Italy in last night's friendly against Slovenia.

Gazzetta dello Sport 6/10
He suffered less on his side of the pitch because Coco was there in the left-back position. Winning his 62nd cap against Slovenia, Cannavaro took over from Maldini as team captain. There will be better times.

Corriere dello Sport 5.5/10
Cuper went to Trieste on purpose to see Cannavaro up close in his first official match of the season, which also saw the player debut as Azzurri captain. But it wasn't the right evening.

Tuttosport 6/10
He hasn't played for Inter yet, but it seems that Cuper will be able to trust him - he ran around with ease, he was explosive almost like in his best moments. Zahovic was forced to go far from Cannavaro 's zone in order to find spaces.

22-8-2002

Italy VS Slovenia

(Huge thanks to Dinny for translating this article. You may see the original Italian version here.)

This is the first game after the fail of the world cup in japan/korea 2002 and italian team.....cannot do better..they keep doing worst and worst.And along with it...we made a really bad impression in front of the whole world. Is not enough the hot weather and warm fans of slovenia..which keep calling their team...to make them...get more self confidence. Italy...did not have such a good preparation, and infact at the 32 minute on the first..period the slovenia made a straight goal.....and surprised Buffon, which made slovenia score. Slovenia has played this game..really seriously and instead italy, should have played as a team..which wanted to change their image, instead they didnt. Instead nothing....if the players didnt want to, and there is no self confidence...if these are not the main problems....then is the coach problem. Scaredness, violence and angriness, not only for the lost of the game. Everyone thought it was a friendly game between italy and slovenia, instead it turned out that there was alot of nervosism from the slovenian fan, things been threw inside the stadium, while there was the game going on, many falls from slovenian team, the judge of the game, wanted to stop many time this game..cause he said it was too dangerous and many time the slovenian fan...tried to get into the camp, where the players were playing...so the game was interrupted many times in this way.More than 11,000 fan of the slovenian team went to see the game and only at the 23 minute inzaghi.started to scare the opposite team, but the slovenian team, holded inzaghi and didnt let him move, they grab him by his shirt.so...no chance for the italian team again. Then there was a dribbling from the slovenian player against panucci and then it was a goal, it surprised buffon...what can we do?...They were 4 slovenian player for the yellow card..but the judge seems like he made a big mistake...cause he kicked out some slovenian player..which were kicked out already before..so this game was not coached really well. At the 52 minute which was really important for the italian team..the italian team could have made a goal...but the slovenian fan..got into the camp..and interrupted the big..action of the italy...so no goal again...italian police..had to be really hard and rude to the slovenian fan...cause they were getting too nervous. ...

21-8-2002

Italy's Woes Continue With Shocking Home Defeat Against Slovenia

At the end of a very hard-fought contest, Italy suffered a shocking 1-0 home defeat against Slovenia, another team coming from a dismal performance in the Korea-Japan World Cup.

The Azzurri played a really bad match, especially in the first half. Slovenia put a big pressure on Trapattoni's men right after the starting whistle, showing to be healthier and more determined. Buffon was great in the 26th on a header by Vugdalic, but seven minutes later there was nothing to do for Juve's keeper on a superb right-footer by Cimirotic, who gave Slovenia the deserved lead.

Italy didn't manage to react duly, and everything they managed to produce on the offensive side in the whole first half were some inaccurate shots from outside the box, who didn't create any problem for Slovenian keeper Dabanovic.

21-8-2002

Friednly Match Result : Italy VS Slovenia

Italy entertained Slovenia at Nereo Rocco stadium in Trieste in what turned out to be an ugly affair, both on the pitch and on the stands. Inter defender Cannavaro took over as national team captain and gave a typical captain's performance, but Slovenia's first-half aggression paid off and their winner came from Cimirotic. Second-half substitute Materazzi gave a solid performance at the back.

20-8-2002

International Friendly Preview: Italy-Slovenia

Italy and Slovenia will face each other on Wednesday in Trieste a couple of months after their very disappointing 2002 World Cup. The Azzurri, who were considered as one of the favorites for the win, were kicked out in the 1/8 finals by Korea, while Slovenia didn't manage to collect a single point in their qualifying round. Katanec's men were defeated by each of their opponents, namely Spain, Paraguay and South Africa.

Following the respective collapses, the two coaches made two very different decisions. Slovenian legend Srecko Katanec resigned immediately after the elimination: his successor is Bojan Prasnikar, who is in charge for the third time. Praniskar first held the country's top footballing job between 1991 to 1993, shortly after Slovenia were granted independence from Yugoslavia, and was again entrusted with the reigns of the side for a brief spell in 1998.

In contrast to his colleague, and in spite of the common consensus, at least according to most of the Italian press, Giovanni Trapattoni decided to stay on Italy's bench. The Italian federation didn't fold in front of the public, who blamed the veteran trainer's lack of courage almost as much as the bad mistakes of the Ecuadorian referee Byron Moreno.

However, it seems that from now on Trapattoni is intentioned to give his team a more offensive attitude. One of the most promising Italian youngsters, Juventus midfielder Matteo Brighi, will make his debut with the Nazionale. Three superstars, namely Toldo, Vieri and Totti, will miss the game due to injuries.

PROBABLE LINEUPS:

ITALY (3-4-1-2): Buffon; Cannavaro, Nesta, Panucci; Brighi, Tommasi, Di Biagio, Coco; Doni; Inzaghi, Del Piero

SLOVENIA (4-3-1-2): Dabanovic; Gajser, Vugdalic, Karic, Cipot; Pavlin, Bulajic, Ceh; Zahovic; Cimirotic, Siljak

20-8-2002

Fabio Cannavaro, Neo captain of the Italian national team : "I feel the responsibility."

Trapattoni called up seven nerazzurri out of twenty-two players for the friendly match against Slovenia. Within these also neo captain of National team and neo defender of Inter Fabio Cannavaro : " Inter is a strong squad, but now I'm concentrating on Italy. I feel the responsibility. For these things, to represent my country, I believe in it sincerely."

17-8-2002

Trapattoni Selects Seven NERAZZURRI For Italy's Friendly Against Slovenia

Italian national team head coach Giovanni Trapattoni has announced his 22-man squad for Wednesday's friendly against Slovenia in Trieste. Seven Inter players have been included : Adani, F. Cannavaro, Coco, Di Biagio, Materazzi, Toldo, Vieri.

Fabio Cannavaro will be the CAPTAIN of Azzurri and leading Azzurri against Slovenia.

14-8-2002

Inter VS Sporting Official Line-ups

INTER (4-4-2):
Toldo, J.Zanetti, Cordoba, Materazzi, Coco;
Conceio, Di Biagio, Dalmat, Morfeo;
Kallon, Vieri
Substitutes:
Fontana, Guglielminpietro, Cannavaro, Corrad , Recoba, Almeyda,Pasquale
Coach: Cuper

(oh no, Fabio didn't play the game. :( )

13-8-2002

Cannavaro: "We have to be very careful against the Portuguese."

He's still not 100%, but new signing Fabio Cannavaro was nonetheless called up to the Inter squad by Hector Cuper. The Italian international defender spoke to Inter Channel about tomorrow night's game.

"It's important to fit into the new situation immediately," said Cannavaro . "I'm very happy to be here with my new team-mates."

Cannavaro has already played against Portuguese sides with Parma, and he summed up their technique:

"We have to be very careful against the Portuguese. They are very technical and above all at home they succeed in exploiting their enthusiasm. It's a difficult match, but it's within our reach."

11-8-2002

Cannavaro: "An Inter without Ronalso is unthinkable."

Neo-Nerazzurro Fabio Cannavaro spoke about Nesta and Ronaldo .

"Nesta and I are two different players,"said Cannavaro. "Stylistically he's nice to watch and he's very good at positioning moves. I'm perhaps more efficient as a marker, having been used to it since I was very young."

He added, "I still don't know whether the coach will decide to use me against Sporting, I can only say that I really want to play and do well. At this early stage the squad has done an excellent job and is highly motivated for this appointment with the Champions League. Regardless of the formation used, Inter must and has the possibility of doing well."

On the Phenomenon, Cannavaro remarked: "I have maximum respect for Ronaldo , he's a champion and an exemplary professional. I'm sure he will stay, also because an Inter without Ronaldo is unthinkable."

11-8-2002

Cannavaro: "Roma, Juventus And AC Milan are all poopnents to be feared."

New signing Fabio Cannavaro spoke about his first few days as an Inter player.

"I've been at Inter for a few days but because of the numerous medical tests, I've done just three or four complete training sessions with my new team-mates,"said Cannavaro.

"I'm very happy to have come to a prestigious club like Inter. There's an air of revenge after the disappointment of last season, when unfortunately the work of a whole season was sacrificed in forty-five minutes. But these are things that can happen, who has played football can understand what I mean. In this sport the psychological aspect counts very much, perhaps as much as the technical aspect. At times even a simple error can make you lose faith in your possibilities and so what before seemed a banal obstacle becomes insuperable."

According to Cannavaro , Inter have three main rivals for the Scudetto: Roma, Juventus and AC Milan. They are all teams built to win, they are all opponents to be feared.

8-8-2002

Cannavaro: " I belive in Inter, the team, the club and the fans."

At today's press conference, Fabio Cannavaro mentioned his contract with the Nerazzurri and spoke about Inter and Roma's chances this season.

Is your contract linked to results and form?
Yes, it seemed to me to be right to have my contract linked to several parameters like the number of matches played. It was right to give a signal.

So you believe in it?
Of course I believe in it, otherwise I wouldn't be here. I believe in Inter, the team, the club and the fans.

In attack there are Ronaldo and Vieri , at the back Adani and Coco have arrived. Is Inter stronger?
We will only be able to say this on the pitch. We have to show our value on the pitch, match after match. Inter has an ample squad where anyone can do well.

You haven't cited Roma as among the rivals for the Scudetto.
I was thinking about that, I forgot?For me Roma was the most complete team last season. They didn't win because they lost too many points at the end.

8-8-2002

Cannavaro: "The Club Has Bought Important Players, Now It's Up To Us.

From the Champions League to Inter's rivals for the Scudetto, Neo-Nerazzurro Fabio Cannavaro spoke about the forthcoming season at today's press conference.

How far can this Inter side go?
Inter has world class players in every position. The club has bought important players like Morfeo , Almeyda , Coco and Adani . The squad has been reinforced, but we need to show it on the pitch. The club has done its bit, now it's up to us.

How's your level of physical fitness?
I've done a week of pre-season training and two friendlies. I still have to work a lot.

So will you be ready for the Champions League preliminaries?
I'm at the availability of the coach. I know that I will have to be equal to my team-mates who are ahead with their preparations.

You seemed to be a bit dazed in Amsterdam [Cannavaro played in a four-team tournament at the weekend].
I tried to give my best, but in the last twenty days my situation has been particular.

Who will be the main opponents for Inter in the Italian championship?
I think that Juventus is the side most used to fighting for the Scudetto right to end And then there's AC Milan who have pulled off a great coup with Rivaldo.

8-8-2002

Cannavaro : "I Was About To Sign For Inter Eight Years Ago. It Was Just a Question of Time."

During today's press conference at Pinetina, new signing Fabio Cannavaro spoke about his sudden transfer to Inter.

You've transferrred to Inter at a particular moment, right during the Ronaldo situation.
Yes, it's a strange situation. I know I've made the fans happy, but above all it's me who's happy. I can play for a team with particular objectives, objectives that unfortunately Parma didn't have any more.

Have you already met Cuper?
No, not yet. (the press conference took place before today's training session.)

You're the only transfer market coup of the summer.
Yes, because it's been a very strange transfer market. I've found an excellent situation in a very difficult moment.

Do you have to profess your faith to Inter?
Yes, I know. I have a lot of 'Interisti' friends...

Inter wanted Nesta, then Cannavaro arrived. A makeshift solution?
No, because it was just a question of time. Eight years ago I was about to sign for Inter and I was on my way to Milan, then I stopped in Parma. With Nesta I think it went differently.

8-8-2002

Cannavaro: "Thanks To The Tanzis And Thanks To Ancelotti, But Above All Thanks To INTER And Moratti."

New signing Fabio Cannavaro was officially presented to the media at a press conference in Appiano Gentile this afternoon. The Italian international spoke about his transfer to Inter and the apparent suddenness of it all.

What happened?
I'm also a little surprised myself. Yesterday I spoke to the Tanzis. We talked and we clarified the situation. I was on my way to joining the squad, but then I was informed of my transfer. I? very happy. I?e spent seven important years at Parma, I'd like to thank everybody and above all the Tanzis, with whom I've had an excellent relationship. I know the sacrifices they've made to sell me, but thanks to them I have the chance of fighting for the Scudetto.

For an unexaggerated figure?
Yes, though at the beginning the demands were quite different. They reduced the price and we reached an agreement with Inter immediately.

It seemed you were on your way to AC Milan?
Yes, but AC Milan's request was very particular. They wanted me at zero cost, and on loan. The Tanzis informed me that under such conditions they wouldn't let me go.

Have you spoken to Ancelotti since your transfer to Inter?
Yes. After Parma our paths haven't crossed, even if the intentions were different. Now each one goes their own way, but I have to thank Ancelotti for the esteem he has always given me.

Any thanks for Juventus as well?
I know that Juventus made a request to Parma, but it wasn't accepted. Thanks above all to Inter who have believed in me. Thanks to Moratti, who has given me this great opportunity.

8-8-2002.

Cannavaro: ""The club has invested and is investing a lot, so it's right to aim high."

New Inter defender Fabio Cannavaro has spoken of his joy at completing his move from Parma last night.

"I'm very happy to come to an important team like Inter," he told Inter channel.

"The club has invested and is investing a lot, so it's right to aim high. Juventus were very keen on me but in the end I'm glad it was Inter that succeeded.

"I want to say hello to all the Inter fans. I really am a happy man and at this club. I can join up with many of my international colleagues," he added.

"From Thursday morning I will be at the full disposal of the club and the coach. I've only been training for a week so I need to get on immediately."

Source :

www.inter.it

www.soccerage.com

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