Week 31 Spotlight: Oddo man out
http://www.channel4.com/sport/football_italia/w31spotlight.html
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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