Inter Milan’s most recent addition to their squad, Giampaolo Pazzini, has had an up and down career in football. He was once one of the most coveted strikers in Europe when in March 2007 he became the first player to score at the new Wembley, and indeed the first to score a hat-trick at the ground in a U-21 tie against England.
Since then however, Pazzini has failed to establish himself as a top quality striker both at club level and internationally, and to date has only made fourteen appearances for the Azzurri. Less than four years prior to his Wembley breakthrough, Pazzini began his professional playing career with perennial relegation battlers Atalanta. Pazzini only scored three Serie A goals during his time there, but his performances were enough to attract a €6.5million move to European chasers Fiorentina.
Pazzina played over a hundred times during his four year spell at Fiorentina, but was never the favoured striker – playing second fiddle to Luca Toni, to Adrian Mutu when he signed for La Viola and then to Alberto Gilardino when he joined from Milan.
Pazzini’s next move came in the January transfer window of 2009, when he joined Sampdoria – teaming up with the short fused Antonio Cassano to create one of the most effective striker partnerships in Serie A that season. The two fired Sampdoria to a top four spot in the 2009/10 season, and there were comparisons to the partnership between former Chelsea manager Gianluca Vialli and current Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini, who’s terrific striker partnership fired Sampdoria to the Scudetto for the only time in their history in 1991.
Inter’s decision to bring Pazzini to the San Siro was questioned by many. In a squad that already boasts attackers such as Samuel Eto’o, Diego Milito, Goran Pandev and Wesley Sneijder, you must wonder where exactly Leonardo intends to play the 26-year-old but the transfer of Pazzina could be an inspired move in Inter’s title aspirations.
Inter have been renewed under Leonardo. Before Christmas, the Nerazzurri were as good as dead and buried in the title race, but Leonardo’s appointment has sparked change in their fortunes, and so too might Pazzini.
Pazzini was on the bench for the match against Palermo last week, but while trailing 2-0 at halftime Leonardo felt it was time to unleash his newly acquired weapon and even he couldn’t have envisaged the debut Pizzani was about to have.
The striker wasted no time in dragging the match back into Inter’s favour, as eleven minutes into his debut he was able to neatly trap a chipped ball into the box, turning a sharp shot through his defender and across the goalmouth to beat the goalkeeper and open up his Inter account - while cutting the lead to 2-1.
It got even better for Pazzini in the 73rd minute, when his darting run off of a set piece from Maicon was capped off by a firm an accurate leaping header beating the ‘keeper to even the match up at 2-2.
Just a couple of minutes later Pazzini was at it again when he got in behind the defence, where he was tugged down – winning a penalty.
The defensive mishap awarded Inter a penalty that teammate Eto’o converted and assured Inter the 3-2 victory in a debut that Giampaolo Pazzini surely will never forget, as he hopes to use it as a momentum swing into his future with the Nerazzurri and La Nazionale.
Elsewhere this weekend
AC Milan were the story of the weekend, where the league leaders dropped two points against second placed Genoa. Alexandre Pato fired Milan into the lead, before the magnificent Antonio Floro Flores equalised right on the stroke of half time. Milan are on 49 points, while Genoa are on 46.
Inter kept the heat on those at the top in a thrilling 5-3 victory over Roma. This win takes them five points behind Milan, and with a game in hand. Wesley Sneijder opened the scoring in the first three minutes, before Fabio Simplicio tapped in the equaliser ten minutes later. After half time Samuel Eto’o scored on the double, followed by a strike from Thiago Motta to put them 4-1. Mirko Vucinic pulled a goal back a few minutes later, followed by Simone Loria but there were no Newcastle-esque comebacks here as Esteban Cambiasso sealed the win in injury time. Roma have now dropped out of the top six, having drawn during the week.
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