| 2001–02 season | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Ivan Ruggeri |
| Manager | Giovanni Vavassori |
| Serie A | 9th |
| Coppa Italia | Quarter-finals |
| Top goalscorer | Cristiano Doni (16) |
Atalanta B.C. continued to be a midfield team in a competitive Serie A season, in which it dropped two places in spite of recording more points than during its 7th placed season the year before. Cristiano Doni was the most influential player, the playmaker scoring 16 goals, and surprisingly stayed on at Atalanta for a further season. Luciano Zauri also got his breakthrough, earning his first national team cap during the course of the season.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Bologna | 34 | 15 | 7 | 12 | 40 | 40 | 0 | 52 | Qualification to Intertoto Cup third round |
| 8 | Perugia | 34 | 13 | 7 | 14 | 38 | 46 | −8 | 46 | |
| 9 | Atalanta | 34 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 41 | 50 | −9 | 45 | |
| 10 | Parma [lower-alpha 1] | 34 | 12 | 8 | 14 | 43 | 47 | −4 | 44 | Qualification to UEFA Cup first round |
| 11 | Torino [lower-alpha 2] | 34 | 10 | 13 | 11 | 37 | 39 | −2 | 43 | Qualification to Intertoto Cup second round |
Cristiano Doni is an Italian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder, on either flank or in the middle.
This article lists all the players that played for different tiers of the Italy national football teams while with AC Milan. Players who represented Italy before or after they played for Milan are unlisted. The players who were called up to the squad but did not play in any games are unlisted.
Udinese Calcio bounced back from the hugely disappointing 2001–02 Serie A season, in which it only just managed to avoid relegation. Under new coach Luciano Spalletti, Udinese gathered strength, and was a constant feature on the top half of the league table. Even though the squad lacked the goalscoring punch, the defence led by Néstor Sensini and surprising goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis held it together to such a degree it finished sixth in the league. Also Czech signing Marek Jankulovski impressed, the Napoli signing switching form left-wing to left back, causing interest from several bigger clubs. In the offence, Udinese's most influential player was David Pizarro, who scored seven times from the midfield and grabbed the attention from Lazio, who tried to sign him and teammate Martin Jørgensen immediately after the season had finished. Undisclosed Lazio players refused moving to Udine as compensation for the transfers, and both stayed on, much to the relief of Spalletti.
A.C. Perugia were relegated from Serie A with a bang, following a chaotic season, in which president Luciano Gaucci managed to upset the Italian football society, by claiming that the referees' were deliberately trying to relegate Perugia to Serie B. Prior to the season, he performed a PR-stunt, when signing Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's son Al-Saadi Gaddafi He also continued trying to sign female players, trying to sign both Hanna Ljungberg and Victoria Svensson, according to Swedish daily Aftonbladet.
A.C. ChievoVerona played its second consecutive season in Serie A, and nearly equaled 5th place from the 2001-02 Serie A season. The club's second season in the premier division was played without Christian Manfredini and Bernardo Corradi, both ending up with Lazio. Due to passport troubles, it also lost key winger Eriberto, who turned out to be four years older and called Luciano, but had faked his identity since he was 21, in order to participate in a Brazilian youth team.
U.C. Sampdoria enjoyed its best season since 1993–94, when the club finished third in Serie A and won Coppa Italia. In 2004-05 Sampdoria was able to finish fifth in the standings, thanks to a robust defence and a goalscoring ace in secondary striker Francesco Flachi, who played the football of his life. With only 29 goals conceded, the defence of Sampdoria was fully comparable with those of top sides Juventus and Milan, and coach Walter Novellino was hailed for the strong performance in the club's second season since its return to Serie A.
Udinese Calcio had its most successful season for seven years, in which it reached the Champions League thanks to a stable fundament in the team, with several players attractive for bigger clubs. Following the season, coach Luciano Spalletti left to take over Roma, while playmaker David Pizarro was sold to Inter.
Torino Calcio had a solid season, in which it earned a new contract as a newcomer. The most appreciated player in the squad was right-winger Antonino Asta, who got a late breakthrough at the age of 31, and proved to be the key player as the club stayed above the drop zone by just four points. Marco Ferrante returned from Inter, and scored ten goals, a career best for the experienced striker. The squad also featured the highly rated Swedish striker Yksel Osmanovski, a very young future Italian national team striker in Fabio Quagliarella, and the Turin legend, defender Stefano Fattori.
U.C. Sampdoria returned to Serie A after a four year-absence, and immediately re-established itself as a team on the top half of the domestic championship. Goalkeeper Francesco Antonioli offered crucial experience, but apart from him did the bulk of the squad play in the 2002-03 Serie B, with top goalscorers Fabio Bazzani and Francesco Flachi quickly adjusting themselves to the higher pace of Serie A. Midfielders Sergio Volpi and Angelo Palombo also stood out. Right back Aimo Diana even earned a call-up to the national team following his performances.
U.C. Sampdoria had a successful season in the domestic league, finishing in sixth place. The club also captured Antonio Cassano from Real Madrid, with the notorious troublemaker settling in well at Sampdoria, helping the club to European qualification. The season also saw the first Serie A derbies between Sampdoria and Genoa C.F.C. since 1995, with Sampdoria winning the second one with 1-0, following a goalless draw in the beginning of the league campaign.
Reggina Calcio just renewed its Serie A contract, thanks to a late surge in the league competition and a successful spareggio against Atalanta. Reggina drew 0-0 at home, and then turned around a deficit to win 2-1 away from home, with Francesco Cozza and Emiliano Bonazzoli being the match-winners. The player who got the most headlines during the season was Japanese playmaker Shunsuke Nakamura, who scored seven goals and created several others. He also helped Reggina to get onto the Asian market, so the signing was largely hailed as a genial manoeuvre by president Pasquale Foti.
Reggina Calcio was thought to be a prime candidate to be relegated in the 2006-07 season, since it had been deducted eleven points for its involvement in Calciopoli. At no stage had Reggina renewed its contract with more than a point or two, and therefore its 51 points in 38 games was a very high yield. The Serie A stay was extended thanks to the successful striking force of Rolando Bianchi and Nicola Amoruso, scoring an unprecedented 35 goals between them. Bianchi headed for Manchester City in the summer, and successful coach Walter Mazzarri found a new berth at Sampdoria.
Reggina Calcio managed to save its Serie A berth at the last minute, for the sixth consecutive season. Nicola Amoruso delivered 12 goals, which was five goals fewer than in the previous season, but enough to land a deal with Torino for the next season.
Reggina Calcio finally dropped out of Serie A, following seven years of balancing around the drop zone. Following its previous six years, the club had stayed in Serie A by less than three points on all occasions. In 2008–09, Reggina dropped off the pace mid-season and was nowhere near survival.
Atalanta B.C. lost its momentum it had built in its first two Serie A seasons in its stint, eventually being relegated following a playoff against Reggina. The championship was such competitive than Atalanta was only four points away from repeating its 9th place from the 2001-02 season, but instead had to face Serie B competition, losing key players such as Cristiano Doni, Luciano Zauri and Ousmane Dabo to bigger clubs.
Atalanta B.C. was promoted to Serie A, despite finishing only 5th in Serie B. The reason for the promotion was the expansion of the top domestic division from 18 to 20 teams. That offered a reprieve to an underperforming Atalanta side that failed to keep up with Palermo following Christmas.
Atalanta B.C. failed to prolong its Serie A stint by more than one season, due to a poor start to the season. Delio Rossi took over at the helm, and helped by the breakthroughs of striker Stephen Makinwa and playmaker Riccardo Montolivo, Atalanta was able to catch up with the teams above the relegation zone, but went down due to a 1-0 defeat to Roma in the penultimate round.
This article lists the players that played for the different levels of the Italy national football teams while with Inter Milan. Players who represented Italy before or after they played for Inter are not included. The players who were called up to the squad but did not play in any matches are unlisted.
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