Serie A special: Capocannoniere candidate – Giampaolo Pazzini
Giampaolo Pazzini or simply Pazzo as he is affectionately called is a striker playing for UC Sampdoria. Pazzini is another impressive player produced by Atalanta's Youth Academy. After scoring an impressive 12 goals in 27 league appearances for Atalanta,
Pazzini was snapped up by Fiorentina at the age of 21. Fiorentina paid 6.5 million Euros for the striker’s services. In a league where youngsters are sold for cheap very often, it’s a huge amount underlying the potential of the player.
Pazzini’s fame was not only down to his Atalanta form, he was a teenage sensation with Italy U21 side. On March 27 in 2007, Pazzini appeared against England U21 side and scored the first goal and the first hat-trick at the Wembley Stadium.
Pazzini was like a pampered prince at the Viola. The fans adored him dearly but he failed to produce the expected level of performances. With his former teammate from Atalanta, Riccardo Montolivo, the two were expected to make headlines. Montolivo was disappointing
in the early years at Fiorentina and failed to produce performances to his potential. Coach Cesare Prandelli favored Luca Toni and Adrian Mutu for the striking role, leaving Pazzini on the bench for most crunch ties. After his move from Luca Toni to Bayern
Munich, Pazzini was given the chance to flourish but he failed once again. With the arrival of Alberto Gilardino from Milan in 2008, the striker went down the pecking order once again. Pazzini was in fear of his development and national team chances due to
which he left the club. Pazzini only managed to score a measly 25 league goals in 108 appearances over five years which does not portray his true potential. Cesare Prandelli revealed in an interview later that Pazzini was much too pampered to succeed at the
club and a new adventure was necessary for him if he was to succeed.
Sampdoria signed the troubled striker in January, 2009 where the player discovered his best form out of the blue. He was clearly relishing the partnership of creative genius Antonio Cassano. With the mercurial Cassano providing him service, Pazzo banged
in 11 goals in just 19 appearances in his first season. The duo got even better last season with Pazzini scoring 19 Serie A goals and providing numerous assists for Cassano to score. His 19 goals put him third in the Capocannoniere list last season. The blistering
form got him rave reviews and interest from Europe’s elite was declared with Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti and Juventus hierarchy particularly voicing their interest. Pazzo however decided to remain with the club as the possibility of playing Champions league
football was on the cards. Sampdoria lost to Werder Bremen in the Champions League qualifiers but not before Pazzini score 3 goals in the two legs.
The Cassano-Pazzini partnership is only going to get stronger with time. The duo, along with Mario Balotelli is the cornerstone around which Cesare Prandelli wishes to build his Italian side. Pazzo recently suffered an injury and wasn’t impressive against
Napoli last night but things will only get better. His form over last two seasons means he will easily hit the 20 league goals mark. With the likes of Andre Poli, Angelo Palombo and Cassano providing their services, Pazzini will be one of the favorites to
lift the Capocannoniere award at the end of the season.
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