Analysis of 2004/05 Serie A...
Lucarelli steers Livorno to safety
With the ever-increasing number of top class strikers plying their trade in Serie A, probably no one would have bet a single cent on Livorno's Cristiano Lucarelli finishing top scorer before the 2004/05 season got underway.
However, Lucarelli not only fulfilled his job by grabbing vital goals to help newcomers Livorno extend their stay in the top flight, but he also overcame the stiff competition of Alberto Gilardino, Andriy Shev-chenko and Adriano to top the scorers' list for the first time in his career.
A year ago, Lucarelli had just helped Livorno return to the top division after an absence of more than five decades.
After two miserable seasons with Torino in Serie A, the robust striker had a fantastic period on loan with Livorno.
He wanted to make his move to Livorno permanent not only to play top flight football again, but also to play for his home town. To realise his dream, Lucarelli had to forfeit a sum in the region of one million euros to rescind his contract with Torino.
From that day, Lucarelli has never looked back and has gone from strength to strength.
He was seen by then Livorno coach Franco Colomba as an ideal attacking partner for the evergreen Igor Protti - a forward who has topped the scorers' lists of all divisions in Italy during his glamorous career. But, in due course, Protti was dropped and Lucarelli became the main striker in Livorno's attacking prowess.
When Roberto Donadoni took over from Colomba, Livorno were still in the mire of relegation but under the guide of the ex-Milan and Italy midfielder, Livorno improved tremendously... and so did Lucarelli.
In no time he became the central figure of the team and took over the captain's armband from Protti. It was at this stage that his candidature to top the scorers' list started gaining momentum.
Suffice to say that Lucarelli scored no fewer than nine goals in Livorno's last six games of the season.
Sharp contrast
Lucarelli, who had made his debut of fire in Serie A on August 31, 1997 in Atalanta's 4-2 win over Bologna, was a completely different kettle of fish with respect to the mediocre player who in season 2002/03 had scored only one goal for Torino.
His exploits of the past season did not pass unnoticed with Italy coach Marcello Lippi. He included him in his squad for the national team's two friendlies against Serbia and Ecuador a few weeks ago.
Even at national team level, Lucarelli had a fantastic debut. Against Serbia he came on as a second-half substitute for Palermo's Luca Toni and grabbed a late equaliser.
Lucarelli has gone a long way since he made his Serie C1 debut for Perugia in 1993.
He has experienced a series of ups and downs during his career. He failed to impress at Atalanta (only five goals in 26 appearances) in 1997/98.
Even his stint at Valencia the following season was poor (one goal in 12 matches).
It was only his two-year spell with Lecce between 1999 and 2001 that restored Lucarelli some lost pride before he silenced his critics this season.
The challenge ahead of Lucarelli is now to repeat, and possibly better, his feat next season. It will not be easy for sure. Now, defenders will reserve special attention for the Livorno forward.
It is still premature to talk on Lucarelli's chances of winning a place in Italy's squad for the 2006 World Cup. Lippi has various attacking options at his disposal and much will depend on how Lucarelli performs next season.