[Zed.D]

Calcio Debate: Is Gilardino Good Enough For Milan?


Following Milan’s disappointing 2-1 defeat at Atalanta last night – Carlo Garganese highlights the individual performance of Alberto Gilardino and asks whether the player is good enough to play for the Rossoneri…


Anyone who watched the game in Bergamo last night will tell you that Alberto Gilardino was not the only Milan player to disappoint. Daniele Bonera and Alessandro Nesta had rings run round them by Antonio Langella, Kakha Kaladze made a disastrous error that resulted in Atalanta’s winner, Giuseppe Favalli was awful as usual, while Alexandre Pato looked like a school-kid and missed a glorious one-on-one.


Gilardino has been under-fire for quite some now and it has become increasingly obvious for the past two years now that the striker is just simply not good enough for a club of the stature of Milan.


This does not mean that Gilardino is a bad player – he proved at Parma when he scored 23 times in consecutive Serie A seasons that at smaller and mid-table teams (even those fighting for UEFA Cup qualification) he can be a superbly useful player.


The biggest problem of all is that Gila just does not have the technical ability required to play for one of Europe’s giants, more so a team like Milan who base their game on these qualities.


The 25-year-old has no skill, he cannot create an opportunity for himself and in simple terms he is what in England is called a “lumbering centre forward”. Filippo Inzaghi has none of these attributes either, but what he does have, or did in his prime, is brilliant striker intelligence.


This is not the case for Gilardino. His movement is abysmal, in fact he is almost always static. His anticipation is poor, and so are his reactions. In order to be a penalty-box striker, these things are vital and this explains why Inzaghi is the most prolific goalscorer in the history of European competition.


We often hear arguments from Gilardino-supporters of how he scored 17 goals in Serie A in his first season at Milan, that he hit 12 last campaign, and that he has six to his name this year.


However, how many of these goals were against the top teams?


Well I will tell you.


In 2005/06, of Gilardino’s 17 goals, none were scored against the Big Four. Gila failed to hit the back of the net in both games against Juve, Inter and Roma. All of his strikes were against mid-table and relegation-threatened opposition such as Treviso, Reggina, Messina and Cagliari.


In 2006/07 he scored just twice in six games against the three other teams in the Champions League places (Inter, Roma and Lazio). And one of these, against Inter, came when Milan were already being thumped 4-1 by their city rivals and had nothing to play for but pride.


Finally this season Gila has failed to hit the back of the net against any of the big teams; Inter, Roma and Juve.


His record in the Champions League is even worse. In 2005/06 he failed to hit the back of the net in 10 games as Milan reached the semi-final. He scored just twice in 11 matches last year, while there has been a very slight improvement this term with two strikes in the group stages.


What this surely tells us is that Gilardino, when faced by stronger opposition and better defenders, is simply not up to the task.


When he plays against smaller Serie A sides he can hold his own, and it is against these teams that he accumulates all of his goals. However against top-class and world-class players it just doesn’t look like the 25-year-old has the ability.


Quite why Milan continue to insist that Gilardino is the right player for them I simply don’t understand.


Carlo Garganese

[KillerMax]

I don't why this is so hard to comprehend for so many people. He is not mentally capable of playing for such big club. And pressure definitely does get to him. which is a big no no for a Milan player.

[Rossoneri7]

I don't why this is so hard to comprehend for so many people. He is not mentally capable of playing for such big club. And pressure definitely does get to him. which is a big no no for a Milan player.

Well obviously he isn't a Milan grade striker. After Beirhoff, Inzaghi, and the lesser of them Tomasson (in recent years) ... Gilardino is a drop in quality between them.


Still, he remains a Milan player and the coach and board probably see something we don't. Which inevitably leads to him given chance after chance, this being his third season. That said, I doubt he'll remain at Milan if he doesn't deliver this time around. He has Pato/Ronaldo to partner now (no more excuses left, for those who claim he needs a partner).


Yes he had a great record at Parma and yes he did score goals at Milan. Still, he has yet to reach the expectations that us fans have of him (for three years now .. still waiting (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif) ).

I believe and cheer on him when he is on the pitch. But rarely does he show anything of merit. Some would like to bring Inzaghi into this, but Inzaghi has given all that he can give to Milan and more !! He is the in-box striker and a legend in my book. There is little to compare between Pippo and Gila. In fact, when Pippo was in Gilardino's age he was explosive, his goal ratio was a goal every 90 mins (mind boggling really).

Anyways, Gilardino's fate rests in the hands of Carlo and Galliani/Braida .. I hope he comes through after such a rough patch. I say this, though I have lost faith in him.