GILARDINO ISN'T A FLOP !!!
He's a great player, and YES, I know, he hasn't scored lateley... but the question is why ? I like him a lot, he's a great person and a great player, and I really believe in him, so I've asked myself "but why hasn't he scored yet ? He is completly unlucky or what ? ". I think I've found the answer last tuesday, after having watched the match vs Lilles : I think the problem isn't Gilardino himself, but his role in the team (and that's also true when he plays with the national team).
Think about the match vs Lille : so Gila was alone in front, supported by Seedorf and Kaka. What is a forward supposed to do when he plays in this position ? Take the ball given by his companions (so Kaka and Seedorf in that case) and score, of course. And if the ball doesn't come to him, he must try to go and get it.
Ok, so now think about what Gila did :
First, he stayed in front, and waited for his companions (as most of the forwards often do, like Pippo or Luca Toni for example) to bring him the ball ... but the problem was that NO ball reached the front, all were lost (by Seedorf, Kaka, cafu...) between the middle and the front of the field. And what did Kaka or Seedorf did when they had the ball in that part of the field ? They gave the ball backwards, to Pirlo or Gattuso, instead of giving him to Gila, who was WELL POSITIONNED !!
So what Gila did when he understood that nobody would give him the ball ? He went to get it in the middle of the field... and manage to bring the ball to the front of the field (contrary to other players, who lost it on the way) but then, what can he do ? He has only 2 options left :
1. He keeps the ball, and finally gives it to another player, who then can easily SCORE (and that's what happened when Seedorf scored...)....and becames the hero of the match, while Gila is criticized for not having scored again...
2. He gives the ball to another player, then run forwards, hoping the player he gave the ball to will give him the ball, offering him a chance to score... but what happened when Gila did that during the match vs Lille ? When he gave the ball to Kaka or Seedorf, they didn't give him the ball then (even if he was ONCE AGAIN WELL POSITIONED !!), but they played backwards, with Pirlo or Gattuso for example...
So during this match, Gilardino tried everything he could do, he played well but the problem is the other players didn't play WITH him !!! Kaka and Seedorf especially, who played as if Gila wasn't there !!!
When he plays (with Milan or the national team), Gila doesn't hesitate to sacrify himself, giving the ball to others if he thinks they are better positioned than him to score, but the other players don't do the same with him... they keep the ball for themselves (that's what happens when Gilardino plays with a great forward, like Pippo or Luca Toni : he always stays in their shadow in a way) or they give it to another player (like Kaka and Seedorf did during the match against Lilles...as if they didn't trust Gila in a way).... That's the reason why Gila gets so few occasions to score... if you think about it, his best occasions are a corner or a free kick (and when you think about it, that's how he scored vs Germany during the World Cup or vs France during the euro qualifications....)
So the problem isn't Gila himslef, but the way he plays with others.... he sacrifies himself for the team, but the other players don't do the same with him....
Maybe it's because he's too kind, I don't know, or because he's not as willing to score HIMSELF as forwards usually are (think of Pippo or Luca Toni for example).... but that's definitly a problem... He won't manage to score often if things remain like that...
So I think it's completly UNFAIR to criticize him like that, to say he's "a flop" , because the problem isn't Gila himslef, but the way he plays with other players (and the way other players play with him...) and because even if he doesn't score, he still plays a very important role in the team.
And I think it's also unfair to criticize him for the occasions he missed, because he's not the only one to miss great occasions, it happens to everybody (yes, even to Pippo, Luca Toni, Roberto Baggio, Totti...it happens to all the great strikers), the problem is just that Gila gets less occasions than other forwards, so if he miss one occasion, he doesn't usually get other occasions to score in a match, contrary to other forwards...
Gilardino is a great player, I believe in him, I'm sure he's going to score great goals again soon, he just needs more time than other forwars, because other forwards don't sacrify themselves as he does for their team...
FORZA GILA !!!!!!!
) now I realize that he really isn't a Milan class player. I had high hopes for him, but he did not live up to them. Even if he starts scoring again, it is not going to change the fact that he has made Milan pay for having faith in him.
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