If you seen serie A this guy has lost alot of his fire, player
of his kind who relies on physical play, loses his power when age
comes and his physical level drops. He no longer the player he used
to be.
With average technique and tactical sense with his strongest
aspect pf physical play dropping due to age.
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For many years Italy always appeared to lack a certain type of
centre midfielder, a strong and fearless bulldog who would launch
himself into tackles, get stuck in, fire up his team-mates, and
really wear his heart on his sleeve.
There was never a shortage of technical or tactical quality, but if
you ever watch over videos from the 1994 and 1998 World Cups you
will notice just how fragile the Azzurri could be in the
middle-of-the-park. The real strength was located in defence and
up-front, and it was these two areas that allowed them to have
successful tournaments.
This all changed when Gattuso burst onto the scene. When he was
recognised as a regular in 2004, Italy finally had themselves a
player who would offer some real steel in the centre of midfield.
Tactically and technically he was average, but he brought something
to the Italy team, a kind of British spirit, that had been missing
for many years. It is no coincidence that two years later, La
Nazionale would go on to lift the World Cup.
Gattuso was equally crucial to the Milan team who dominated the
Champions League for half-a-decade.
Like Italy, the Rossoneri have not been short of tactical or
technical quality. Andrea Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf, Kaka, Andriy
Shevchenko, Rui Costa – these are just a few of the wonderfully
gifted offensive players that the Diavoli have had at their
disposal.
However without Gattuso, Milan would have been like Italy during
the 94 and 98 World Cups – they would have been fragile and brittle
in the centre of midfield, and it is debatable, despite all this
talent above, whether they would have been half as successful as
they have been.
This season Gattuso has been a shadow of his terrier-like self. At
the age of 30 it appears that his advancing years are starting to
take their toll. Gattuso’s whole game, as I explained in a Calcio
Debate several weeks ago, is based around “aggression, stamina, and
closing down the opposition. In order to do this, Gattuso needs to
be in tip-top physical shape. His pace, acceleration and energy
levels have certainly dropped this year, and as a result he cannot
make the tackles he once was able to.”
The heart and determination of Gattuso is definitely still there,
but the body just will not follow. As ‘Ringhio’ is not the
strongest of players tactically and technically, his game really
suffers once his physical strengths diminish.
It is no coincidence, given Gattuso’s importance to Milan over the
past six years or so, that with the midfielder having a poor
season, the Rossoneri have also had a disappointing season.
There have been strong reports that Milan are looking to begin a
new era at the club by selling Gattuso in the summer.
Given what has just been explained above - is this be a good idea?
Well providing Gattuso can rediscover his physical sharpness, then
certainly he must not be sold.
However it is very debatable, given his age and what the law of
physics tells us about bodily decline, whether he will ever be back
to his old levels.
Gattuso is not Roberto Baggio, who once he had lost his pace, could
use his incredible technique and guile to adapt his game and still
be a top-class player. This is just not possible with Gattuso, as
is the case with many modern footballers, who are only good while
their athletic capacity lasts.
Perhaps the time is right for both sides to go their separate ways.
At the age of 30, Milan could still command a reasonably good fee,
and there is sure to be a long-list of suitors. Indeed Real Madrid
are rumoured to be prepared to table a significant offer.
A new challenge may also do Gattuso some good. After nine years at
Milan, perhaps things have become a little stale, and a new
experience abroad may revitalise him.
As a replacement Milan surely can look no further than Arsenal’s
Matthieu Flamini. Arsene Wenger seems resigned to losing the
midfielder, who has a scarily similar style of play to Gattuso. The
Frenchman is also available on a free transfer, and if he were to
arrive at San Siro, there is no doubt that he would be a class act.
At the age of 23 he has his whole career ahead of him, and would
also provide Milan with some much-needed young blood.
