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.
