ON A SIDE NOTE: I was going to make an April Fools post today, but then I realized that someone at goal.com might read it and consider it the truth. That would leave me feeling pretty bad so instead...
Let's Talk Strikers...
Pato will be here next year, and for better or for worse so will Pippo. (I imagine Pippo’s role to be limited and more of a teacher than anything else so lets move on shall we.)
Gila: Many of us here feel that Gila’s time at Milan has run its course but I would like to shine some light on the situation, and make a case for Gilardino to stay in the Rossoneri shirt. Gilardino’s stats this season show 20 starts, 9 subs in with 7 goals (all away from home) and 3 assists in the Serie A. He is 9 goals in 8 assists if you include Champions League games as well. Another stat, which may be inaccurate by a game two shows, that when Gila starts Milan typically do not drop points, and when he is subbed in the game is usually a lost cause. With this being said, Gila’s play is actually benefitting Milan in terms of winning games, his holding style helps Pato get into space and his assists have been very welcomed to an offense that hasn’t really blazed the goal scoring trail this season. Keeping Gila may be in our best interest and if Carletto leaves, his staying becomes extremely important.
Trezeguet: Yes you read that right; the newest rumor coming from the boot is that Trez will come to Milan if Gila goes to Juve. Honestly, I would prefer Iaquinta who is also a possibility in this regard. But I am not sure Juventus will want to make this kind of move to a direct rival, I am also not sure if Trez would be OK with that type of move. He has been know to throw hissy fits when being linked with moves out of Turin. Another issue with Juve is the camaraderie and bond that the team shares with the nucleus that went to Serie B together, if I was Secco I would not want to break that outfit up, would you? They smoked Inter on Sunday and that type of play is only a sign of things to come with that squad.
Borriello: For some reason Marco does not get the respect I feel he deserves here at the AC Milan offside. This guy has 17 goals in Serie A and he is doing against all competition, not just the Cagliaris and Empolis of the world. This kid is scoring against Inter and Juve all the same. He also has a nice bite to his playing style that really lacks at Milan, and his season at Genoa has shown me that he can hack it in Serie A. I want him back and if you better think really good and hard as to why, if you feel he does not belong on this squad.
Paloschi: He is certainly talented, but I do not see him in the future of the Rossoneri. A loan may benefit Paloschi a ton because constant first team football will only make him better. I just had a discussion with Marco of the Livorno Offside, and quite frankly I saw raw talent in Paloschi, but he needs a lot of work. His comparison to Pippo is a bit unwarranted, but a bit of Beppe Signori is not all that far off.
Now I want to a talk a bit about the Striker pool that can come to Milan (I mentioned Trez above because he was directly linked to Gila). I will also spare the Drogba lovefest, because we all know how I feel already.
Zlatan: He is a cancer to any clubhouse, and his time at Inter is waning thin. Is the risk worth the reward? I want him, how bout you?
Eto & Henry: Barcelona has a wealth of striker talent and I believe the Rossoneri could do them a favor and take one of their hands. I prefer Eto.
Santa Cruz: He is really bagging goals at Blackburn, 14 to be exact. RomaChris loves him almost as much as I love Drogba, so better us than them. The problem is Galliani supposedly has a gentleman’s agreement with the folks at Roma and transfer targets are supposed to be respected. What happens when their targets are better than ours?
Berbatov: A Carling Cup victory and 13 EPL goals make this guy an impressive target. He is also a bit off the top tier radar but a strong finish will make this guy a very hot commodity.
Villa: He is good yes, but can he make a living in Serie A?
Feel free to add in anyone that you feel I have missed, or warrants a bit of discussion. I chose to leave out guys like Sheva (we have discussed at length) Amauri, and Benzema (long contract in place) so we can focus on some different guys.