The Curious Case of Marco Borriello

I am not ashamed to say and have no problem owning it, it's called accountability, everyone should try it. I like Marco Borriello. I have his Milan jersey, received his Genoa jersey as a gift, I have sported his haircuts and have supported him through his time at Milan, Genoa, and back to Milan. What happened after; however, is sort of an interesting tale...

His time at Genoa was exactly what you wanted to see from an on loan striker. He set the Serie A alight with 19 goals, but more impressively all of those goals were decisive for Genoa and translated to 27 points to the good. Simply put not only did Marco score, he helped his team earn results, and we know how crucial that is. His return to Milan was met with a bit of turmoil, he was not handed the reins directly, in fact was forced to earn over the most over hyped striker I have ever laid eyes on, Klaas Jan Huntelaar. This little battle spilled off the pitch as neither player seemed fond of the other and while Borriello won the job and scored 15 goals that season to boot, it was nothing to be ashamed off.

Instead of being rewarded for his efforts, he was deemed surplus to requirements and shipped off to Roma where he struggled to fit into a team that has not had any sort of logical direction since Spalletti. His highlight, scoring against Milan, a crucial win for Roma, a tough loss for Milan, and the moment that started to raise my ire. I was not mad at him for scoring, or celebrating for that matter, I mean put yourself in his shoes. You score against the team that deemed you surplus to requirements, wouldn't you want to rub it in a bit? What bugged me were his actions following the goal and the fact that now Milan was in a title race. When Luis Enrique came took charge of BarcaRoma he boldly claimed that a player like Borriello would not fit into his system and should seek a new Club. Nobody ever found out what that system was, sadly, and it begged the question what kind of striker is Marco Borriello?

For those that don't know, he is not pretty, he will never be mistaken for David Villa or Fernando Torres, while those are thoroughbreds in every sense: fast, elegant, and graceful. Marco is more of a pack mule, he is not pretty, he is not elegant, but at the end of the day he works his tail off to assure a victory for his team. Something that was evident at his time at Milan, Genoa, and subsequently Juventus. Juventus fans were not pleased at the capture, why would Conte, self proclaimed tactical visionary, and one who was given heaping credit by some even is these comments. Why would he take a player like Borriello? Because unlike the casual fan who lusts after attacking elegance, Conte understands that sometimes in order to win a football you have to get down and dirty, and Marco Borriello has no issues with that. Simply put, if you like your football pretty, Marco isn't guy, but if you like your football dirty and your ladies pretty, you have come to the right place.

In the next few days it would appear Milan will be close to bringing Marco home. Two seasons ago it was Ibra in, Borri out, it appears we have come full circle. I for one am not as upset as some of the comments have been, I like Bendtnder and I like Borriello and from a tactical standpoint it makes perfect sense for Max to want the same. We don't need a thoroughbred to play alongside Robinho, El Sharaawy, and Cassano, nor do we need an oft injured Duck, we need a pack mule. For the money, the Project, and the path forward this season who better than Marco Borriello? OK, maybe we can get somebody "better," but for the money and rebuilding path this is a smart move and one that will pay dividends for Milan from both a tactical and technical perspective. I find it funny that I can get lambasted for criticizing certain players on this team and getting told that I should "support" all Milan players, I wonder now I should ask the same? Frankly, I don't care! I came clean, I like Marco Borriello, so if he comes I am A-OK, if he doesn't at least I got that off my chest!