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Calcio Debate: Is There Any Space At Milan For David Beckham?
Goal.com's Subhankar Mondal welcomes the England star back to Italy but says that his arrival doesn't necessarily solve Milan's problems......
| Bet: | Returns: | Udinese £25.50 | Draw £31.50 | Milan £27.50 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Udinese £26.20 | Draw £31.00 | Milan £28.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Udinese £25.00 | Draw £31.00 | Milan £28.75 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Udinese £25.00 | Draw £32.00 | Milan £28.80 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Udinese £24.00 | Draw £31.00 | Milan £27.50 |
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Dec 24, 2009 2:30:00 PM
It isn't exactly unwrapping the surprise giant box left on your
doorstep in early morning or Santa Claus climbing down the chimney to
give little Ben the bike he had asked for, but it is a Christmas gift
nevertheless, a gift that was arranged, wrapped and posted several
weeks back and that is scheduled to arrive in the nick of time.
David Beckham lands in Milan on December 28 and will stay there until the end of the season as per the loan deal with LA Galaxy. Becks was in Milan earlier this year too, playing in a Rossoneri shirt during the second half of the 2008-2009 campaign. He never came on as a substitute in the league and ended with five assists and two goals in 18 Serie A appearances, helping Milan finish in the top four.
But will he have the same impact this time too?
Granted, Beckham isn't in the same bracket as Ronaldinho or Zinedine Zidane, but he is one of the most hard working, genuinely dedicated and fit footballers - one of the most lethal right-footed crossers of he ball. He might do little else - his defending is questionable and so is his ability to play outside his comfort zone - but he was instrumental in winning Manchester United loads of silverware and Real Madrid their first league title in four years.
Things in Italy in general and Milan in particular, though, are slightly different. The current Milan team plays in a system that is most appropriate for the personnel. Coach Leonardo employs a 4-2-1-3 formation with a flat backfour, Andrea Pirlo and Massimo Ambrosini just in front to shield them, Clarence Seedorf playing the role of a linkman between midfield and attack and Ronaldinho, Marco Borriello and Alexandre Pato featuring upfront.
Which leaves little space for Beckham to creep in. A move to central midfield alongside Pirlo or Ambrosini is plausible as Beckham can be a decent player in that position, but he isn't a deep-lying playmaker and lacks Ambrosini's battling qualities and wouldn't provide much defensive cover for the backfour.
Can The Old And The New Play Together?
Becks performs best on the right side of the midfield from where he can carve in crosses or drift inside. So maybe Beckham can replace Pato on the right and the Brazilian can play in the centre as the main targetman? But Borriello has been in a rich vein of form of late and it would be an injustice to him if he is relegated to the bench.
Moreover, Pato, who has actually played from the right rather than on the right for Milan this season, himself has acknowledged that he is better off as a support striker than the main centre-forward.
At the moment Ronaldinho is on fire, not only because he has slightly rediscovered his touch but also because he has been given a specific role and a specific position. Ronnie seems at home on the left of that three-prong attack where he doesn't run or dribble much but employs his natural vision to send through balls and float in exquisite crosses. Beckham complementing him on the right wouldn't be a bad idea but that would twist the formation, which isn't necessarily a wise notion.
Perhaps Beckham can be deployed as an attacking right-back? Shifting Gianluca Zambrotta on the left would leave the right back slot empty (assuming of course that Massimo Oddo isn't on Leonardo's mind!) and Beckham's entry there would imply a more attacking approach from the right. Even then, there are doubts as to whether Beckham would know how to play as a right-back.
You see, signing Beckham is one thing, playing him is quite another.
Subhankar Mondal, Goal.com
David Beckham lands in Milan on December 28 and will stay there until the end of the season as per the loan deal with LA Galaxy. Becks was in Milan earlier this year too, playing in a Rossoneri shirt during the second half of the 2008-2009 campaign. He never came on as a substitute in the league and ended with five assists and two goals in 18 Serie A appearances, helping Milan finish in the top four.
But will he have the same impact this time too?
Granted, Beckham isn't in the same bracket as Ronaldinho or Zinedine Zidane, but he is one of the most hard working, genuinely dedicated and fit footballers - one of the most lethal right-footed crossers of he ball. He might do little else - his defending is questionable and so is his ability to play outside his comfort zone - but he was instrumental in winning Manchester United loads of silverware and Real Madrid their first league title in four years.
Things in Italy in general and Milan in particular, though, are slightly different. The current Milan team plays in a system that is most appropriate for the personnel. Coach Leonardo employs a 4-2-1-3 formation with a flat backfour, Andrea Pirlo and Massimo Ambrosini just in front to shield them, Clarence Seedorf playing the role of a linkman between midfield and attack and Ronaldinho, Marco Borriello and Alexandre Pato featuring upfront.
Which leaves little space for Beckham to creep in. A move to central midfield alongside Pirlo or Ambrosini is plausible as Beckham can be a decent player in that position, but he isn't a deep-lying playmaker and lacks Ambrosini's battling qualities and wouldn't provide much defensive cover for the backfour.
Can The Old And The New Play Together?
Becks performs best on the right side of the midfield from where he can carve in crosses or drift inside. So maybe Beckham can replace Pato on the right and the Brazilian can play in the centre as the main targetman? But Borriello has been in a rich vein of form of late and it would be an injustice to him if he is relegated to the bench.
Moreover, Pato, who has actually played from the right rather than on the right for Milan this season, himself has acknowledged that he is better off as a support striker than the main centre-forward.
At the moment Ronaldinho is on fire, not only because he has slightly rediscovered his touch but also because he has been given a specific role and a specific position. Ronnie seems at home on the left of that three-prong attack where he doesn't run or dribble much but employs his natural vision to send through balls and float in exquisite crosses. Beckham complementing him on the right wouldn't be a bad idea but that would twist the formation, which isn't necessarily a wise notion.
Perhaps Beckham can be deployed as an attacking right-back? Shifting Gianluca Zambrotta on the left would leave the right back slot empty (assuming of course that Massimo Oddo isn't on Leonardo's mind!) and Beckham's entry there would imply a more attacking approach from the right. Even then, there are doubts as to whether Beckham would know how to play as a right-back.
You see, signing Beckham is one thing, playing him is quite another.
Subhankar Mondal, Goal.com
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