Finally, Huntelaar scores for Milan and in doing so helps Milan to three points and second on the table

In what was a boring and dull match, one that reminded us of the Milan side that we had earlier in the season, it came as a great relief that our marquee’ signing of the summer, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, finally got the break through that he has needed, opening his account for the club with two late goals. For Huntelaar, breaking his duck for the club could not have come at better moment. For not only will his late brace against Catania give him some much needed confidence and give Leo a reminder that in Huntelaar he has one quality striker, but for Milan it has propelled us to second position in the table and it is for this reason that we should be thankful to the ‘Hunter’.

But it has to be said that we, on the basis of play, we did not derserve to win this match. The Milan that showed up against Catania was more similar to the Milan that failed to beat lowly Livorno earlier in the season and not the Milan we have seen in recent weeks. Typically we held the ball for long periods of time and we easily dominated possession over the 90 mins of play but we created very few real chances. We could not penetrate the Catania defence and there perhaps are two reasons for this. One, is that against lowly sides we have traditionally struggled. Hence, why we have so often failed to win the Scudetto because against these lowly sides that play the most negative and defensive football, anti-football as it is known, we simply have failed to break them down and have often been caught on the counter attack.

Another reason why we failed to break them down could perhaps be due to the absence of Pirlo. Sure I have voiced my opinion that Pirlo’s days at Milan are coming to an end, that he is no longer as important to the side as he once was and I still hold this position. For Pirlo lacks the defensive capabilities to play in one of two defensive roles. In this position, I have argued that we need a player who is both capable defensively and offensively. But like Pirlo, Flamini is not this player but for a different reason. Whilst Pirlo is superb offensively but not defensively, Flamini on the other hand is useless offensively and defensively I do not think that he is all that capable either. He is rash in the tackle, commits cynical fouls and I question his use at all to this Milan side. In my opinion he is not good enough for Milan.

So playing Flamini really does give nothing to the side. He cannot contribute to the team going forward and defensively he is suspect and this is one reason why against Catania we struggled. We lacked a defensive midfielder who could play the ball forward and this was ever so clear as we saw Pato and Ronaldinho dropping deep to get the ball. However, this was also due to the poor performance of Seedorf. The Dutchman has to also take some of the blame for not supplying the ball to our Brazilian attackers.

In conclusion on this point, I will admit that yes we did miss Pirlo. Still, that does not mean he is the ideal player in our new system and on this point I stand firm.

Just before moving on, one other reason why we did struggle to break Catania down was because they, defensively, were sound. They clearly had done their homework on us and with the absence of Pirlo, their defensive work was made easier. So some credit has to be given to the Sicilians whose play largely nullified our attacking play that in recent weeks has been excellent.

In view of our poor performance, KJH’s brace is even more astounding. For it has been a justification of mine for sometime that KJH struggled earlier this season was because of the lack of quality service and the generally poor display of the team around him. For, I admit, KJH is a striker that relies on service (but he is not the only one). Against Catania, Milan were that same poor side against Catania that they were earlier in the season when KJH was playing. Yet, KJH managed to score two goals with barely two chances on goal. For his first strike was nicely set up by Pippo but as for his second absolutely world class strike, and it came from nothing.

The argument that Huntelaar relies on service really was blown out of the water against the Elefanti. Though this does not change the striker he is from here on out, it does show that Huntelaar is a quality striker capable of scoring with all but one or two chances. Not like Borriello who has to have a handful of chances before scoring one if he scores at all. In scoring a brace, at such an important moment in the match too, KJH has made his case for a starting berth and Leo should take heed. For Borriello is simply not good enough and with him up front all season Milan will not win anything.

Borriello is not clinical enough, he falls to the ground all too easily (without winning free kicks so it makes him look silly) and his touch is poor. In addition, Borriello is injury prone and he really has not proven himself. One good goal tally in his career in the only stellar season of his career so far that was with Genoa does not make him worthy to start for Milan. Huntelaar, on the other hand, is a fully fledged international, will be travelling to South Africa next year and most importantly has an impressive goal scoring ratio. Even at Real Madrid, he scored eight goals in just 12 starts. He is a proven striker and is much more capable than Borriello. To keep him on the outer especially following his display against Catania would be absurd. Let us hope that Leo revises the striker role and gives KJH the chance next weekend that he deserves.