Good times

In the post I wrote in the lead up to this match, I touched upon the notion that if the last six months have taught us anything, it is that our team is a team made of champions.

Sure we may not have a squad with any great depth and quality for that matter. We also have many players on the wrong side of thirty. Yet, this season we have played some of the finest attacking football seen on the continent and against Genoa, we once again showed this.

Not only are we playing a free flowing attack-minded game, but it is also proving to be highly effective. Remember, Genoa are no push overs and to bag five goals against them is a strong statement.

There were many positives to draw from this match and many strong individual performances along with some not so good ones. For me, Ambrosini was outstanding. He played like a true captain, was our box to box player always there in defense but ever so willing to aid the attack. He was our man of the match tonight. For a player who has never been a prominent figure over the years, this year he has put in some outstanding performances and against Genoa last night, it was one of his best.

Another player for me who stood out was Antonini. His performances this season just keep on getting better and better and he has formed a wonderful relationship with Ronaldinho on that left wing. Antonini was tidy in defence and a menace going forward, his two assists testament to this.

Borriello’s performance is also worth some praise. I am not his biggest fan, in fact, I am probably his biggest critic, but two goals is a good night out for a striker. I still do not believe that he has the quality to take us to the next level, but for now he is doing his job. Whilst his second strike had a hint of an offside about it, his scissor volley was world class. A superb goal.

In midfield, it was good to see Gattuso back in the fold, but only for sentimental reasons. Rino is clearly a shadow of the player he used to be. He used to absolutely dominate midfield. Now, he is merely a peripheral figure. I think Rino’s career is fast coming to an end, unfortunately.

Despite Rino’s sub par performances, for his past standards at least, it was the balance in the midfield that really gave us the advantage in the middle of the park. It was the perfect balance in that we had one purely attack minded player in Pirlo, one purely defensive minded player in Rino, and one player who did both in Ambrosini. Such a midfield enabled us to dominate the midfield. After such a performance, it begs the question, Is there room for Seedorf to come back now?

Beckham’s first game was not outstanding but solid. His versatility, professionalism and quality was evident against Genoa and he will surely be a great asset for the remainder of the season.

Along with Rino, a couple of performances that were not so great were that of Nesta and Abate. Yes, Nesta. For all his class and quality, he was almost robbed on a couple of occasions and on one occasion was robbed by Suazo who went on to score. I know this may seem harsh, but compared to his usually exceptionally high standards, his performance against Genoa was somewhat lower.

Abate is the other player who was found wanting at times. Though his pace and youth is much needed in the side, his defending needs to improve big time. Through more experience he will learn his new role better, but as it stands, come Manchester United in February, I think having Zambrotta at right back is the better option.

One performance I cannot decide on was Ronaldinho’s. He missed a penalty, then converted one and played a pivotal role in creating our second goal. Despite his positive contributions, he was too lazy at times. Still, he is such an important part of this team. He may not track back, he may not get around players anymore, but what he can do is create something out of nothing with his sublime range of passing. With Beckham now arrived, Leo may do well to rest Ronaldinho in matches like against Novara, and deploy Pato on the left with Beckham on the right. For fitness is something Ronaldinho has little of these days and I am sure this has something to do with his lack of willingness to track back.

Overall, it was a splendid way to start 2010. We are back to winning ways and back to playing some fantastic football. Lets hope it continues on the weekend when we play that all important match against Juve.