Is Gilardino the DP Toronto FC should pursue?
Toronto FC appears to want to recruit again from Italy as the rumours this week is the club is targeting Italian striker Alberto Gilardino. After looking into Argentine Maximiliano Moralez earlier this year, Tim Leiweke and Ryan Nelsen have returned to gather reconnaissance on who might be available for the 2014 season. Gilardino has shown his skills through a long career with stops at Parma, AC Milan and Fiorentina. He’s scored 159 goals in 414 appearances in Italy, being a top shelf Serie A player for many seasons.
Last season, after he made a move from Fiorentina to Genoa for 8 million euros, then he was loaned out to Bologna, where he scored 13 goals, helping them avoid relegation. This past summer he returned to Genoa where he is the club’s main weapon in the fight against relegation. The 31-year-old forward also has the 2006 World Cup title under his belt.
Although Gilardino isn’t superb with the ball at his feet, the physical forward – 6'0, 175lbs – is still capable with the ball on the ground. He’s good holding up the ball and is suited to play short passes. It would be right to cite Gilardino for his valiant efforts up front. He has scored everywhere he has played, and with Milan, despite some criticism due to some poor showings, he netted 36 goals in 94 appearances.
With the Rossoneri, Gilardino was a victim of a tactical misunderstanding. In fact, he was often lined up as the lone-forward ahead of a couple of attacking midfielders or as a striker paired with a second forward. It often forced him to play with his back to the goal. While he’s good retaining the ball, Gilardino has shown his class when he was positioned playing as a lone-forward, but facing goal. He needs wingers capable of providing him good delivery from the flanks as to fully exploit his potential. He’s good both in the air or receiving a cross on the ground, and he’s good with both feet, despite having the right foot as the strong one.
He operates well when there is plenty of space around him: Gilardino is one of the best modern forwards in terms of movement. He enjoyed several call ups with Italy since Cesare Prandelli was appointed. Prandelli was his coach during his stint with Parma and knows how to exploit his strengths. Above all, the National Team coach has put a lot of faith on him, helping Gilardino gain the needed self-confidence to give his best. He showed it during the last Confederations Cup, where he started up front as the lone forward in the semi-final against Spain, replacing Mario Balotelli.
Until Prandelli took off him into extra time, Gilardino battled with the central pairing of Sergio Ramos and Gerard Piqué as the centre-forward in a kind of 3-4-2-1 formation featuring Christian Maggio and Emanuele Giaccherini as wing-backs and with Claudio Marchisio and Antonio Candreva as supporting midfielders.
His contract with Genoa expires in July 2016, but if TFC will be able to lure him, they could secure one of the best all-around forwards and a player with the qualities to follow the steps of Marco Di Vaio, even though he’s a different style of player.
How would a player like Gilardino fit into Ryan Nelsen’s plans? TFC should utilize him as centre-forward in a 4-2-3-1 formation. If Nelsen chooses to stick with what we’ve seen this season and employ a two-man attack, the kind of player able to play alongside him would be already available with the likes of Bright Dike and Robert Earnshaw, i.e. a mobile forward able to exploit Gilardino’s movement.
Nelsen could also insert Gilardino with another central striker in the mold of Danny Koevermans but in this case one of them would be sacrificed with the risk of infringing on Gilardino’s needed space. This is one of Gilardino’s weaknesses. Another one is a not so strong mental fortitude, but he’s improved in this aspect. Gilardino has excelled to his highest ability when he’s felt the coach is supporting him. That’s the way Prandelli utilized him and that’s the mode Nelsen will have to manage him should he become a serious target for TFC.
Michele Tossani is a football tactician with a Ph.D. in History. Michele resides in Florence, Italy and is a tactical analyst for Futbol-Tactico.com
|