England v Italy: Rino Gattuso Is Loved By All English Fans, But His Last Great Game Was Milan 3-0 Manchester United 2007 - 7M sport

England v Italy: Rino Gattuso Is Loved By All English Fans, But His Last Great Game Was Milan 3-0 Manchester United 2007

Posted Friday, February 12, 2010 by Goal.com

Ahead of next week’s big Champions League clash, Carlo Garganese looks at one of the few Italian players admired by the English nation but warns everyone that the great Gattuso who put on a clinic against Ronaldo in 2007 is long gone.

It would be fair to say that few Serie A-based Italian players have captured the hearts of the English public over the years. Call it a clash of styles, philosophies, or simply down to social, political and cultural factors, there has always been reluctance on the part of Three Lions’ followers to sing the praises of Azzurri stars.

There have been two recent exceptions, though. One, of course, is the universally loved Paolo Maldini – the greatest left back of all time. The other is another Rossonero, Gennaro Gattuso.

Since he first acquired the attention of the British audience during his one successful full season at Glasgow Rangers as a 19/20-year-old in 1997-98, the Calabrian has constantly been associated with a transfer to the Premier League.

Gattuso is the archetypal British bulldog, who champions effort, determination, strength and character over technique and elegance. His personality is incredibly English, a no-nonsense defensive midfield hardman complete with a thick-manly beard.

He also doesn’t share most Italian footballers’ boyish good looks, perhaps another reason why Brits (men anyway) admire him so much. There is nothing more disconcerting than watching a peak Fabio Cannavaro, Alessandro Nesta or Gianluigi Buffon strut onto the field so stylishly with their gelled-up hair, while your missus sits next to you pretending to read. Then, a wild Gattuso marches behind sleeves rolled up, eyes popping out, looking like a club-wielding caveman searching for his next meal. “One of us,” many shout at their television screens.

During long spells of the noughties – certainly between 2003 and 2007 – Gattuso was undoubtedly among the top three defensive midfielders in the world. Aside from his starring role in Italy’s 2006 World Cup triumph, where he even earned the affection of the previously Serie A-suspicious Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill, ‘Ringhio’ was a vital component of the best club team of the decade, Milan.

Between the aforementioned years, Milan reached three Champions League finals (winning two), a semi-final, and a quarter final. But for two freak collapses at the hands of Liverpool in 2005 and Deportivo a year earlier, the Rossoneri would have won at least three, probably four, European crowns.

The success of that great Milan side was built upon a magnificent midfield. Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo were the best central partnership in circulation, ably complemented by the class of Clarence Seedorf and the explosiveness of Kaka. As this Milan aged, they would have one final hurrah in 2006-07, which culminated in their Pippo Inzaghi-inspired final revenge over Liverpool in Athens. That season would also mark the beginning of a sudden decline for Gattuso.

In fact, the last great game Gattuso played was against next week’s opponents Manchester United during the famous semi-final clash. Kaka deservedly took all the headlines after scoring three stunning goals in the tie to ensure a 5-3 aggregate win for Carlo Ancelotti’s men, but Gattuso was arguably just as important.

In the first leg at Old Trafford, Gattuso took charge of the midfield as Kaka overturned an early own goal to give Milan a 2-1 lead. It was only when Gattuso was forced off injured to be replaced by Christian Brocchi that Manchester United started to gain more of a foothold and steal a 3-2 victory on the night thanks to two Wayne Rooney strikes.

In the return leg at San Siro, there was no stopping Gattuso or Milan as they crushed their opponents from start to finish. Goals from Kaka, Seedorf and substitute Alberto Gilardino clinched an emphatic 3-0 win in the pouring rain. Gattuso was so fired up that Ancelotti had to substitute him six minutes from time out of fear that he would be locked away. During the game the then 29-year-old completely silenced Cristiano Ronaldo, closing him down every time and barely giving him a kick. Everyone will remember one angry snarl where Gattuso slid in to take the ball off Ronaldo near the touchline before a line of saliva escaped from the Italian’s mouth before dropping in slow-motion to the floor.

That moment summed up Gattuso perfectly.

But when the 2007-08 season kicked off the 70-cap Italy international, who joined Milan from Salernitana in 1999 and has since made over 400 appearances, suffered an almost overnight-loss of form. Gattuso lost at least half-a-yard in pace, while his energy and stamina dipped dramatically. For a player who bases his game around closing down opponents and dominating physically, this proved to be catastrophic.

A poor season was followed by a disappointing Euro 2008, an injury-ravaged 2008-09 and a disastrous Confederations Cup. This season has pretty much followed suit, and Gattuso is no longer a first choice in midfield. He even considered leaving in January until being convinced to sign a new contract until 2012.

Now 32, Gattuso is quite clearly the player of yesterday. He may be loved throughout England, but any fans expecting to see a great Gattuso take to the field against Manchester United in the Champions League last 16 are very mistaken.



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