When Berlusconi finally let go of Milan from his tightly clenched,
vote-seeking little fists, I wondered about who would steer Milan into the
future. And after Yonghong Li’s 15 minutes of fame was over, I wondered yet
again about Milan’s leadership. Who would dare venture into this spontaneous scooter-riding,
drama-filled Serie A world full of racist, sexist, megalomaniacs who sleep with
underage women? Who could possibly understand the Italian culture of
matchfixing and gaining any advantage you can, while moaning about any perceived
advantages of your opponents? Someone who could navigate the crazy while still
rebuilding the club for success from the top down? Who would be the right man
for Milan?
Whatever criticisms any of us have about Gennaro Gattuso, no
one can argue with what he has done for Milan. It is almost one year since he
was hired after that whiny Montella was fired… finally. Gattuso has lasted
through a complete change of management, a UEFA ban that was then reversed, and
two transfer markets, even if one was non-existent for Milan. He has brought
back the grinta to Milan, and taught all of our players except Montolivo what
it really means to wear the Milan shirt. Only now, we have an injury plague of
epic proportions, and part or much of the blame is likely on him. As much as
his players love him and he loves them, they have become collateral damage.