I hate and despise you all (and other delights)

October 29th, 2011 | by: gadsby | Comments Off

This reference will probably fly right past you all.

So, that Claudio Marchisio, eh? He’s scored against (through gritted teeth). He’s scored against Milan. He plays like Steven Gerrard or Marco Tardelli, and is the centerpiece in the new ItalJuve. He is blessed with pace, power, and skill, he is an inspirational figure, and he is born on the greatest day of the year. Claudio Marchisio is a player destined to be forever remembered as one of the greatest players in the history of the peninsula but for one flaw, a small tear of the edge of a beautiful work of art, and the flaw is this; Claudio Marchisio might actually be overrated.

Yes, it’s one of those controversial topics like the ethics of the legalization of marijuana, the ethics of a pre-emptive strike, and whether or not everyone on welfare should be rounded up and buried alive in lead coffins with a live cobra. And, like the aforementioned topics, the answer is difficult to know for certain. After all, Claudio Marchisio has been highly in form for Juventus and Italy, and finally seems to be living up to the talent we all thought we knew he had back in 2006, but then how can we know for certain that this isn’t just a flash in the pan? Perhaps those with longer memories will bring their minds back to late 2009, when Claudio Marchisio was one of Serie A’s most in form players, causing the well known Italian football magazine Calcio Italia (in one of their better issues) to put him first on their list of “ten players for 2010″, where he narrowly edged out such other prestigious stars such as Antonio Candreva (remember him?), Rene Khrin, Federico Macheda, and Mattia Mustacchio (What do you mean “Who?”). In the interest of Lady Fairness (one of the oft overlooked female personifications of abstract concepts, and not the most beautiful, but I assure you, she has a lovely personality.), Alexis Sanchez, McDonald Mariga, Davide Astori, Andrea Ranocchia, and Javier Pastore were also on that list, but that’s not the point.

Another one bites the dust. I really do apologize for that, and for all the subtle Herb Alpert references too. Is it my fault that Herb Alpert looks like Jose Mourinho?

While it is tempting to jump head first into the raging waterfall bandwagon of a young, talented player, it is not always the safest jump, and many players fail to live up to early pressure. While Marchisio is getting a bit old to be called young, I am not yet fully convinced of his talent. After all, remember, there was a time when Mirko Vucinic and Mauro Zarate were seen as great talents at a similar age and capable of making the move to a big club, and look where they are now. In contrast, see a player like Lucas (whose debut I believe I saw) at Liverpool. After years of being overlooked and sneered at, he has had a great season and carried on his form into this one.

Let it be made clear that these are not the bitter ramblings of a bitter Interista (though they are somewhat. I will admit I was at a bit of a lack of ideas this week and so just wrote this as the first one I could think of. Also, there was no way back once I wrote that beautiful opening paragraph.), but more the bitter ramblings of a man who, tainted and embittered by the sight of so many talented young players go the way of the artist in Nikolai Gogol’s short  story “the Portrait”, always expects the worst possible scenario. I am not an optimist, let it be known, and perhaps I am just overly pessimistic; after all this is not 2009, and I don’t envision a total Italy/Juventus collapse anytime soon, and if Marchisio proves me wrong I will be quite honestly overjoyed. I have nothing but hope for him, and precious little of that. Buon Notte.

If you actually enjoyed any of that, or would like to do to Gadsby what he has done to Marchisio, follow/block him on twitter @FJGadsby