Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Has Expressive Boateng Lose His Swagger?



Failing to hit the back of the net in all Milan games so far despite being the player that had most effort on goal, eventually triggered negative reception from Milanisti, which was visible during Il Diavolo Rosso's Champions League tie against Anderlecht last Tuesday. Boateng who has been one of the fans favorite this last couple of seasons, received pretty heavy jeers by some part of the crowd as he walked off the pitch to be substituted by young Stephan El Shaarawy.

The ex-Portsmouth man failed to hide his disappointment afterwards when the camera spotted him looking upset and throwing his water bottle in the sideline. Although Boateng is visibly known for having some sort of attitude but during his time at Milan the midfielder rarely shown that sort of outburst. Pretty much an indication of the high tension that he and his teammates is currently having due to their poor start this season.

One major discussion suddenly occurred regarding Boateng's performance in this early days, as some fans starts to believe that his previous promising spell happened solely because of Ibrahimovic's influence. The Swede's creative ability in providing key passes inside the area along with his strong presence that attract many defenders did aid the Ghanaian's movement, allowing him plenty exploitable space in the final third.

Now, without Ibrahimovic's presence, 'Prince' seems rather lost at times, losing the ball rather easily, rushing most of his shots and even failing to maximize several counter attacking moves, which was one of his main assets. One can argue that his current hand injury is disturbing his performance, but although that argument has a solid base, it's also clear that in recent matches, the midfielder looked to be trying rather too hard in taking all responsibilities from his teammates.

Even though that 'Let me Lead the way" act from Boateng does merit some praises, but he should probably take things rather slowly instead of going full throttle right from the start. Considering Milan's current situation, it would be much wiser for the players to share responsibilities and start trusting one another, rather than trying to solve things on their own. The Rossoneri still possessed several potential qualities on the pitch, albeit most of their technical leaders are still missing due to injuries, but is not like they suddenly turned into a crappy side just in a couple of months.

As one of the Rossoneri's important players under Allegri's reign, it's completely right if Boateng feels the need to take more responsibilities. However, in a team sport, being responsible doesn't necessarily mean that one should be solving things on their own. Sometimes, sacrificing an ego for the sake of your club can also be counted as an act of leadership.

Not only the Ghanaian, but all current Milan players should try to work harder and sacrifice themselves for the greater good. Should they start working together, sharing all the responsibilities, taking away all of the doubt inside their head, results will eventually arrives as the Diavolo Rosso actually possessed tons of potential in their ranks, including Boateng himself.

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