bbest

Mario Gomez reminds me of a 30-yr old Senegalese player signed by a local team in my area during the mid-90. Although the league is a third division standard as compared to the Premier league, it's not a total bore as the ball is played more on the ground rather than in the air. What I want to really touch on here is the attributes of a player and his suitability to a league as a whole.

This player is exceptionally tall with a height more than two-meter. He is so tall that Ray Wilkinson, who for some reason, came to this part of the World, saw the player, and remarked he could be a basketball player. But make no mistake on the talent of this player as he shows his detractors he can play the game as well. He was once called up to the Senegal national team too.

Because of his height, naturally, the coach appoints him as a target man. To add more firepower to the front, the team recruits another tall Senegalese player to partner him upfront, and together they are nicknamed "The Twin Towers".

The opponents simply have no defenders to cope with his power, strength, and most importantly, his height. Although he is not pacy, he is not too slow either. He will start the build-up play by holding the ball with his superior body strength and neat footwork. His neat footwork, an attribute usually associates with much smaller nimble players, who have a lower center of gravity that enables them to turn and break away from markers, is his strength.

When the media and skeptics start to question whether he can score with his feet as most of his goals are headers, he answers the critics with beautiful, executed volleys outside the box. His career ended in a sour note when he and his partner were found guilty of assaulting another rival player after a highly tense game. He was banned for a year and he only returned after a five-yr absence. By then, the league had already crumpled due to financial constraints and dearth of fresh talent as many players retired from the game.

Mario Gomez, with his lanky legs, makes big strides as he runs. This also means he is not slow as he covers more ground at a gallop. As he is young, he has probably several good years ahead. My concern is whether he can be molded in another "Mark Viduka", who did exceptionally well in a Leeds' shirt, notably with his strength and good footwork.