Borriello eager to impress
Friday, April 18, 2003
Article summary
Marco Borriello, on loan at Empoli FC, hopes to remind AC Milan of his talent on Saturday.
Article body
Marco Borriello may get the chance to remind AC Milan of his burgeoning talents on Saturday when Empoli FC, the club he is on loan at from the Rossoneri, visit San Siro in Serie A.
Promising start
The 21-year-old striker is one of the most promising players in Italy and has already made his mark at Under-21 level, scoring three goals in five matches for the national side. Two of those came against Azerbaijan in UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying last September and the other the following month in a fixture against Yugoslavia.
Limited opportunities
His opportunities at Empoli, where he is usually on the substitutes' bench, have been limited by coach Silvio Baldini's desire to play Tommaso Rocchi as a lone striker in front of a packed midfield. Borriello has managed one goal in his nine substitute appearances since joining the club from Milan in January.
Classic mould
Borriello is a powerful striker who runs well with the ball and packs a ferocious left-footed shot. He is also strong in the air in the classic centre-forward mould. The youngster joined Milan after a superb 2001/02 season in Serie C1 with Treviso Calcio, where he scored ten goals. Yet he was not an unknown quantity to Carlo Ancelotti's side having been a product of Milan's youth system.
Pecking order
Borriello is aware of the talent in the Milan squad which is preventing him from impressing his employers - Andriy Shevchenko, Filippo Inzaghi and Jon Dahl Tomasson are all higher in the pecking order, while Rivaldo can also be used as a striker - but he is determined to prove his worth.
'Great performances'
"In order to fulfil my dream of playing for Milan I have to play well for Empoli first," he said. "I need great performances this season if I want to return to Milan's squad for the next campaign and I will do my best to achieve my goal. I still have many things to learn but I think that I'm adapting well."
Immediate concern
But there is a more immediate concern preoccupying Borriello. "I want to help Empoli avoid relegation," he said. With the Tuscan club eight points above the bottom three with six games remaining, their place in Serie A next season appears assured. Where Borriello will be, though, remains to be seen.
Additional reporting by Paolo Menicucci
