Alex hasn't received one single good pass tonight in order to do his job. Everything he did today was made by him and only him. The penalty [whether it was a spot on call or not] was thanks to putting pressure on his opponents. Another two or three chances he made when he tried to dribble and he succeeded but wasn't lucky at the end.
Our forwards and specially Del Piero get 0 help. Even less than 0. Ale was even defending tonight, I saw him couple of times next to Chiellini. What do you want more? Play in all positions? Be real people.
He tried everything today and I think he was our best player though I wouldn't really pick an MVP after this humiilation.
I understand where you're coming from; it's incredibly frustrating to watch Alex try to do it all himself; he certainly isn't getting the required support from those around him. This has become a trend, and the result is that Alex is definitely pressing a little bit up front, trying to do too much himself; you can see the frustration in his body language.
I don't agree with a huge amount of the Alex bashing that is going on (there have been some flat out disgraceful comments made about both Alex and Gigi the past 2 weeks), but I think it's fair to say that for whatever reasons, he hasn't been in particularly great form for chunks of the second half of this season (It's all somewhat relative, considering how high he has set the bar, as recently as last season).
We all expect a lot - definitely too much - from Alex; it's not fair to slander him for not being able to put the team on his back every single week; he can't always be counted on to work miracles.
Unfortunately, come next season I think it's time we get used to ADP not being an automatic 1st team selection; more importantly, Alex is going to have to get used to it. We desperately need to increase the competition in our lineup - I really don't want to see our captain run into the ground (out of perceived necessity), like Nedved was this year. We need him fresh, and full of inspiration.
Our defense has got to be a priority this offseason - quality defenders will help ease the defensive responsibilities of some players who should be focused on attacking, while offering them support - but it's also crucial to remember that the man who scored the first goal tonight will be 35 next season, and the man who beautifully set up the second goal is retiring.
It's time to shift into a more attacking formation, get Giovinco into these games, and make a concerted effort to sign Diego. Let's get some other technically gifted players into this lineup, players who can combine, play ball to foot, and open up some space for Alex to work his magic.
The simple fact is that for an extended period of time, our offense has been largely Alex dependent. That's not a very intelligent strategy, especially considering his age. We need to be proactive about this issue, and that's why I think a top class creative mid is so crucial to our summer Mercato - let's give our fantastic strikers the support they deserve.