The current season has been an emotional roller coaster for the Italian forward, we have witnessed moments of pure brilliance in some games but this has often been followed by acts of utter lunacy. 

  • By Harry Taylor
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pelle 2Graziano Pellè has been in prolific form since moving to Feyenoord, he managed to score a hugely impressive 27 goals in 29 games last season. This season his form has not stopped, as Pellè has undoubtedly been integral to where Feyenoord are currently positioned in the league, his contribution of 20 goals in just 24 league matches is outstanding. This shows he is an invaluable asset to the club when he is on the field; however his recent behaviour has suggested that he may be more trouble than he is worth.

To start the season off the Feyenoord striker hit the ground running as he netted 6 goals in 5 games, including a spectacular hat trick against NAC Breda. The striker continued this form in the next few games where he managed to bag yet another hat trick, this time ADO Den Haag were victims to Pellè’s excellence. However when his side faced Hercales Almelo, the Italian showed his cynical side as he attempted to head butt Mike te Wierik whilst he team was 1-2 down at home, the striker was rightly shown a straight red card leaving him suspended for the next 2 games.

After returning from his suspension Pellè immediately got rid of any doubt casted over the minds of the Feyenoord faithful, as he netted 2 crucial goals in front of a packed-out De Kuip against PSV in a 3-1 victory. With the Rotterdammers back on his side the Italian continued to maintain his form as he kept scoring vital goals and keeping on the tail of the league’s top goal scorer Alfreð Finnbogason.

However after it seemed that the Heracles incident had just left the back off everyone’s mind Pellè was at it again. This time after his side had conceded a 95th minute equalizer, his frustration got the better off him as he went on a vandalizing spree . The 28-year-old stormed down the tunnel and proceeded to take his anger out on the De Grolsch Veste stadium by kicking everything in sight. Fortunately for Feyenoord the striker wasn’t punished severely as he was given a fine off just €5,000 and a one match ban that didn’t apply to the crunch tie against Ajax the following week.

In the Der Klassieker against Ajax Pellè struck controversy once again as he deliberately swung an elbow at Ajax defender Joel Veltman in Feyenoord’s 2-1 loss to Ajax. This incident was not spotted during the game, however afterwards he gave an extraordinary post-match interview in which he accused the Dutch TV journalist Jan Joost van Gangelen of having the face of an Ajax supporter”. Feyenoord responded to this outrageous etiquette by taking the captaincy away as well as banning him from playing in the clubs next 3 games.

From the events that have taken place over the course of this season it has left Feyenoord with a conundrum that looks to have no clear solution. By cashing in on Pellè in the summer the Rotterdam club with have to fill a massive hole in their line of attack, if they decide to find a replacement it will most likely come from within the club and  Mitchell te Vrede will be the main option, however this may be to big off a step for the 22 year old that has only made 6 appearances over 2 seasons. Alternatively Feyenoord may decide to stick with their target man and work together to try to improve the players’ attitude and conduct on the field through management classes.

So is Graziano Pellè a hero or a villain? If it wasn’t form his impeccable league form Feyenoord would have never of even had a glimpse of overcoming there fellow competitors to win a champions league place. However Pellè should be aware of his responsibility within the side and therefore understand the consequences his actions can have on the team. Whether Pellè is a hero or villain though comes down to the individual’s opinion, let us know yours in the comments below.




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Harry Taylor (30 Posts)