Who Should Replace Pirlo For The Azzurri?
Andrea Pirlo’s rejuvenation has been a joy to watch, as he has shone for both Juventus and Italy over the past few years. Despite his brilliant ability Pirlo isn’t getting any younger; and he may leave a bigger whole than some Italy fans think. I’ve come to the horrifying realisation that as it stands, Italy don’t have a player who I believe can execute Pirlo’s role effectively. The most admirable part of Pirlo’s game is the fact that he can play in such a defensive position, and be so creative.
Maybe change can be positive? I have three replacements lined up: Marco Verratti, Andrea Poli, and Allessandro Florenzi. They have different strengths and weaknesses, but none of them are that similar to our bearded friend. So who would be the best choice to replace Pirlo?
Andrea Poli: Solid. If I had one word to describe the fantastic Andrea Poli; that would be it. He didn’t impress me greatly on loan at Inter last season; but I think Poli has really come in to his own as a midfielder this year. He’s not necessarily flamboyant, but he is a hard working, efficient midfielder. He is only 23; so it is possible we could see him playing for the Azzurri in the 2014 World Cup, I certainly think he can be good enough.
I’m using Poli’s impressive performance for Sampdoria against Chievo to depict his talents and weaknesses; a match which il Doria won 2-0. In the match, Poli attempted seven tackles, and successfully made seven tackles. It’s all very well having creative midfielders to supply attackers with sumptious passes, but you need the gritty tacklers too, and Poli is clearly a good tackler.
Tackling the problem
Poli also made three important interceptions, showing again his solidity in the middle of the park. For a team like Sampdoria, it is important to have players like Poli. Both Atalanta and Genoa have talented attacking midfielders, but lack players like Poli who get down to business and kill off attacks. That’s why they’re both in relegation battles.
Killing it off
Poli averages four defensive actions per match, again displaying how useful he is for Sampdoria. The fact that he is so good defensively means that Sampdoria can attack with more confidence. For the record, Poli on average is more active defensively than Javi Martinez, Bastien Schweinsteiger, Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal, and just as active defensively as Xabi Alonso. That’s pretty impressive isn’t it? He’s also only made one defensive error this season.
Poli’s defensive actions
If I hadn’t already praised Poli enough for his defensive abilities, he’s made 48 tackles this season, with 71% being successful. That’s exactly the same as the exceedingly impressive Schweinsteiger; who has been fantastic for Bayern Munich this season.
Tackler
Alongside Poli’s strong defensive attributes, his bull retention is admirable too. He’s completed over 500 passes this season and has a passing accuracy of 86% (The same as Pirlo). Keeping the ball is important for a midfielder, and Poli is very good at it. Also 61% of Poli’s passes are forward as well, showing he contributes to both attack and defence.
Forward thinking
Poli is definitely a strong midfielder, but he does have his weaknesses too. I feel that Poli is not that creative, and he is more similar to de Rossi than Pirlo. Do Italy really need another de Rossi yet?
Alessandro Florenzi: Some may see this name and question why I’ve put him down as a candidate; but I believe he can truly shine for Italy. In Roma’s 4-1 dubbing against Juventus; I thought Florenzi played very well along side de Rossi. He was Roma’s one positive, as he defended well but also provided flair and creativity for Roma.
Tackles
Intercept
Florenzi is a good passer of the ball, and one of his passes was key in creating Roma’s goal
Florenzi took on his man twice, and beat him twice
It would be fair to say that Pirlo’s preservation has been helped by the role he plays for both Juventus and Italy. He’ll sit deep, take the ball from the defence, then distribute it inventively. I think Florenzi has a more similar playing style to Arturo Vidal; he’s constantly bombing back and forth. Maybe he could bring a different dimension to the Azzurri midfield which Pirlo can’t provide?
Florenzi has created 32 chances this season, and averages a key pass per game, which is quite impressive. It doesn’t compare to Pirlo’s impressive 74; but is still much better than Verratti’s 15, and Poli’s 17.
The obvious downside to Florenzi’s game is that he isn’t great defensively, but he does average three defensive actions per game; which is again more than Verratti. He still has time to grow, and if he can improve defensively I think Florenzi could be the man to replace Pirlo, Not Verratti.
Marco Verratti: When I asked Twitter who should replace Pirlo in the Italian Nation side, the verdict was that Verratti was the way to go. He’s a fantastic young midfielder with a huge future ahead of him. To be fair he is the most similar to Pirlo out of the three, and it is easy to picture him controlling the Midfield at France 2016 now.
Verratti gave an admirable performance against Troyes for PSG earlier on in the season, and this game really displayed the young Italian’s strengths.
He was solid defensively all game, ran the midfield controlling the tempo of the match. He’s a hard working and intelligent midfielder. During the destruction of Troyes he completed 94% of his passes, on which created a goal. He made a crucial tackle, two clearances, and 5 interceptions. From this it’s obvious that Verratti is a huge defensive asset, but is he really good enough offensively to replace Pirlo?
Crucial tackle
Defensive vision
Clearances
Passer
Verratti is clearly has the potential to be one of the best midfielders in the world. He’s so composed under possession, and he has such great vision. Still, I question how effective he is going forward. Yes, he’s got a 89% pass accuracy, and has completed 78% of his tackles; but he’s only created 15 chances. Compare this Pirlo’s 74.
So those are my three candidates to replace Pirlo. If I had to choose out of those three, I would honestly choose Florenzi. Poli and Verratti are similar in the way they are great defensively but don’t offer all that much going forward. Florenzi is a good passer, great going forward, and is fantastic off the ball. He’s is the player out of those three that stands out to me. If he can just improve his defending; he’s the man for the job. That’s just what I think though!
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I observed Verratti when he came on against Barcelona in the 1st leg. I was impressed by his courage in demanding the ball from his teammates. I believe Ancelotti is the best coach to nurture his talents.