If you were to look up the word ‘consistent’ in the dictionary, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find a picture of Javier Zanetti. Since his arrival at Inter, all the way back in 1995, ‘Il Capitano’ has been a revelation, turning in top class performances week after week. As an Inter fan myself, I can honestly say that I could count on one hand the number of times I wouldn’t score him a minimum of 7 out of 10, which is why it was so alarming to see Palermo (Micolli and Hernandez in particular) run rings around the great man on Sunday evening.
In my opinion though, a lot of the blame lies with Gasperini and his insistence on playing his favoured 3-4-3 formation. When the team-sheets arrived, it wasn’t a surprise to see the tactician stick with his usual set-up and see how it worked, but what was a shock was to see Zanetti being asked to play on the left side of a 3 man defence! This meant that one of Inters’ 3 main centre-backs (Rannochia, who you would have thought would be one of the few players accustomed to Gasperinis’ style of play) was left on the bench, and Javier Zanetti, at the age of 38, was expected to slot into a brand new position without any difficulty.
While it is true that one of Zanettis’ main strengths over the years has been his versatility, I feel it was asking too much of the player to suddenly adapt to a role at the heart of the defence. Yes, there have been players in the past who have finished their careers by playing at centre back (Lothar Matthaus at Inter for one), but this is usually seen in a back four or as a sweeper. Gasperinni, however, likes to play a very high defensive line, which leaves a lot of space in behind for the attacking team to try and exploit, and as Palermo showed on Sunday, that is a lot easier to do when, of the three defenders you are trying to get past, two are 33 years old and the novice of the group is fast approaching 40! Although still no slouch, it is inevitable that Zanetti isn’t quite as fast as he used to be, yet far too often he was left exposed and found himself in a straight race with players 10 years younger than him.
I really hope that this will turn out to be a one-off and that Gasperini will learn from his mistake, as I could only see the situation getting worse. It is not just a question of pace, as Zanetti simply does not have the correct attributes to make him a quality option in central defence. If anything, it highlights the areas of the game where he is weakest. For a start, he is not the tallest player, nor is he particularly renowned as being good in the air, possibly the first thing you look for in a centre-back. Strange as it may sound, Zanetti is also far too fair a player for the position. Most top quality central defenders have more than a little bit of a nasty streak to their game, and have a tendency to pick up bookings when necessary, rather than let anybody get past them. This has never been in the make-up of the man, so I cannot see him suddenly becoming the ‘hard man’ of the team, nor should he be asked to, after being such a model pro throughout his career to date.
It was a strange decision by the coach, especially as within the 3-4-3 system, Zanetti would be happy to play on either flank, or as a defensive minded midfielder, leaving whoever else was in the middle of the park to bomb forward. The only reason I can see for Gasperini not playing him on either wing is because he feels that ‘Il Trattore’ no longer has the legs to plough up and down the flanks for the full 90 minutes, and if that is the case, then he will just have to let him battle it out for a place in the middle of the park.
Even with the competition for places in midfield, this shouldn’t be a problem. Regardless of whether or not Gasperini sticks with 3-4-3, or switches to 4-3-3, he will still want to play a high energy, high pressing game, and so to get the best out of his players he will have to introduce a degree of squad rotation. This will not only give the older players time to re-charge their batteries, it will also give the younger players game time and a chance to establish themselves for the future.
At 38 years of age, it is probably the right time for Zaneti to start spending a little more time on the bench. Even the very best get old, and so Inter should follow the examples set by other clubs’ around Europe. At Manchester Utd, Ryan Giggs is still considered an important member of the squad, yet Sir Alex Ferguson realises that he cannot play every game anymore, even if he wants to! Closer to home, it has been the same with Alex Del Piero at Juventus, and indeed with Maldini towards the end of his playing days at Milan.
I would hate to see such a glorious career end in a negative manner, and in trying to suddenly turn ‘Il Capitano’ into a makeshift centre back, Gasperini is risking doing just that. Instead, by keeping Zanetti fresh, and by only playing him in the areas of the pitch he feels comfortable, Inter and the fans of Calcio everywhere should still be able to see the best of the player for the remainder of his career, and if that means a little less playing time, then so be it.
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