With Italy needing to eventually look beyond their midfield maestro, their young, exiled starlet now has an opportunity to take an important place in Conte’s team.
Many groan and complain about the lack of world class centre-backs in the world; but there is another position on the football pitch that can be qualified as being categorically endangered.
That, is the role of the deep-lying playmaker. With the likes of Xavi and Andrea Pirlo on the brink of retirement, we might see the extinction of one of the most challenging, yet pleasingly elegant roles in football.
The generation replacing the fading craftsmen are of a slightly different mold. They possess the skills, even if not with the same depth in application. But, these players are more dynamic, physical and direct in their approach to their game.
Pirlo is on the decline, having been a loyal servant to club and country over many a year. His legs are getting heavier and his body slower. The demands of the modern game are strenuous for a man whose style has relied heavily on composure and control.
Several clubs suffer due to the lack of a quality creative midfielder in the centre of the park. Manchester United’s recent resurgence is undeniably influenced by Ander Herrera’s spike in form.
Real Madrid seem at a loss of ideas when Luka Modric is not on the pitch. AC Milan look cumbersome in the absence of a creative midfielder. Without Pirlo in the side, Italy could also experience a similar conundrum.
Don’t fret however, there is a man who has been long advertised as the heir to Pirlo.
His name is Marco Verratti.
From his Pescara days, many an observer had marked Verratti for greatness, tipping him to fill the gigantic hole that Pirlo would inevitably leave behind. Verratti has since been groomed abroad, being a key cog in the glamorous machinery that is Paris Saint-Germain.
Verratti has featured more than any other central midfielder for PSG this season. He will turn 23 in November this year and holds an envious position at one of the best teams in Europe.
Such is his lofty stature, that he recently requested for a chance to play in the sacred position owned by Pirlo in the national side.
That luxury cannot be afforded to Verratti however, and a position at the base of the midfield in the ‘Pirlo role’ would arguably stifle the midfielder’s wider skill-set.
At PSG, Verratti plays as a box-to-box midfielder and is accountable for connecting the midfield with the attack.
His ability to dribble further accentuates his capabilities of being the link between the two units. He is not a static player and excels in terms of his composure on the ball. Moreover, his oft-criticized overconfidence in possession and petulance vis-a-vis referees make him a liability for the team, were he positioned in the ‘Pirlo role’.
So, Verratti is not a like-for-like replacement for Pirlo, but, he is the best alternative to Pirlo at Conte’s disposal.
Verratti is more than able to be the creative engine of the team. There is not another player in the squad, with the possible exception of Mirko Valdifiori, who can play as a ‘vice-Pirlo’. But Valdifiori is 28 years old, making him a short term fix to a long-term problem.
Pirlo’s injury against Borussia Dortmund gives Verratti a glorious chance to move out of the shadows of being understudy, whilst also standing at the cusp of inheriting one of the most revered positions in the Italy national team.
Truthfully, he more than merits an opportunity to showcase his talent in the upcoming matches against Bulgaria and England.
The consequences could be hugely significant for the Italy national team.
The world could well and truly witness a changing of the guard, an eventual passing of the baton from an ageing legend to an emerging phenomenon.
You can read Rajath Kumar’s work on his AC Milan blog “Milan and Me; The Love Affair”
