Andrea Pirlo scoring a free kick golazo during his 100th cap for Italy. (Photo: Reuters)
Before Andrea Pirlo opened the scoring for Italy and the game with a free kick golazo, Mario Balotelli was very active and aggressive at antagonizing the Mexican defense, which put Italy in the driver’s seat.
Mexico didn’t take Pirlo’s free kick lying down, as Mexico’s second striker and pseudo-enganche, Giovani dos Santos, pounced on Andrea Barzagli’s miscontrol outside of Italy’s penalty box, and Barzagli ultimately clipped Dos Santos’ heel conceding a penalty kick.
With Mexico down one to zero, Chicharito kept his cool on his penalty kick and outfoxed Italian goalkeeper, Gigi Buffon, to tie the game up at one goal.
Balotelli broke the deadlock in the 78th minute by shielding Mexico’s center back, Maza (Francisco Javier Rodriguez), off the ball, and then Balotelli used his quickness to spin around Maza and power the game-winning goal into the back of the net. Balotelli’s goal came off some creativity and quick thinking by Emanuele Giaccherini who deftly volleyed the ball with the outside of his foot over the Mexican defense.
Many Italian fans complained about the inclusion of Giaccherini in the starting line-up in place of Italy’s (presumably) still injured young prodigy, Stephan El Shaarawy, but Giaccherini was lively and dangerous in the attack.
Leonardo Bonucci was a surprising omission from the Italian starting line-up. Will Italian coach, Cesare Prandelli, use a five-man defense in the next game and start Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci, and Giorgio Chiellini as three center backs with Ignazio Abate and Mattia De Sciglio as terzini fluidificanti (wing backs)?
Turning to Mexico’s line-up and tactics, the Mexican media and Mexican fans are in panic mode, but Mexico played Italy close. While Italy displayed superior passing against Mexico, Mexico only lost due to a single play by one of world soccer’s best talents, Mario Balotelli. Overall, Mexico is a skilled squad at every position, except for Mexico’s lack a playmaker to connect the midfield to Chicharito and Giovani Dos Santos.
Italy is a better team than Mexico, but then again, Italy is better than most national teams. Italy is capable of beating Spain, Brazil, or Germany, so Mexico’s inability to stop Balotelli from finally scoring doesn’t make Mexico’s defense weak. Mexico’s next game should answer some questions about which Mexican players deserve to start and what Mexico’s best line-up is.
There’s a strong argument to be made that some of Mexico’s best players such as Diego Reyes (center back) and Jorge Torres Nilo (left back) deserved the start, but beating an Italian side where the likes of Andrea Pirlo, Daniele De Rossi, and Claudio Marchisio were playing behind Mario Balotelli was always going to be a tall order for Mexico.
Italy had too much skill and big game pedigree at every position, and despite Barzagli’s miscontrol and clumsy clip of Dos Santos’ heels, the Italian defense at full strength is difficult for any national team to break down.
Italy’s pair of outside backs Ignazio Abate and Mattia De Sciglio both stamped their imprint on the game against Mexico, and the play of Abate and De Sciglio was part of a performance by Italy where Italy was effective and strong at every position.
Both Balotelli and Pirlo were equally influential in this game, and a passer like Pirlo playing balls to a technical and athletic prodigy like Balotelli was too much for Mexico.
Pirlo made his 100th cap for Italy a memorable one with his goal, but there’s no shame in losing to an Italian team that plays as a unit with elite players at every position. Mexico played Italy very close the entire game, and Giovani Dos Santos and Chicharito showed flashes of excellent attacking play.
No team is totally immune to an Andrea Pirlo free kick or a Mario Balotelli goal.
It will be interesting to see how much better Italy can play with Stephan El Shaarawy partnering with Balotelli, and Balotelli has started things off well by opening up his goal tally in the Confederations Cup in the first game.
After receiving a yellow card for ripping off his shirt after his game-winning goal, Balotelli will have to be careful not to pick up a second yellow in the next game.
With Balotelli leading the attack, Italy can beat any opponent at any time.
Neymar opened the scoring with a half-volleyed golaço. (Photo: Vanderlei Almeida/AFP)
Neymar silenced his critics with a half-volley golaço in the third minute of Brazil’s opening Confederations Cup match against Japan in Brasilia.
On a field that resembled a slip ‘n slide, Brazil’s three goal victory over Japan was exactly the sort of emphatic win that Brazil needed to get their foreign and domestic critics off their backs.
All three Brazilian goals were golaços, which gave the Seleção the satisfaction of knowing that they not only defeated Japan easily, but that the goals were electrifying enough for a not easily impressed Brazilian public.
Brazil’s first goal came courtesy of a Marcelo cross, which was chested down to Neymar by Fred, and Neymar half-volleyed Fred’s chested pass into the upper 90.
It was a goal that showed why Neymar’s technical ability is so revered worldwide. Neymar’s golaço registered high on the difficulty scale, and it will likely lift some of the pressure off his shoulders and allow him to play with more joy in Brazil’s upcoming games.
The second Brazilian goal was scored by Corinthians’ goal-scoring box-to-box midfielder, Paulinho (a player heavily linked with Inter Milan), and the goal off the half-turn showed his ability to score goals from the midfield.
While Neymar’s goal was the most riveting of the three goals, the third goal where Jô megged the Japanese goalkeeper was an example of Oscar’s excellent passing ability, as Oscar threaded an expertly-weighted pass through the Japanese defense. Both Oscar’s pass and Jô’s finish were equally artistic.
Japan is a technically-skilled team, but this game against Brazil offered little in the way of highlights or positive points for Japan. The grass was way too soft, wet, and slippery for both teams, so the field conditions weren’t really the main problem with Japan’s play. Japan is a team that played well-below its ability, and this loss should provide the Japanese coaching staff with plenty of video evidence of areas that need to be improved in the upcoming games.
This was an important statement game for both Neymar and the Seleção, and Brazil’s convincing victory was just what the Brazilian national team needed to build up some new hope and confidence, in addition to gaining the respect of its fans again.
Italy has a superior weapon who can defeat any opponent in the Confederations Cup with just a single play: Mario Balotelli.
In addition to a very balanced and talented collective including the lethal striker tandem of Mario Balotelli and Stephan El Shaarawy, just Balotelli himself is a freak of nature whose superior athleticism is matched by his technical ability, aggressiveness, bravado, and coolness in front of goal.
While Italy’s overall skill level and teamwork make them a Confederations Cup favorite, even against Spain and Brazil, the wild card Italy has is Mario Balotelli.
Quite simply, Balotelli is impossible to defend when he is focused and fired up for a game. The problem with defending a focused Balotelli is that he’s stronger, faster, better, taller, and craftier than anyone who will face him, even Thiago Silva.
If an opponent tries to muscle Balotelli off the ball, Balotelli is stronger. If an opponent tries to mark Balotelli too closely, he will simply beat them with tricks or speed or both. If an opponent gives Balotelli too much space, he’s literally capable of scoring from 45 yards out or deeper, depending on where the goalkeeper is, or he will simply sprint at the defender and easily round him.
Balotelli needs to focus on keeping his focus, so that incorrect calls, fouls by the opposition, a mistake, or a poorly played pass to him have no real lasting significance because the games present 90 minutes where Balotelli can continue to attack, break down defenses, set up his teammates, and draw several defenders away from his teammates over and over again throughout the game.
Super Mario needs to forget about a single moment of frustration because his gifts and skills allow him to continue to create chances for himself and impact the game for the entire 90 minutes, as opposed to letting one let down distract his focus from continuing to play with purpose, magic, and fire.
If StraordiMario Balotelli can quickly forget about instances of frustration, then Italy’s combination of skilled players at every position who play as a team can have a first-striker up top who allows them to beat any opponent at any time with just a single moment of brilliance, power, athleticism, or all three.
Italy comes into the Confederations Cup with Gigi Buffon in goal, Ignazio Abate at right back, Andrea Barzagli and Leonardo Bonucci at center back, Giorgio Chiellini at left back, Andrea Pirlo, Daniele De Rossi, Claudio Marchisio, and Riccardo Montolivo in the midfield, Stephan El Shaarawy at second striker, and Mario Balotelli at first-striker.
The Starting XI for gli Azzurri come from Juventus, AC Milan, and Roma, and the substitutes are very dangerous players as well. In particular, Sebastian Giovinco and Mattia De Sciglio are dangerous substitutes.
While there were some omissions like Angelo Ogbonna and perhaps Antonio Nocerino, la Nazionale is nevertheless a stacked team that plays well together. Additonally, it’s worth noting that Marco Verratti is participating in the Under-21 European Championship, but Italy still has a very talented and proven group of players.
Italy’s Starting XI are talented, experienced, and used to playing together, and this fact alone makes them one of The Confederations Cup favorites.
On top of Italy’s strong collection of players at every position, Balotelli gives them a player with a physique and athleticism never seen before in world soccer whose talent and ability to deliver in big games match his athleticism.
With all of the criticism and media attention, Neymar has always remained calm and unfazed by the criticism and praise. He doesn’t make conceded statements about his abilities nor does he insult his opponents or fellow professionals.
When Neymar makes a mistake or loses an important game, he gets right back up with the same positive attitude from before the mistake or game, and he shows up to the next game with no fear of failure, but rather with the desire to play with joy.
The magic and flair that Neymar brings to the game isn’t just for show, but rather the trickery is very effective at losing defenders, scoring goals, and getting free to play passes to his teammates when they are in good positions.
Neymar’s tricks are not only exceptional because of the speed and ease at which he executes tricks that most professionals cannot successful perform against elite opponents, but Neymar combines two to three of these tricks in a single sequence.
For the purpose of perspective, it’s worth noting that Clint Dempsey, an excellent soccer player even by international standards and the best American soccer player ever, has 35 goals in 96 games for the United States. Neymar has 20 international goals in 33 games for Brazil before tomorrow’s friendly against France. Neymar also has 138 goals in 220 games for Santos.
People like throwing the proverbial rocks at Neymar, but luckily for Neymar, critics like to throw more rocks at Mario Balotelli, who despite his reputation for being a hot head must have an enormous tolerance for criticism and media slander.
Neymar attracts a lot of criticism for jumping out of the way of hackers to avoid injury, but what do these critics want, for Neymar just to allow himself to be injured?
Another piece of criticism that Neymar receives is that he’s unproven in Europe even though the best players in Brazil have almost always succeeded in Brazil.
Pato, Diego, and Robinho received a lot of criticism for their play in Europe, but no one who has followed those players closely or watched them play would call any of those three players flops or failures. Nevertheless, many soccer fans still label them as flops.
Neymar is better than both Lucas and Oscar who made their debuts in European football this season with enormous success, so why then is there this insistence by so many people particularly in the United Kingdom that Neymar isn’t proven?
Since when is being the best player in Brazil not an indicator of future success in Europe?
Neymar’s critics seem to mostly be English Premier League fans or people who feel that Spain’s success in recent years signals a return to European superiority in world soccer.
Even Champions League fans like claiming that Neymar plays against inferior competition in Brazil, never mind the fact that most of the best Champion League teams are stacked with South American players.
Whatever the motivation is for Neymar’s critics, these same critics will be in for a rude awakening when they see Neymar playing for Barcelona, as Neymar brings both a willingness to pass and the gift of making game-changing passes, not to mention tireless running off the ball and a technical skill-set and 1v1 abilities that are second to none.
Neymar’s critics should get ready to see Neymar shine because only Ronaldinho displayed the same audacity and ease to execute outrageously difficult tricks, shots, and passes.
As the net shakes and the defenders fall over, let Neymar’s critics keep talking.
Neymar’s critics accuse Neymar of being all flash, but his flash is effective at producing goals, lots of goals.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and soccer debates are unwinnable, but criticisms of Neymar that go beyond critiquing a certain element of his game or pointing out areas of improvement are invalid.
No one can accuse Neymar of not being ready for physical and elite defenders because many of the best defenders in the world are Brazilians who come out of the Brasileirão, and many of the best defensive midfielders in the world are also Brazilians who developed in Brazilian academies and in Brazilian club soccer.
There are a lot of people, particularly fans of a certain brand of overly physical tackling and long ball soccer who pretend that Neymar is unproven and all hype, but video evidence going back several years disproves these claims.
The evidence shows Neymar excelling against elite competition in Brazil and in major tournaments, and this invalidates the critics who call Neymar a diving showman who hasn’t proven himself.
One piece of so-called evidence that Neymar’s critics point out is his lack of involvement in Santos’ loss to Barcelona in the 2011 Club World Cup, but this was a game where Barcelona played three playmakers at the same time (Andrés Iniesta, Xavi, and Cesc Fàbregas) in a line of three in order to totally control possession of the ball in the midfield.
Blaming Neymar for Santos’ midfield being outplayed by the best midfield in the world hardly proves that his skill-set isn’t already proven.
All this game proved was that Barcelona planned their entire game strategy around preventing Neymar from having any touches on the ball. In a way, this is evidence of how highly Barcelona rated Neymar.
A close examination of the evolution of Neymar’s skills and playing style since around 2009 show a player who has transformed from being a supremely talented dribbler with great two-footed scoring abilities to a player who has become a deft, skilled, and willing passer who covers a lot of territory with off the ball movement.
Neymar now roams the entire field showing his work rate and his willingness to constantly stamp his imprint on the game, and he isn’t the selfish showboat he’s made out to be.
Neymar does occasionally dive in the penalty box or in other areas around the field, but at the same time, Neymar is subjected to constant fouling and reckless tackles, which require Neymar to jump and pull up his knees to avoid injury.
There is diving in soccer, and players do go down in the penalty box with minimal contact to try to win a penalty kick. This is one of the things about soccer that annoys non-soccer fans and soccer fans alike, but, to avoid injury, Neymar frequently needs to jump, pull up his knees, and then roll to break his fall.
While they are cases of Neymar diving or simulating, there is also ample video evidence of Neymar being hacked and fouled.
Neymar probably ignores the fact that many people label him a diver because he knows he has avoided so many injuries by jumping and often launching himself clear of nasty tackles.
In addition to be labeled by some as a diver, many people call Neymar a showman who is all hype and unproven on the European battleground.
Let critics say that.
They also call Mario Balotelli a head case with a bad attitude who hasn’t produced; his club and international record even at Euro 2012 say otherwise.
There seems to be some unknown motivation behind criticism of Neymar, but whatever the reasons are, Neymar would appear to be a nice person who forms strong bounds with his teammates.
Neymar never brags about his abilities or makes disparaging comments about great players to whom he is compared.
Neymar is a joy to watch because all of his trickery and magic is effective in losing defenders, getting free to make a pass, creating scoring chances, and scoring goals.
It’s very unlikely that the best soccer player in Brazil who has played against so many elite opponents from all over the world even as a teenager would flop in European soccer or not be able to adapt.
Neymar has already learned how to play against strong and physical defenders by playing against Dedé, not to mention the other Seleção defenders he faces in practice for international games.
After playing against Dedé and Thiago Silva, no defender in Europe is going to present some unseen level of physicality, strength, and defensive skill.
Critics who go as far as calling Neymar all hype and unproven because he doesn’t play in Europe, as opposed to reasonably criticizing areas of his game to improve, are just gas bags.
*Note: Lionel Messi was not included in this list because the list is intended to be a Best XI of players who are young prodigies who are new to the scene or underrated. Lionel Messi is widely considered the best player in the world, and he belongs on a list of simply the Best XI.
*Note: Leonardo Bonucci seemed to not really be young enough or underrated enough to be part of this list. Bonucci would likely be the starting center back with Thiago Silva on a World’s Best XI list. Salvatore Sirigu is older than some of the other players because he is a goalkeeper, and 25 is fairly young for an elite goalkeeper.
The World’s Best XI: The Young, The Underrated, The Sleepers, and the The Newcomers
The World’s Best XI: The Young and the Newcomers
*Many people may call the formation above narrow, but anyone who thinks that should try breaking down the back six players or stopping the five attackers. This formation uses two center forwards (a.k.a. first-strikers)
Many of the top, so-called “young” goalkeepers are around 25 years old, and this is the case with Salvatore Sirigu. The Italian Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper was part of the project to stock Paris Saint-Germain with elite players to bring PSG back to elite status and prominence, and the fact that Sirigu was sought out says a lot about his ability. Based on Salvatore Sirigu’s play with Paris Saint-Germain, the Azzurri net will be in good hands when Gigi Buffon retires or is unavailable. Tall and athletic with good reflexes, Sirigu fits right into a club team stocked full of world-class players.
Right Back: Raphaël Varane (Real Madrid; France)
Raphaël Varane is a 19 year old starting center back for Real Madrid who can play anywhere in the defense and even as a central midfielder. Varane’s ability and defensive prowess have stood out on more than one occasion while playing against the pass masters of Barcelona, not to mention Lionel Messi. Tall, skilled, fast, and 19, Varane will be the cornerstone of Real Madrid’s and France’s defense for years to come. There’s a new crop of elite defenders on the world stage, and Raphaël Varane is one of the best defenders in the world regardless of age. Varane was an easy and automatic pick for a Best XI list of new, young, or underrated players.
Center Back: Dedé (Vasco da Gama; Brazil)
Dedé is widely regarded as the best Brazilian defender playing in Brazil, and perhaps only Thiago Silva is a better Brazilian defender than Dedé. Dedé is an enormous human being, especially for a soccer player, and his technical ability and dexterity with his feet is not hindered by his height and incredible physical strength. Until Dedé plays outside of Brazil in Europe, he will continue to be underrated, but Dedé is wanted by almost every top club in the world. All the hype about Dedé is true, and the stamp of authenticity is the almost universal belief among the Brazilian people that Dedé is the best defender playing in Brazil. Dedé is an imposing figure and a scary individual. Dedé will be feared for years.
Left Back: Angelo Ogbonna (Torino; Italy)
Angelo Ogbonna, like Dedé and Varane, is the most sought after young defender in the world. Ogbonna is a world-class athlete with natural technical ability who runs and moves with grace. Ogbonna plays as a center back or left back, and whoever buys Ogbonna from Torino will be dropping a lot of cash. Expected to partner with Leonardo Bonucci in the center of the Italian defense, watching Ogbonna in action is quite the sight to see. Ogbonna is easily one of the very best defenders in the world.
Central Midfielder: Paul Pogba (Juventus; France)
The French midfielder playing for Juventus like several of his countrymen on this list is a teenage prodigy who was ready to play at the highest level the first time he was given the chance. Pogba is a central midfielder that gives a team everything: passing, defense, speed, goals, running, vision, strength, and mental toughness. Pogba’s skill-set is not confined to a single midfield position, as Pogba has everything. Pogba has no single position that can be classified as his natural position, except that he is a central midfielder. Pogba’s play at Juventus as a teenager speaks for itself, and his spectacular highlights in addition to overall performances throughout games make Pogba already one of the best midfielders in the world. Read more about Paul Pogba here:
Central Midfielder: Paulinho (Corinthians; Brazil)
Paulinho has garnered worldwide praise for his play at Corinthians, and he is now a fixture on the Brazilian national team where he (along with Ramires) wears the number 8 of the box-to-box midfielder. The Seleção has played Ramires and Paulinho together as two box-to-box midfielders on some occasions as opposed to using a box-to-box midfielder with the more defensive number 5 or cabeça de área who roams the back of the midfield in front of the defensive back four. Given Paulinho’s overall ability and strong defensive skills in addition to his speed and stamina, many clubs have sought out Paulinho’s services, none with more determination than Inter Milan. Paulinho is a complete central midfielder who provides everything: defensive coverage, quality passing, speed, technical ability, 1v1 ability, and goals.
Attacker: Thomas Müller (Bayern Munich; Germany)
Thomas Müller started for Germany and scored five World Cup goals and provided three assists at the age of 20 at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Additionally, Müller is a starter for Bayern Munich where he plays the role of two players as a playmaker and a striker. Still, Thomas Müller has his share of critics, even though his record speaks for itself and his ability is self-evident by anyone who looks at it. There are those who are already pushing for Marco Reus or Tony Kroos to take his starting spot for Germany, but Müller won the World Cup Golden Boot at age 20 in a tournament where many professionals complained that the official ball was difficult to control. Müller has speed, creativity, two-footed skill and finishing ability, exceptional passing, and a nose for goal. 126 appearance for Bayern Munich and 44 goals plus 39 appearances for Germany and 11 goals at 23 years old speak for themselves.
Playmaker: Oscar (Chelsea; Brazil)
Neymar gave Oscar the nickname, “Oscraque,” while Neymar was still playing with the playmaking prodigy, Ganso, and that’s all anyone needs to know about Oscar. Oscar stepped into English Football like it was nothing, despite all the naysayers saying the physicality of the English Premier League would be hard for Oscar to deal with. Oscar was not the first world-class playmaker to grace the English Premier League, but he did put everyone in the English Premier League on notice that there was a young Brazilian prodigy orchestrating the attack for Chelsea with a level of skill and creativity nowhere to be found in the EPL.
Attacker: Neymar (Santos; Brazil)
This writer has never seen a player who attacks defenders like Neymar or who has the same 1v1 dribbling ability, and this includes Pelé, Diego Maradona, Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Neymar will be the best player in the world soon, but the incredible skill of Mario Balotelli (discussed below) should not go overlooked. Neymar’s dribbling ability is already at a level really unseen before, even be Ronaldinho. While Ronaldinho destroyed defenders at pace or from a standstill in his prime, Neymar seems to combine two to three tricks in one sequence, which are effective and not just for show. Much of the focus on Neymar is his speed, quickness, incredible dribbling skill, and his goal-scoring ability with both feet, but Neymar is a magnificent passer who goes all over the field to receive the ball and play excellent passes to his teammates. Words do not do Neymar justice, and Neymar must be seen on video or in person to fully appreciate. Neymar is a sight to behold, and he will eclipse Messi, even when one looks at video of Messi in his prime. With all of the new talent on the world scene, Neymar might not receive four Ballons d’Or as Messi has, but Neymar’s skill looks more complete than Messi’s. Read more about Neymar here:
With the exception of Neymar, Mario Balotelli is possibly the best player of his generation skill-wise, and he lives to silence his critics in big games. Super Mario is almost always more technically-skilled than his teammates or opponents, and his size and athleticism are a new frontier in world soccer. A first striker in the mold of Ronaldo, Balotelli is also a dead ball specialist. Balotelli strikes fear into the hearts of his opponents, and his so-called mental problems and off field problems are normally pure fiction. Now back at the club that he supported as a child, AC Milan, where he is performing well, Balotelli should no longer have to answer his critics after his masterclass against Germany in the semifinal of UEFA Euro 2012. Mario Balotelli is without a doubt the most talented first-striker since Ronaldo and Thierry Henry. Balotelli’s only competition for the title of the best first-striker in the world is his teammate, M’Baye Niang. Perhaps, Niang possesses better 1v1 dribbling skills than Balotelli, but Balotelli’s are off the charts. Read more about Mario Balotelli here:
M’Baye Niang is a 6’4” teenage striker who combines supersonic speed with a magnetic first touch and 1v1 skills and tricks that are only rivaled by Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Mario Balotelli. Many observers cannot discuss M’Baye Niang without discussing Mario Balotelli because of obvious physical similarities, but M’Baye Niang is a prodigy and a phenomenon in his own right. Niang uses both feet interchangeable, and he attacks defenders and plays at one speed: full speed. Keep an eye on M’Baye Niang because in his first Champions League game, which was against Barcelona, he left Carles Puyol for dead and was the catalyst of the second and decisive goal. Niang is an elegant player who provides electrifying and effective play. Like Mario Balotelli, M’Baye Niang is a first-striker in the style of Ronaldo and Thierry Henry. Niang also looks to be a player who excels at dead balls and passing. Unlike his teammate Mario Balotelli, Niang appears to enjoy tracking back on defense to hound the opposition and regain possession.
Lucas Moura is another electrifying young talent whose skill is unquestioned. Lucas electrifies with his speed, skill, dribbling, and overall attacking skill. Lucas should be an almost certain starter for the Seleção in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Andrea Pirlo’s movement off the ball and constant movement all over the field seems to leave space for another midfielder who plays deep in the midfield, Paul Pogba, to have plenty of space to operate without getting in Pirlo’s way or hindering Pirlo’s play.
Therefore, less attention should be focused on what position Pogba is actually playing and more attention should be focused on the qualities that he brings to Juventus.
Italians have a variety of names for all of the positions in soccer, and in the midfield, mediano, mezz’ala, centrale, trequartista, and mezzapunta are some of the position names heard the most.
Paul Pogba is hard to characterize with the exception that he is not a trequartista or mezzapunta which are two names for the same advanced-playmaker role or the proverbial number 10 role. Andrea Pirlo, who now plays as a regista or a deep-lying playmaker who lines up at kick off directly in front of the defense, was originally used as a trequartista or mezzapunta until Milan moved him back to his now favorite regista role.
Pogba is some combination of a mediano, centrale, and (maybe down the road) a regista.
A mediano is a defensive midfielder who essentially plays as a midfield destroyer with the obvious caveat that anyone playing as a midfielder at the elite-level is expected to have advanced technical ability so as to not be a passing liability.
A centrale is a box-to-box midfielder along the lines of Arturo Vidal or Kevin-Prince Boateng, even though Boateng is often forced to play out of position as a pseudo-trequartista. In the past, players like Patrick Vieira and Michael Ballack were classic centrali (plural of centrale) and certainly someone like Ramires also would be classified as a centrale. Calling Paul Pogba a regista at this point is a stretch, but he has certainly shown the passing elegance and accuracy to play the sort of balls that a regista plays with ease.
Forcing Pogba into a box or trying to classify him as one of the three midfield positions mentioned above is not as important as the diverse arsenal of qualities that he brings to a midfield even as good as Juventus’.
Nobody really knows what midfield position Paul Pogba is actually playing for Juventus, and it does not matter because he is the total package and a complete player who provides everything one could ask for in a midfielder.
Pogba is a complete midfielder who provides so many different qualities that letting him play his game as opposed to forcing him into a set midfield role is probably the best policy, especially since Pirlo covers so much territory and knows exactly where to go on the field to compliment his teammates and orchestrate play.
Pogba is special because he provides goals, two-footed play, precision passing, strong and elegant tackling (both standing challenges and slide tackles), rock solid shielding of the ball, guile and trickery on the ball, and tireless running. Pogba scores volleys from distance with both feet. He plays soft chips that meet their target in stride. He plays one-to-two touch soccer, and he recovers the ball almost as soon as he or his teammates have lost possession. Pogba’s play is causing Antonio Conte to consider making more adjustments to his line-ups than Conte even had to consider in the past.
Pogba has created debate in soccer circles about what position he plays, how good he is, and which player he plays like. There have been numerous comparisons to Patrick Vieira due to obvious physical similarities and the fact that Pogba is a French midfielder, but Pogba appears to have a more refined technical skill-set than Vieira in addition to superior athleticism that most noticeably shows up in the form of agility and gait.
Pogba is around 6’4” as a 19 year old, so it is safe to assume that Pogba will just grow taller and stronger while maintaining his lean and muscular frame. By way of a comparison to basketball, there is no reason to assume that Pogba will lose some agility or athleticism as he grows taller because basketball players of a similar age and that level of athleticism do not lose their athleticism and agility when they grow a few inches taller.
For some coaches, fans, and players, versatility in a player is sometimes viewed as a negative attribute as some people believe versatility usually means that a player is merely good in a variety of categories and in a variety of positions as opposed to being great at a certain position or at a certain aspect of soccer.
Pogba appears to excel at almost all of the fundamentals that a player is measured by, and he plays like a midfielder that can be devastating in the defense and in the attack. With a player who provides so many qualities, a coach can, to some extent, free the player up to roam the field wherever he is needed providing defense when defense is needed and attacking ability when attacking is needed. Pogba already knows how to play effectively and where to go on the field, but playing alongside Pirlo with undoubtedly numerous French and non-French legends offering him advice can only make Pogba better.
Excluding the defenders, Juventus had been utilizing Andrea Pirlo as a regista directly in front of the defense with Claudio Marchisio and Arturo Vidal playing in front of Pirlo as something like centrali (box-to-box midfielders) or mezz’ali (outside midfielders who tuck in). With Juventus’ use of three defenders who are essentially center backs playing as right, center, and left defenders with two terzini fluidificanti or old school wingbacks playing in front of them essentially to the right and left of Marchisio and Vidal, Juventus has been playing something resembling a 3-5-2 formation.
This formation did not leave space for Paul Pogba in the starting line-up, but he has nevertheless been incorporated into the starting line-up or used as a substitute. With the rise of Paul Pogba characterized by a string of commanding performances and fabulous goals, Juventus has even more formation options than the club initially planned on using.
Now Juventus and Antonio Conte have the difficult job of deciding which regular starter or starters will be the odd men out in certain games. Perhaps the injury to Giorgio Chiellini and Kwadwo Asamoah’s participation in The African Cup of Nations increase the amount of formation options with Pogba, but Conte and Juventus still have the dilemma of deciding which of the following midfielders should start: Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal, Claudio Marchisio, Paul Pogba, and Sebastian Giovinco (who is both a trequartista and a second striker).
Paul Pogba’s quality and athleticism are forcing Juventus to rethink their formations, and Pogba is one of several prodigies who are popping up on the world football landscape along with M’Baye Niang and Stephen El Shaarawy, who are all playing in Serie A.
The ascension of Pogba is both a surprise and foreseeable occurrence, as France has consistently produced soccer superstars, and France has two new teenage prodigies in Paul Pogba and M’Baye Niang, who should both prove to make France a formidable opponent for many years.
With the advent of Mario Balotelli, Paul Pogba, and M’Baye Niang, European soccer is seeing athletic specimens and freaks of nature who move with dazzling grace and speed. They are too good, too strong, too fast, and too tall to leave single-marked, and they are going to be around for a long time.
Many American soccer fans and American soccer writers have a limited perspective about the realities of soccer at the international level. Whenever Jürgen Klinsmann selects a roster for a friendly or a World Cup qualifier, many people look at players’ statistics in Major League Soccer, as opposed to evaluating the players based on the true criteria of skill and athleticism.
By primarily watching Major League Soccer and the English Premier League, many Americans fans and soccer writers undervalue the importance of more technically skilled players and playmakers that create goals and score goals. In order to accurately judge talent, one must watch or at least keep up with the leagues where most of the best players play, which are primarily the Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1, and O Brasileirão.
American soccer fans are familiar with the soccer commentator Ray Hudson (a former English player and coach), and after England’s disappointing World Cup, Ray Hudson had this to say about England and the English Premier League.
The evidence that American soccer writers evaluate American soccer players through the lens of the English Premier League and Major League Soccer is how players like Juan Agudelo, Freddy Adu, and Benny Feilhaber are constantly criticized for their play in Major League Soccer despite the fact that all three of these players have demonstrated the ability to play creative and effective soccer at the international level.
Furthermore, these same writers undervalued Geoff Cameron for years including the last year where they seemed to not recognize the skill of Geoff Cameron as a center back and as a player in general until Cameron put in several outstanding performances in a row.
There is something to be said for proving yourself at the international level, but there is also something to be said about the writers that did not recognize that the skill and athleticism of Cameron was well beyond anything ever seen by Oguchi Onyewu, Clarence Goodson, or Carlos Bocanegra.
The example of Cameron is just one of many examples of American writers being slow to recognize the talent of players of Cameron’s quality that have a superior skill set to many of the other players that played for the United States before.
The result of this inability to evaluate talent is the undervaluing of more talented soccer players like Freddy Adu and Benny Feilhaber in favor of players that play more along the lines of the overly physical and long ball soccer seen in the English Premier League that is glorified by the English commentators and writers that write about American soccer. Many American soccer writers then parrot the opinions and soccer philosophy of the English (Ray Hudson excluded).
Performance in Major League Soccer (MLS) is not an accurate barometer of international success because many of the best players in MLS play with players well below their skill level, which inhibits the talented players’ ability to perform their best.
The best way to evaluate a soccer player is by watching a player’s touch, how the player controls the ball when passing, shooting, and dribbling, and how the player moves without the ball. Additionally, if a player has consistently played well internationally before, then this obviously demonstrates the ability to play at the international level.
While it is important how well someone happens to be playing at the time of roster selection, the actual skill, athleticism, and potential of the player is more important.
It appears that many American soccer writers have almost no real exposure to the level of club play seen every week in Italy, Germany, Spain, France, Brazil, and other countries, and this lack of exposure existed before the advent of beIN SPORT, which is unavailable to basically any American soccer viewer with cable instead of satellite.
Even worse, it appears that most American soccer writers do not even keep up with highlights or even read news about soccer played anywhere except the English Premier League and MLS.
This lack of exposure indicates that many American soccer writers view non-EPL soccer as irrelevant. Before beIN SPORT was a channel, all of the important Serie A games were on Fox Soccer, the same channel that shows the English Premier League, and yet most of the American soccer writers did not cover non-English Premier League soccer or even reference non-English soccer via social media.
For decades, there has been very strong evidence that the best players in the world and the players that perform the best in major FIFA tournaments and the Champions League play outside of England. This failure to keep up with the soccer played in Italy, Germany, Spain, Brazil, France, and other countries demonstrates that many American soccer writers do not have the perspective of seeing the skill and style of play found outside of the English Premier League.
It is important to note that many great players in the past played in the English Premier League such as Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Vieira, Eric Cantona, among others.
Additionally, there are more technically skilled players playing in the English Premier League this season possibly as a result of various English clubs trying to close the gap between themselves and all of the technically skilled players purchased by Manchester City.
If you want evidence that most of the best soccer is not being played in England, simply look up what leagues all the Champions League winners have come from over the last decade or so, and look up where all of the best and most famous soccer players in the world play.
Specifically, Brazilian soccer players by and large turn down offers to play in England. However, over the last couple of years, Manchester City has been buying more skilled players than are found on other English Premier League teams, and these purchases resulted in Manchester City winning the English Premier League last season.
If American soccer writers are going to evaluate American soccer players and write about which ones should play for the United States national team, then they should compare the touch, control, vision, and overall technical ability of American soccer players compared to the higher level of play found outside of England.
Furthermore, American soccer writers should judge American soccer players on their overall athleticism and skill irrespective of the ability of their teammates that often hold them back from showing how well they can really play.
The result of this lack of exposure or simple lack of interest in the best soccer leagues colors how American soccer writers evaluate American soccer players, and they evaluate American soccer players by parroting the opinions of English commentators that glorify fouling, blindly sending crosses into crowds in the box in the hopes of someone heading the ball, and playing soccer with no willingness to play creative, inventive soccer that unlocks defenses and results in more goals.
It is no mystery that English Premier League players (with some exceptions such as Mario Balotelli) are exposed as too slow or not skilled enough to compete against the very best players in FIFA tournaments or the Champions League.
When Chelsea knocked Barcelona out of the Champions League last season, it was because Ramires beat Barcelona with a magnificent first-time chip that can be attributed to being Brazilian and learning how to play soccer in Brazil, as opposed to playing for a famous English Premier League team like Chelsea.
If you are an American soccer writer or an American soccer fan and you do not think Benny Feilhaber and Freddy Adu have earned the right to put on the United States’ jersey, then you need to prove with evidence that the United States have better playmakers.
If Adu’s playing for Benfica or Feilhaber’s playing well in 39 international games including a Confederations Cup and a World Cup is not a good enough reason for Adu and Feilhaber to start or at least play for the United States, then all the Adu and Feilhaber critics must know some secret American playmaker out there with incredible technical ability.
These writers, with a few exceptions, seem to demonstrate an ignorance of the game, whether it is due to simply being assigned to cover soccer with no initial interest in the sport or no real exposure to top level soccer played outside of England.
They seem to have no problem watching Freddy Adu and Benny Feilhaber not play for the United States while the United States have been producing almost no goals under Jürgen Klinsmann.
Almost no American soccer writer seems willing to point out that both Freddy Adu and Benny Feilhaber are proven international caliber playmakers, and there is no evidence that any American playmaker is better than these two.
Criticism of the play of Feilhaber and Adu is a product of parroting the opinions of English commentators who never seem to understand the role of playmakers or appreciate creative players for what they do: create and score goals. The English value physicality and fouling over skill, athleticism, and creativity.
In the United States, almost no American soccer writer has written about how in a year of coaching the United States, Jürgen Klinsmann has not fielded one true playmaker in an important game with the ability to create goals and create wins, and Klinsmann has four options he can choose from: Benny Feilhaber, Freddy Adu, Joe Corona, and Mix Diskerud.
Essentially not one American soccer writer has pressured Klinsmann in the press to play the types of creative attacking players needed for the United States to take advantage of the increased level of skill of the United States’ player pool.
The obvious reason for this is that American soccer writers have standards that are too low, and they do not adjust their evaluations of players playing in Major League Soccer by the skill of the players’ teammates or the quality of their opponents.
There appears to be no realization by soccer writers in the United States that there is a direct connection between playing a creative midfielder that can control the attack and winning. Michael Bradley is a defensive midfielder and Clint Dempsey is a free-roaming attacking midfielder, and both of these players need to be played with the type of creative midfielder that is valued more outside of England and the United States.
Even Clint Dempsey comes under heavy criticism from the American soccer media at times, specifically for his creative style of play. Former player John Harkes even criticized Dempsey during the beginning of the 2009 Confederations Cup for being lazy and not producing much instead of realizing that Dempsey was being forced to play with two defensive midfielders and no playmaker. Dempsey responded with this statement made to Sports Illustrated below:
“All the f***ing experts in America, everybody who thinks they know everything about soccer, they can all look at that score tonight,” he said. “Let’s see what they say now, all right? Nobody has any respect for what we do, for what goes on in the inside. Let them all talk now.”
These two quotes from the United States’ two established world-class field players demonstrate that American soccer players do pay attention to what the American press says about them, and these two examples show that people like Clint Dempsey even question the knowledge of former professional players and World Cup veterans like John Harkes.
When American soccer writers advocate for players to play for the United States national team, they need to look at how American players soccer players play in comparison to the world’s best soccer players instead of confining their opinions of players based on English soccer commentators (Ray Hudson excluded) that constantly call for more wide play, more crosses “whipped” into the penalty box, and hard tackles that are more hacks than well-timed solid slide-tackles. Paul Gardner touched on the subject of English commentators in his most recent column for Soccer America which can be found below.
Many American soccer writers must expose themselves to more soccer instead of copying what the English say who booed Neymar in the Olympics and called him a diver. Many American soccer writers and some commentators were quick to follow suit and label Neymar overrated and a diver. Look at the Neymar video below, and see if this is a dive.
Although Grandmaster Ronaldinho is currently playing very well for Atlético Mineiro in the Brasileirão where he has them in first place, Neymar is now very much the face of Brazilian soccer. While Neymar garners the majority of the headlines, players likes Ronaldinho, Diego, Robinho, or Kaká should not be considered irrelevant or ineffective players for the Brazilian national team.
Neymar has excellent passing skills, but he is not a meia-armador or central attacking midfielder or playmaker like Ronaldinho, Ganso, Oscar, or Diego are. Although some of Brazil’s more established players are in their thirties (such as Maicon, Ronaldinho, and Lúcio), Brazil has several excellent players in their mid to late twenties such as Thiago Silva, Robinho, and Diego.
Neymar has already arrived on the world stage as an elite international and club soccer player, and he is very much worthy of comparisons to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Both Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo (called this out of respect for Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima) are widely considered by all of their peers and coaches around the world as the two most skilled players in world soccer. Neymar is different than both of these players in that Neymar has no observable flaws in his game, even at 20 years old.
Unlike Messi, Neymar is a more versatile passer who does not limit his passing to short passes inside the penalty box when he can no longer dribble through traffic. Messi does play quality long passes through and over the opposing teams’ defenses, but Neymar seems to do this more often. Neymar will track back almost to his own defense at times to get the ball, and he looks to play through balls, quick first-time passes, cross-field passes, and soft chips over opposing players and over the top of the opponent’s defense. Messi has never demonstrated this same degree of passing range or skill because Messi mostly plays by dribbling through defenses after his teammates at Barcelona have played keep away from their opponents.
