Andrea Pirlo

[beautifulgame]

I would give Pirlo more credit for the first goal than Marchisio himself.

That's silly

And yes, he is lazy in defense but his teams account for that but against top teams it becomes liability too

 

[Jenks]

That's silly

And yes, he is lazy in defense but his teams account for that but against top teams it becomes liability too

+1

Looking back at some of the footage, there are times when he just lets people go past him like he's not there. I think the better sides will identify that and cause Italy a lot of problems.

 

[te amo barca]

Don't worry, he was saving himself for the WC

 

[GoobiePls]

He should be as fast as Sterling and defend like De Rossi. Why not give him Messi's dribbling and finishing as well

 

[Ode to Django]

+1

Looking back at some of the footage, there are times when he just lets people go past him like he's not there. I think the better sides will identify that and cause Italy a lot of problems.

That's been the case since forever

nothing new

 

[Hamzah]

It's like people only discovered him after that England game there's a reason there's always two defensive players beside him in midfield.

 

[Galning]

It's like people only discovered him after that England game there's a reason there's always two defensive players beside him in midfield.

So true I can't believe some of the things I'm reading. "He does almost nothing defensively"... as if this is the first football game they've ever watched. There's defensive midfielders and there's attacking midfielders, guess in which category Pirlo fits. He's not supposed to defend, he is there to create, to control the game, to move the ball.

 

[Jenks]

So true I can't believe some of the things I'm reading. "He does almost nothing defensively"... as if this is the first football game they've ever watched. There's defensive midfielders and there's attacking midfielders, guess in which category Pirlo fits. He's not supposed to defend, he is there to create, to control the game, to move the ball.

In modern football you can't afford passengers at the highest level defensively. It wasn't just that he had few defensive responsibilities, he was practically ignoring players right next to him and strolling about. He never used to be like that.

 

[XaviMessiGirl]

That's silly

It was Pirlo who distracted the nearest man (I think it was Sturridge) so Marchisio could have an open shot. I saw that immediately.

It's like people only discovered him after that England game there's a reason there's always two defensive players beside him in midfield.

Yeah, he's supposed to be elegant and badass while at the same time looking like he couldn't give a fuck. Part and parcel to his game, obviously like Xavi age is catching up to him but both of them still have something to give.

 

[footyfan]

It's like people only discovered him after that England game there's a reason there's always two defensive players beside him in midfield.

So true I can't believe some of the things I'm reading. "He does almost nothing defensively"... as if this is the first football game they've ever watched. There's defensive midfielders and there's attacking midfielders, guess in which category Pirlo fits. He's not supposed to defend, he is there to create, to control the game, to move the ball.

Stop being so naïve and making strawman arguments. Not that it’s entirely relevant, but I bet I’ve watched a lot more of Pirlo than you have (I used to follow Milan a lot). Pirlo in mid 2000s (MOTM in World Cup final) was a better version than the one we see today, it always annoys me when people say he gets better with age like fine wine. He is one of the three best midfielders of his generation yet recently he tends to get overrated on the international stage routinely. This is because he’s in a unique position of being free from both defensive duties and being required to make forays forward. How many deep lying midfielders can you name that don’t have defensive responsibilities? It looks like he’s bossing the game while strolling around, but if people were more aware how much teams exploit Pirlo while they’re attacking, they wouldn’t have the same feeling. Of course, Italy have to be commended for ensuring the right setup that gets the best out of Pirlo.

Compared to a regular midfielder, Pirlo has a much smaller set of requirements from his team. It’s a set of requirements that only a handful of midfielders can pull off (that’s what makes him top 3 of his gen) but I’m using the same argument most people here use to call Ronaldo overrated. All he does is score goals right?

It was Pirlo who distracted the nearest man (I think it was Sturridge) so Marchisio could have an open shot. I saw that immediately.

Much more likely that it was a set piece play straight from the training ground than improv on Pirlo's part, the power on the pass suggests it. Even if it were improv, I find it strange that a perfect shot through a crowd of players from outside the box gets less credit.

 

[Galning]

Stop being so naïve and making strawman arguments. Not that it’s entirely relevant, but I bet I’ve watched a lot more of Pirlo than you have (I used to follow Milan a lot). Pirlo in mid 2000s (MOTM in World Cup final) was a better version than the one we see today, it always annoys me when people say he gets better with age like fine wine. He is one of the three best midfielders of his generation yet recently he tends to get overrated on the international stage routinely. This is because he’s in a unique position of being free from both defensive duties and being required to make forays forward. How many deep lying midfielders can you name that don’t have defensive responsibilities? It looks like he’s bossing the game while strolling around, but if people were more aware how much teams exploit Pirlo while they’re attacking, they wouldn’t have the same feeling. Of course, Italy have to be commended for ensuring the right setup that gets the best out of Pirlo.

Compared to a regular midfielder, Pirlo has a much smaller set of requirements from his team. It’s a set of requirements that only a handful of midfielders can pull off (that’s what makes him top 3 of his gen) but I’m using the same argument most people here use to call Ronaldo overrated. All he does is score goals right?

Stop making claims both me and Hamzah never said. Where did we say Pirlo is getting better? You are writing a short novel on something we never said. The point is that if your team is good enough you can easily fit in a player who does almost nothing defensively, if it's so impossible then please explain how Italy won. A fluke?

 

[footyfan]

The hobo gets overrated every time at international tournaments because he has to do fuck all defensively or in the attacking zone. Most of the game, he's standing there scratching his ass and then pops with a nice one-time pass or free kick that gets blown to bits. Right now, people are jizzing over his dummy (which was a straight out of the training ground routine) and not giving credit to the person who actually deserves it - Marchisio - for an unbelievable shot from 25+ yards.

Candreva was Italia's best player while Sterling was the best player on the pitch.

Pirlo is nit supposed to work in defence you fools.

So true I can't believe some of the things I'm reading. "He does almost nothing defensively"... as if this is the first football game they've ever watched. There's defensive midfielders and there's attacking midfielders, guess in which category Pirlo fits. He's not supposed to defend, he is there to create, to control the game, to move the ball.

It's like people only discovered him after that England game there's a reason there's always two defensive players beside him in midfield.

Do you not see where the strawman exists? You were arguing about something I already mentioned in my first post - which is that Pirlo is not required to work in defence. I was arguing that he gets overrated because he only has to do certain things for people to jump on the bandwagon.

Stop making claims both me and Hamzah never said. Where did we say Pirlo is getting better? You are writing a short novel on something we never said. The point is that if your team is good enough you can easily fit in a player who does almost nothing defensively, if it's so impossible then please explain how Italy won. A fluke?

The part about Pirlo getting better with age was not meant for you.

 

[Hamzah]

Well I think each player only has to do one or two things very well. If the manager is good he plays everyone in position and complementing eachother and it all works.

 

[xavi_the_Boss]

Still walks more then Messi though.

 

[beautifulgame]

That's been the case since forever

nothing new

Yup but his relaxation varies depending on the opponent. Like a good player he calculates. He won't be as passive against say Spain or Brazil but still doesn't make as needed from midfielder often