Welcome to a brand new #WeStreamFM blog series wherein we will be taking notable absolute legends of footballing times gone by and attempting to find their modern day counterparts/replicas through the conduit of Football Manager 2021, looking at their playing style, traits and attributes and matching these to what will hopefully be their future reincarnation on the football field for years to come.
The rules are simple - any modern day replica identified must be of the same nationality as the legend at hand, and must be aged 23 or under in order to qualify and earn the mantle as the next big thing.
First up on the list: the man, myth, the legend that is Andrea Pirlo.
by @MaddFM_
“Don’t talk nonsense, let’s not confuse Nutella with shit” – Gennaro Gattuso when asked if he thought that his tenacious tackling and defensive work did as much for Pirlo as Pirlo had done for him.
If Quarter-Back was a position in football then Andrea Pirlo would be the man calling the plays. In the footballing world, few have graced the turf with the same grace, vision, leadership, influence and ability to dictate the pace and flow of play the way Pirlo did for 20 years during his career in Serie A, most notably at Milan where he became known as Il Metronome due to his ability to control the tempo of a game and of course later at Juventus where he was known as “L'architetto” (the architect) based on his exceptional vision and ability to build up play and create goalscoring chances from nothing.
In the modern game this role is probably best captured by what is known as the Regista, which Football Manager describes as “a more aggressive version of the Deep-Lying Playmaker suitable for possession-oriented systems that press high up the pitch. Given complete freedom to dictate play from deep positions, the Regista offers a dynamic and unpredictable creative outlet from behind the attack who seeks to maintain intense pressure by constantly looking for new chances as his more advanced teammates get into goalscoring positions.”
Pirlo epitomised the Regista role for club and country and though not blessed with outstanding pace, strength or size - he had an unrivalled ability to completely dictate and alter the course of a game, coordinating his side like a conductor leads an orchestra, and few have even come close to replicating his success before or even since his playing career ended. Such is his influence that he is now of course the manager of the club which he so masterfully led to 4 Serie A titles as a player.
But what was it about Andrea Pirlo that made him such an instrumental player at both domestic and international level for so many years? Today we will look at exactly that, using Football Manager to establish what made Pirlo such a unique and inspirational footballer, and in turn identify who we see as being the “next” Andrea Pirlo among the current generation of midfield talent in world football.
Rewind ⏪
The year is 2013. A 33 year old Andrea Pirlo is about to win his third of four Serie A titles with Juventus, adding nicely to a trophy cabinet that already contains one World Cup, two Champions League and two Serie A winners medals from his time at AC Milan.
Prime, Ageless Pirlo
As mentioned previously, it was never about physicals or speed for Pirlo. You would never find his name at the top of the Distance/90mins charts, nor would you see him consistently taking on players or running at defences when on the attack. What he achieved he did with his brain and his skill, and this is clearly evident if we roll back the years to FM13. Passing, Dribbling, First Touch, Technique, Set Pieces, Creativity, Composure, Anticipation, Positioning, Flair - not since Mark Kerr has one seen a midfield maestro so strong in the game and we are arguably yet to see such a quality creative midfielder in the Football Manager series, however our mission today is to do exactly that. We take to FM21 to find a player under the age of 23 that either matches or has the potential to meet and exceed Pirlo’s talent and ability in the same role, and hopefully to whom we will give our official seal of approval as the next Andrea Pirlo in Football Manager.
🔎 Passing
🔎 First Touch
🔎 Technique
🔎 Vision
🔎 Flair
🔎 Italian
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Surprised? Many would argue that Sandro Tonali is a more obvious choice and he definitely deserves to be in the discussion, however Castrovelli edges Tonali in the Flair and Dribbling departments which are essential in that ball-carrier role. The same can be said for Nico Barella who also comes close but again doesn’t have that Pirlo-esque element of Flair and Ball Control when sparking an attacking movement from midfield. Manuel Locatelli was up there but doesn’t have the same Set Piece ability that made Pirlo a unique entity in Serie A, while Lorenzo Pellegrini was another close competitor however positionally is much more suited playing higher up the pitch as an Attacking Midfielder than Pirlo ever did as a Regista.
These are of course minor gaps and pedantics to help us come to a decision point, however we don’t mess around here at WeStreamFM - this is Andrea Pirlo we are talking about, the mantle of being dubbed as his future replacement is not doled out easily and while all of the above names are worthy in terms of undoubted quality and class (that Italian midfield is 🔥), we are putting our eggs in the Gaetano Castrovelli basket as the man to light up Serie A midfields in the not too distant future and rise to the throne as the next L’architetto of Italian football - it surely won’t be long before one of the elite European clubs come knocking on Fiorentina’s door in the race for his signature. Looking at his overall potential and all round footballing ability, a bit of positional training along with a focus on free-kick / penalty taking and we might just have the future Pirlo on our hands. Watch this space 👀.
Thanks for reading, let us know your thoughts below 👇.
MaddFM.
Interested in writing a Guest Author piece for WeStreamFM or have a football icon you would like to try and replicate? Drop us a DM or feel free to reach out to @MaddFM directly.
