Earlier in the week, rumors surfaced that Andrea Pirlo would be on his way to Major League Soccer in the upcoming transfer window. With the legendary midfielder all but certain to leave Juventus, we look at what it means for the bianconeri.
When Pirlo joined Juventus from Milan on free transfer, many, including his former coach, dubbed the maestro finished. With all to prove all over again, the 36 year old established himself as the heartbeat of Antonio Conte’s side. In his first competitive game with the Turin-based outfit, Pirlo registered two assists and demonstrated to the rest of Italian football that he can still bring it at the highest level. With the Italian international operating from the base of midfield, Juventus would go undefeated and win the league over Pirlo’s former club, Milan. What Italian fans didn’t know, was that the midfielder was just getting started. In his next three seasons at the club, Pirlo won a further 3 league titles, a Coppa Italia and two Italian Supercups all the while remaining an integral part to the team. Following Juventus’ defeat in the Champions League final, uncertainty loomed over what his future may hold but it now appears clear: Pirlo is on his way to Major League Soccer where he will join Frank Lampard and David Villa at New York City FC. While Pirlo’s departure certainly leaves Juventus with a lot to ponder, it remains to be seen to what extent it may affect the Italian champions.
One aspect to Pirlo’s game that Juventus will undoubtedly miss is his ability to dictate the tempo of games. The Juventus midfielder is among the very best in the world in this respect. Over the last few seasons, the bianconeri have had the luxury to turn to Pirlo in difficult games and allow him to take control when things weren’t going their way. As a result of this, the side became Pirlo-dependent in big games and played to his tune. With that being said, Massimiliano Allegri has reduced this dependence on the 36 year old in his 4-3-1-2 system and has properly prepared the Italian giants for life after Pirlo. Moreover, Antonio Conte saw something that no one else had seen prior to his arrival. In his second season with the club, he began grooming Claudio Marchisio as Pirlo’s heir. The experiment bore fruits as Il Principino looked extremely comfortable as the side’s regista and offered Juventus fans with a glimmer of hope. While he is not yet able to affect games in the same way Pirlo can, and may never be able to, Marchisio has been exceptional when called upon in his position and offers something different. One performance that springs to mind is Juventus’ second leg against Borussia Dortmund. The Juventus youth product made an impressive ten interceptions and registered an additional three clearances. Furthermore, Marchisio completed 86% of his passes in what many consider to be Juventus’ best game of the season.
The old adage goes,”there is no substitute for experience”, and Pirlo possesses this quality in abundance. No one in Juventus’ midfield can boast Pirlo’s repertoire and it may prove to be the difference moving forward. In games where Juventus struggled to impose themselves, the former Milan man rose to the occasion and spared the bianconeri’s blushes. From his stoppage time winner in the derby against Torino to his crucial game winners against Empoli and Atalanta, Pirlo never failed to propel Juventus to victory when the three points didn’t look likely. However, the Juventus management have already ensured that they may not feel the effects of Pirlo’s departure by re-stacking their midfield. Six months ago, Giuseppe Marotta brought Stefano Sturaro back from Genoa and most recently brought in Champions League winner, Sami Khedira, on a free transfer from Real Madrid. In addition to this, yesterday the club announced their decision to redeem Roberto Pereyra for 14 million euros from Udinese. Without Pirlo, Juventus’ midfield consists of Claudio Marchisio, Paul Pogba, Arturo Vidal, Sami Khedira, Roberto Pereyra and Stefano Sturaro. Despite his transfer to Major League Soccer, Massimiliano Allegri’s side still boast one of the most complete group of midfielders in the world and are more than equipped to deal with his loss.
Over the course of his long career, Pirlo has come to be known as a master of the pass. The only player that comes to mind that is similar to the veteran midfielder is Barcelona’s Xavi. In all honesty, there is not one type of pass that the midfield maestro has not conquered. This part of his game, in addition to his vision, may prove to be the most difficult feature to replace. In Juventus’ plethora of midfielders, there is not one player who has Pirlo’s range of passing. That is not a knock on them and is more down to Pirlo’s ability to unlock opposition’s defenses with the swing of a boot. To be fair to the Italian champions, it would be very hard to go out on the transfer market and find a similar player to Pirlo. Not to mention that it would cost them an arm and a leg, as well, if such a player existed. It must also be noted that they haven’t tried to do this and rightly so, as it would border on the impossible.
Even though Juventus have not brought in a clear-cut “Pirlo replacement”, they have went with a different approach. When Billy Beane, the legendary general manager of the Oakland Athletics, was questioned on how he would go about replacing three of his best players when they left for greener pastures, his answer was simple. You should not try to replace them but instead recreate them. In many ways, Juventus have tried to do exactly this with Pirlo. Instead of acquiring a like for like replacement for the player, Juventus signed Khedira and will likely hand the reigns of their team to one of their own, Claudio Marchisio. In Khedira, they bring an element of Pirlo’s experience and tactical nous back to the table. In Roberto Pereyra, they have a player who can win a game with a moment of brilliance much like Pirlo has done during his stint at the club. In Marchisio, on the other hand, Juventus have someone who has been at the club his whole life and most importantly, has studied Pirlo closely for the last four seasons. While Juventus have not exactly replaced Pirlo per-se, they have adopted Billy Beane’s revolutionary technique and recreated him through different players. While it is almost impossible for Juventus not to feel the effects of Pirlo’s move away due to his one-of-a-kind nature, they have certainly done the best they could to ensure it won’t greatly affect their shot at a fifth consecutive title. Due to this, Pirlo’s departure should be seen more as an opportunity for Juventus to prove their pedigree as a club rather than be seen as a cause for sadness among juventini.
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