I think Crazy4LSU wrote this article

I secretly knew that he was Zonal_Marking all along

I feel strongly that Pirlo is underrated on this board, and by fans of the sport at large. I watched him yesterday against Fiorentina, and he's still brilliant. What is really genius about his style of play is the way he links defense to midfield, and then links midfield to attack. He works the space right in front of the midfield line when he has the ball, and rarely penetrates much deeper than 35 yards from goal, yet can dictate the tempo of play. His moves so that he always has angles to play passes wide or over the top. In comparison, Xavi is a much more static player. He's truly a world-class player.

quote:

---

I feel strongly that Pirlo is underrated on this board, and by fans of the sport at large

---

I agree though much of this may be due more to the age of some of the posters?
It is hard to imagine many soccer fans who were following the sport closely from, say, 2000-2007 before Pirlo started having a series of injuries who wouldn't have considered Pirlo the most valuable/irreplaceable player of the era.

One needs look only at the Italian national side recently with and without Pirlo to see the difference he makes.

quote:

---

people show a lack of understanding of what a DLP actually does

---

Trust me, LFC fans know exactly how much we have missed Xabi Alonso the last couple of years... To me, in 2011, he is the best in the game...

quote:

---

Pirlo probably doesn't get his due because of how boring Serie A is to watch.

---

Possibly, but those Milan teams that Pirlo was apart of in the mid-noughties were awesome. Serie A has suffered in a big way after the scandal in 2006. I also think that the tactical emphasis in Italy leads to a different sort of game. So I don't find Serie A that boring, as I think it suffers from a lack of presentation rather than a lack of substance. If you were to ask me if I'd rather watch Parma or Stoke City, I'd choose Parma.

quote:

---

I don't know if they actually see that part of the game. For me, that battle is the most interesting part of the game.

---

Exactly. But like in all sports the majority of fans want "goal mouth action" in soccer, touchdowns in American football and HRs in baseball. I never expect most fans be that interested in the brilliance in between.

I feel the same way as you. I can watch a soccer match with little goal action and be completely mesmerized by a player like Pirlo's 1 touch turn and long outlet pass or brilliant back heel pass out of danger at his own 18. Most fans just don't pay attention to things like how a manager is forced to keep players from entering the attack just to close down possible passing angles that a Pirlo would find.


To me that's the beauty of the game and why I can enjoy 0-0 tactical matches more than sloppy defending causing 5-3 scorefests just like I can enjoy a defensive SEC field position battle in college football often much more than a BIG 12 56 to 49 shootout.

quote:

---

I can watch a soccer match with little goal action and be completely mesmerized by a player like Pirlo's 1 touch turn and long outlet pass or brilliant back heel pass out of danger at his own 18.

---

I'm pretty obsessed with technique, and those little invisible flourishes that separate one player from another. Every game I watch I can find moments that impress me. I also have a thing for smallish playmakers (Wilshere, Modric, Pirlo, Xavi) because of the impressive technique required to make it at that level.

One thing I am enjoying about the Spanish team's recent success is the death of the notions of physicality. I remember people saying that Spain wouldn't win the WC because they had no size in midfield. I think think notion comes from the British, where the physical attributes are emphasized. After this most recent WC, even the British are changing their tune.

In the last two WC's, the team that's won was the team that had the best DLP. But the game changes so fast that I don't know whether to attribute that to coincidence or a revolution.

quote:

---

To me that's the beauty of the game and why I can enjoy 0-0 tactical matches more than sloppy defending causing 5-3 scorefests just like I can enjoy a defensive SEC field position battle in college football often much more than a BIG 12 56 to 49 shootout.

---

I can enjoy both sorts of games, though I always prefer the tactical matchups.

then why don't you have the courage to break off your engagement and propose to Andre instead?

COWARD

AC Milan is my favorite team in Serie A (was a big kaka and pirlo fan), and I've always been mesmerized by the technical and tactical play of Pirlo. There isn't a weak spot to his game, and he's still going hard at 32

congrats btw. wanted to tell you on fb, but thought you might be creeped out by that.

so crazy4lsu is zonal_marketing?! awesome. thank you for furthering my understanding of technical aspects of soccer