Forza Pirlo indeed. You bring up great points ... points that I have been thinking of and thought of when I wrote that post. I generally agree on the phases of football you talk about; systems being popular for the moment just because successful teams use them. Mourinho, for example, plays it defensive ... well, maybe thats too harsh a term, but his teams are very organized and work very hard at giving little space. The world cup saw quite a few teams approach games with this kind of attitude ... teams that were criticized for stepping away from their traditional style of play. Even Spain, for all their flamboyant play, fielded Alonso and Basket.
IMO, the only way this trend will stop is if an attack-minded team - and by saying that I mean a team whose primary aim is to score rather than not concede - is very successful against these organized outfits. In all honesty, I don't see this happening.
Mainly because, football has become so precise that every inch of space (Every Given Sunday
) has to be fought for; offensively speaking, be it every touch when on the ball, through the needle passes, intelligent runs and positioning, etc.
These aspects have always existed, but nowadays, not only are these specialized players hard to find - is there any striker that moves like Pippo? - tactics and organization are the rule of the day more so than footballing skill.
Its not only central midfielders who are becoming more complete ... you have wingers who are tactically aware of the game, sensing when the defense or midfield requires their help. Forwards dropping back to serve as an outlet for teams under pressure. Almost every player making overlapping runs, with others covering for them when they do so. Its all in the detail of how the team functions as a unit.
When you have players tactically aware of the job requirements, then it becomes more beneficial to have more complete players who are comfortable with or without the ball in many positions on the field. Wingers capable of defending flanks ... wingbacks capable of cutting in, crossing, etc. And in terms of CMs, capable of scoring, passing, defending, etc ... pretty much everything as I've always felt the most important part of a team is its central midfield.
I think football, more so now than ever, is a team sport. Of course, individual players of great quality are important, but it all depends on how they work in tandem with the rest of the team as a unit. I believe a team with good players all round working together will be a lot more effective than one with 2-3 star players.
Coming back to Pirlo, you'd have to wonder whether it will be worth it for Milan to reassemble a side to his strengths. Especially if, as we have all seen, opponents strive to give him little space with every coming season. They know his strengths, and always look to stop him. Case in hand, Sir Alex didn't bother giving Dinho - a player much further up the pitch - exclusive attention as compared to Pirlo. Last season it was Park ... in 07 it was Scholes.
With this in mind, perhaps Milan should go back to the fundamentals of the game. Its no secret we're overspending on wages ... maybe a more simple + effective layout is just what we need; Namely, a holding midfielder, good defensively, to play the holding role; a winger, who attacks the wings with pace + covers for his wingback to play on the wings. Both Pirlo and Dinho are players of immense quality ... both of them can create something out of nothing. Yet, on the flipside, these specialized roles do have their drawbacks which bigger, more organized teams, have exposed.
We are in a transition phase ... with a lot of changes soon going to happen - be it now or in the near future. I believe Pirlo showed us, last season, that he is still capable. His work rate was decent by the standards of several midfielders in Serie A. But against the heavy weight midfields, he is pushed back so deep + given little time and is always under pressure.
I think we have to weigh our options and bring at least some competition for him. Some upcoming youngster who brings different aspects to the game than Pirlo. A more conventional CM with decent technical ability, yet with energy, pace and more defensive abilities. The same would apply to Dinho and the other veterans, as the Milan I'd like to see in the future is one of balance, organization as well as being sound technically in every position on the pitch.
