The importance of Andrea Pirlo to Juventus

Composure at its best

Who can play in Pirlo’s role?

No one. There is no player in the present Juve team that can fit into Pirlo’s shoes. Pirlo cannot be emulated or replaced in his position.

That being said, with the system that Conte employs, Pogba, Marchisio and Vidal cannot co-exist in the same midfield. Vidal is a versatile player and seems to be the best to slot into a defensive midfielder role because of his range in passing.

Vidal is beyond that; he is a complete midfielder whose presence is more vital to Conte’s team when he is looking to win back possession with half a chance to break every now and then.

It is a perfectly balanced, stable system that has beautiful understanding between Pirlo, Vidal and either of Marchisio or Pogba. Vidal’s shooting and finishing apart from his passing form another factor why he is such a dangerous player when he is playing as a workhorse alongside Pirlo.

The same applies to Pogba as well, who is far superior to anyone in the team when it comes to skill. He is very good in running past men with pace and power to either score or lay a pass. Pogba is going to be wasted if he is employed deeper.

Marchisio lacks that distribution of spreading play from one end to another and switching flanks. He is more beneficial when he has the room to strike the ball from long range or penetrate through a tight defence.

Asamoah on the other hand has played on the left flank for over a season; switching him back to the central midfield is a transition that will take time.

Asamoah is the only reliable option on the left flank at the moment; switching him from the left flank to the centre will require either Peluso or De Ceglie to be drafted in.

None of the Juventinos would want any of them to start ahead of Asamoah.

Pogba, Vidal and Marchisio – Which 2 would you play alongside Pirlo ?

The team that wins in Europe gets rid of its dead-weight and adds depth to the squad.

Pirlo is not dead-weight by any means and he is still a player of high quality who needs to be present when the team is adding depth to the squad – not as a squad player but as a starting player.

He is an ambitious player and he will continue to play well, which is vital for the growth of the team. For a team that only last year lost its greatest legend, Pirlo still has a lot to give for at least another two years.