Footballtweaks: you gotta let a playa… play!
It’s a “sometimes” common saying amongst dudes. Ye know, let him do his thing…
I’m gonna write about an average athlete that plays for my club.
It’s probably the first time — or second, I dunno, someone at UEFA must have noticed him when he ‘played’ for Atlético Madrid a few years ago… — someone’s writing about him in this language but who cares.
Now let ME play. I’m not a playa like he is ye know?
I’ll be talking about this dude today
Pizzi (I don’t even know his real name) is someone that would warm the bench of 95% of the top European teams — the Cities, the PSGs, the Madrids and the lot — but, because he plays at Benfica, he’s way too good. Or at least he’s revered as someone who can make shit happen in a flash.
There’s a reason for that: Liga NOS. Best player around here? An Algerian international, a former left back from Barcelona, a winger called Gelson, a 65 year old Brazilian and a 60 year old Costa Rican. That’s what you get around here.
Of course, being the Land of Mendes, we will say Rafa is not so bad and Diogo Gonçalves and Ruben Dias are the “Ronaldos and Carvalhos of tomorrow”. You’re stuck in Mendes-Narnia where literally Any player can be awesome. A one-legged striker would surely have a trial at Real Madrid.
So, back to this sad douche.
Can he actually pull something brilliant off?
Tweet answer: yes he can.
Yes he’s good. But he’s no Deco nor Rui Costa. In fact, nobody knew where the heck he played once his career lifted off anonymity. A João Vieira Pinto ‘kinda-wannabe-false-striker’? A devious winger with loads of inside moves to the “corridor of uncertainty” (thanks @BillBailey!).
Nobody knows and few dudes will care. Pizzi’s not a terrible player, period.
He glances before some of his passes.
He likes to have a go at powerbombs from the middle of the park.
He’s fast just enough to scare some lazy defenders but pace is not his thang.
He fancies his set pieces.
He would know how to jump and head one in (I guess).
So… what can this playa really Play?
He has some kind of technique.
He likes to take care of free kicks although 70% of the times the ball turns to lead and he simply cannot flick it up.
He uses his left foot once a Hanukkah.
He’s good enough — Again — for our Championship to stand out as one of the top 10 players. Maybe top 5 when he’s at his peak.
Pizzi is not someone you can trust in a Euro 2016 winning squad that played Eliseu, Vieirinha, Cédric and many other ‘average’ athletes and here’s the catch: nobody wants him to be a stellar performer on the pitch because people know he has a small hat and Only The Lonely rabbit to pull out. He’s good but he’s not… that good!
I have almost 30 years of watching attacking midfielders wearing the Holy Eagle jersey and I have been lucky enough to see players that can easily surpass Pizzi in plain flair, creativity and other FM attributes of your choice: the aforementioned João Vieira Pinto?…
He was there at the Euro 2016 (as a suit) but he was miles ahead of Pizzi in his heyday. “Yeah but Pizzi won shit”, I can hear the choir boys and girls shouting. True dat.
I’m not dissing the athlete.
I’m just saying he’s fit for the club’s purpose. He does his thang!
Rui Costa. Pablo Aimar. Players with half the ‘domestic’ silverware of Pizzi but 10 times the talent and global recognition as proper playas.
Pizzi knows he’s not in the same league.
Yet he still plays some stuff reminding you of these dudes because this would be another catch of this joint: we are slowly weakening our squads and suppressing talent working as DHL for the PSGs, Man Utds and all those big white sharks.
Of course clubs need the green. But they should not Ever lower the bar in terms of competitiveness, team spirit and honor.
So Pizzi is not Aimar but he can pull some Aimar tricks once in a while.
And that’s okay!
Nothing else to declare!
