Let's look at some of the best playmakers in the last few years. Forgive us if we have missed any important players due to time constraints, but we chose to make a comparison between Juan Mata (of Chelsea fame), Andrés Iniesta (one of Barcelona's central midfielders) and Mesut Özil (an attacking midfielder playing for Real Madrid).
First Look:
Juan Mata has proved his worth in the last season with some brilliant plays and equally brilliant goals. His success is largely due to his ball control ability and his knack for knowing exactly how his teammates will react to his plays and what their positions will be. He is most often not the fastest player on the pitch, nor is he the most skillful, but he is definitely one of the most agile and smart players in Chelsea. His cool head is also one of the most important factors that add to his success.
An important thing to note, Mourinho's preferred style of play is 4-2-1-3, while Mata has previously performed in either 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1. Whether this will pose any difficulties for him is all a matter a speculation. Due to his monumental efforts, he has been awarded the Chelsea Player of the Year title twice in a row.
Andrés Iniesta, one of the most ingenious midfielders in Barcelona's vault of treasures (the best way to describe most of their players), can dribble the ball out of almost any tight situation. His ball control, especially on the edges of the pitch, as well as his natural talent of predicting his opposition's tackles make him an intrinsic playmaker.
Successful use of the tiqui-taca technique of short passes with midfield partner Xavi and Leonel Messi has been hailed as one of the most successful plays in this footballing era. Apart from his midfield prowess, he is known to be open to playing in any position on any part time of the pitch. He truly recognises the importance of each role and is willing to stay back and hold the lines instead constantly pushing forward.
Mesut Özil's style of play includes some stunning crosses and the ability to envision creative plays and successfully carry them out just as well. His partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo has procured an enormous number of goals, some exceedingly spectacular, others stunning in their simplicity. In the past, Real Madrid have relied heavily on counter-attack, sometimes at the cost of possession. Under the changed management though, this might change because the new manager Carlo Ancelotti would like to focus on ball retention.
Özil has often been compared to the likes of Luis Figo and Zinedane Zidane, a reflection of his innate talent. His imagination with the ball is said to be the key to his artistic plays. When playing for the German International team, he takes the role of an attacking midfielder, paired with Mario Götze (the duo affectionately nicknamed 'Götzil').
The modern game has been more demanding on the role of Playmaker than ever before. Dynamism and constant change is required to keep the games running and some players have simply not lived up to their full potential. Take Wayne Rooney from Manchester United. He was touted as the cream of the “Golden Generation” in England. But Sir Alex chose not to use his talent as an all out striker and he has stagnated into a kind of holding midfield role. In the same vein we have had players like Daniele due Rossi who have constantly adapted and contributed in any and all ways possible. While Rooney has now become an important albeit replaceable asset to the team, de Rossi, on the contrary is far too valuable to be benched.
As times change, the flow of game must change as well. This will happen only when players in the central defense and midfield will slowly graduate into indigenous playmakers. And make no mistake, that will happen soon.
Second Look:
Videos on a variety of plays by Mata, Özil, and Iniesta follow. Sorry for the length, and keep in mind, these videos do not belong to us. They are copyrights of their respective owners.
Thank you,
TwoFace
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