Bold Tone wrote:
Really. Always thought Juve stumbled upon a system based round Pirlo and Roma are deliberately set up with two speedy forwards either side of Totti.
This season, sure. Totti played on the left flank last year though and was arguably the best player in Serie A. The year before that he played behind the striker in something resembling an attacking midfielder role. In 2008 he spent a lot of time on the right flank. In 06-07 he played up front and won the Golden Shoe. You won't find another player in the world who has adopted so often to fit the needs of his team.
Pirlo is basically positioned as a sweeper nowadays, but he's a playmaker at the same time. He sits in front of the defence and dictates the shape of the team. When Allegri took over Milan he favoured big, physical players over the more cultured and tactical ones. Pirlo had a miserable last season among the flat track bullies and left on a free after Allegri didn't see any point in extending his contract. Most people thought his career was done until Conte found a new way to use him at Juve. It's true to some extent that the team is built around Pirlo, but he had to adapt to a wholly new position. Apart from the delicate passing range there is little resemblance between him now and the player he was for Milan.
