Is Marco Verratti's star fading?

JPRouve

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Yes, he started his career in 2008 as an offensive midfielder at the age of 16 for Pescara until Zeman arrived in 2011 with Insigne and decided to deploy Marco as a regista.
From what I remember before Zeman he was almost exclusively a CM. You are making me doubt though.
 

Invictus

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From memory he didn't play higher, it was a CM or regista(pirlo's role). On the rare occasion where he played higher for PSG, he was uncomfortable.
IIRC, Verratti was fairly versatile but played mainly as a trequarista or forward in the youth teams (remember that because he was linked with Milan in the late 2000s) as well as when he initially featured for Pescara's First Team (earned some comparisons with Giovinco and was even dubbed Messi dell'Adriatico :lol:), but then evolved for Zdeněk Zeman's 4-3-3 (which had no room for that type of player). Totti shifted to the left (while still having a degree of freedom to occupy central-ish playmaking spaces) under him at Roma in 1997/98, and Verratti receded deeper behind behind Insigne in attack and Emmanuel Cascione in midfield (on top of becoming more defensively capable) in 2011/12 in a role that he now relishes. Not too different to how Pirlo adapted to the regista role at Brescia under Mazzone to accommodate Baggio.
 

JPRouve

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IIRC, Verratti was fairly versatile but played mainly as a trequarista or forward in the youth teams (remember that because he was linked with Milan in the late 2000s) as well as when he initially featured for Pescara's First Team (earned some comparisons with Giovinco and was even dubbed Messi dell'Adriatico :lol:), but then evolved for Zdeněk Zeman's 4-3-3 (which had no room for that type of player). Totti shifted to the left (while still having a degree of freedom to occupy central-ish playmaking spaces) under him at Roma in 1997/98, and Verratti receded deeper behind behind Insigne in attack and Emmanuel Cascione in midfield (on top of becoming more defensively capable) in 2011/12 in a role that he now relishes. Not too different to how Pirlo adapted to the regista role at Brescia under Mazzone to accommodate Baggio.
Thanks. I caught him in the middle of his transformation then.
 

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He was grand, and the one I really wanted to miss last nights game. I was hoping he was half fit. Im surprised somebody didnt go into him to test him (as harsh as that sounds).
 

In Rainbows

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Also Frenkie De Jong was originally a #10 before moving to Ajax.
Jan Boogers, a youth team coach at Willem II, appears to agree: “Frenkie always played at number 10 in my team. Always the playmaker/false striker. I sometimes played with two of them. That is a hard thing to do, because they need to be very smart in their movement and positioning. But he can pull that off. We played at tournaments against Ajax and heaps of German youth teams. We’d totally hammer them. Frenkie looked the smallest of them all but he dazzled and bamboozled them constantly.”
https://thesefootballtimes.co/2018/...d-a-question-of-versatility-in-young-players/

Wasn't Modric the same? Butt woke me up to the idea of Gomes being a similar player and I'm going to be persistent with that idea after seeing him dominate with the u19s. I want to see Gomes given a chance in that role. It would be a mistake to have him playing further up the field when it's much harder to find/buy someone who can be the metronome passer of the team.
“Angel has got the ability to play pretty much anywhere. He's a footballer so everyone automatically thinks he's an attacker but we like him in the pivot role to set up play and get the ball moving. He keeps possession and, in European football, keeping the ball is massive. If you don't keep possession in the middle of the park, it's going to be a struggle.
https://www.manutd.com/en/news/detail/nicky-butt-has-high-expectations-for-man-utd-under-19s
 

JPRouve

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Also Frenkie De Jong was originally a #10 before moving to Ajax.

https://thesefootballtimes.co/2018/...d-a-question-of-versatility-in-young-players/

Wasn't Modric the same? Butt woke me up to the idea of Gomes being a similar player and I'm going to be persistent with that idea after seeing him dominate with the u19s. I want to see Gomes given a chance in that role. It would be a mistake to have him playing further up the field when it's much harder to find/buy someone who can be the metronome passer of the team.

https://www.manutd.com/en/news/detail/nicky-butt-has-high-expectations-for-man-utd-under-19s
Didn't Modric follow the exact path that Eriksen is following? IIRC he played wide and centrally as an attacking midfielder and then moved back. For me the most surprising player is Laurent Blanc, he started as a striker and scored a fair amount of goals but ended up as a sweeper.
 

izec

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Also Frenkie De Jong was originally a #10 before moving to Ajax.

https://thesefootballtimes.co/2018/...d-a-question-of-versatility-in-young-players/

Wasn't Modric the same? Butt woke me up to the idea of Gomes being a similar player and I'm going to be persistent with that idea after seeing him dominate with the u19s. I want to see Gomes given a chance in that role. It would be a mistake to have him playing further up the field when it's much harder to find/buy someone who can be the metronome passer of the team.

https://www.manutd.com/en/news/detail/nicky-butt-has-high-expectations-for-man-utd-under-19s
Fingers crossed. We will struggle to find one IMO. We also dont seem to push hard for such players when they are on the market, letting top clubs take them away. Butt is also right, we have seen yesterday how such a player impacts a top game in the CL.
 

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It's definitely a strange comparison particularly when Verratti didn't develop into it, he has been that type of player since his Pescara days as a teenager.
By Keita developing into that, I meant Keita developing that level of effectiveness in that role. They're already quite similar players I think.

As Raees said, Keita isnt a playmaker in the mould of Verratti, but someone with some nice impact passing. They may have other similar attributes, but the biggest one is that Verratti is a playmaker and tempo setter, the heartbeat. Similar to Scholes for us in his later career. Verratti is more complete and can play various roles due to the attributes you mentioned, while Keita is a box to box player, like Fred for us. He will never develop into a Verratti player though, you have it or you dont, and Keita hasnt got that ability. Most midfielders dont have. Keita is a box to box midfielder, but less in the agressive and get stuck in type, more of a dribbling and ball carrier type, but that doesnt make him a Verratti, who is a playmaker and midfield controller, that moves into space, who can sit deep or go forward and join the attack if he likes. Keita dominates games with his box to box game, Verratti may make a tackle here and there or a dribbling, but he dominates by his positioning and metronomic passing, knowing which pass to play at which time and when to pick up tempo or slow down.
I think you have Veratti confused with Jorginho or something. Veratti is a combative footballer.
 

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He’s an incredible player after watching these two legs and he’d be great in our team. Shame if you actually try and go for him PSG go and buy one of your best players as revenge.
 

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He’s an incredible player after watching these two legs and he’d be great in our team. Shame if you actually try and go for him PSG go and buy one of your best players as revenge.
Just tell Pogba and Martial to start bigging up Sanchez whenever they're on international duty, and hope PSG fall for it.
 

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There was a 50/50 moment where He and Scott were competing for the ball and He got pushed away. He simply couldn't go toe to toe against Scott.

He's rather short for a DM. Still a very good player and I'd love him here.
 

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One of the few PSG players who put in a good showing. Especially impressive given that McTominay was all over him all game - he still managed to find a few pockets of space, a few moments to pick passes.
 

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The first leg loss was down to him. Absolute class, was the best player of the match for me. Yesterday, not so much
 

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Immense player who'd help any team in the world's midfield gain control of a match. Paired next to the creativity of someone like Pogba, they'd be devastating together.

Madrid could actually use him to rebuild their midfield. Arthur of Barcelona is probably a player most similar to Verratti, IMO.
 

ottosec

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Very good player. I don't think he improved much in the last few years, though.

I suppose it's hard not to get complacent when playing for PSG.
 

Inigo Montoya

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He's 26, hardly the age to putting him out to pasture.

Maybe just needs a new challenge
 

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He should leave. Madrid will be looking for a midfielder sooner rather than later.
 

Inigo Montoya

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He should leave. Madrid will be looking for a midfielder sooner rather than later.
He'll have his pick of clubs.

Now that Barca have got De Jong for next season, they badly need someone like him
 

Cloud7

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There was a 50/50 moment where He and Scott were competing for the ball and He got pushed away. He simply couldn't go toe to toe against Scott.

He's rather short for a DM. Still a very good player and I'd love him here.
I wouldn’t play him as a DM, but in our system, in the Herrera role of pressing the opposition and more importantly keeping the ball moving, he would be brilliant.
 

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He is very good, but also one of the biggest divers in football. Breathe on him and down he goes, incredibly frustrating to watch. Refs just hand him free kicks because of his size.
 

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He was the reason they won the first leg, and yesterday he was the only one we couldn't always get control of. His control and direction change is just so damn quick.
 

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I wouldn’t play him as a DM, but in our system, in the Herrera role of pressing the opposition and more importantly keeping the ball moving, he would be brilliant.
Pogba-Herrera-Veratti would be the dream.
 

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Playing in the ultimate farmer league. Bottlers in Europe. Country failed to qualify for the world cup. He needs a move if he wants proper recognition.
 

izec

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Hazard isn't a diver. He gets kicked around all the time.

Kane is much worse in that regard. For such a big guy he falls over way too easy.
You mean half the time. The other half he throws himself to the ground as soon as you touch him and he gets the freekicks. It is not dive per se, but easily falling to the ground is his signature move.
 

11101

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Hazard isn't a diver. He gets kicked around all the time.

Kane is much worse in that regard. For such a big guy he falls over way too easy.
:lol: Look at him the wrong way and he goes down screaming. Much like Verratti, and Alves last night.
 

Owen06

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He was the reason they won the first leg, and yesterday he was the only one we couldn't always get control of. His control and direction change is just so damn quick.
Di maria,marquinos,thiago silva,Alves and mbappe did far better than him. Because they were actually hurting us. what verrati did in the first leg was actually the same thing he did second leg and that is keeping the ball when it gets to him and passing bunch of sideways passes with few quick pass between the lines which weren't really hurting us. I swear people just have salivate over any player who is small in size and does Cruyff turns.
 

11101

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Di maria,marquinos,thiago silva,Alves and mbappe did far better than him. Because they were actually hurting us. what verrati did in the first leg was actually the same thing he did second leg and that is keeping the ball when it gets to him and passing bunch of sideways passes with few quick pass between the lines which weren't really hurting us. I swear people just have salivate over any player who is small in size and does Cruyff turns.
You must of hated it when Scholes was in this team then.
 

Owen06

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You must of hated it when Scholes was in this team then.
No I didn't. And you know why? because his passes split defences and numerous times he would release fullbacks with perfectly waited pass for them to put in a cross, similar to the one Fred gave dalot which lead to our throw in the 80th minutes. Verrati is a player I've watched a lot and he is a sideway passer.didnt create one decent chance over two legs or shots at goal.it got to a stage,i felt save whenever the ball gets to him at the edge of our box because I knew he wouldn't shoot or create anything.very overrated around here.
 
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JB08

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Thought he was unbelievable last night. Would be an amazing player for just about any team in the world.
 

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Thought he was unbelievable last night. Would be an amazing player for just about any team in the world.
Yeh he was good. But he was playing against a midfield of very little experience so it was quite believeable
 

JB08

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Yeh he was good. But he was playing against a midfield of very little experience so it was quite believeable
You're correct but things such as technique and positional awareness shine regardless of who you are playing against, and he definitely showed both yesterday.
 

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He's the master of the nothing passes. Paul Scholes without the pinpoint crossfield / killer pass in his locker.
He's not immune to the criticism of how they've underachieved in Europe .