In today’s episode, we take a look at the true reincarciration of Italian’s very own Regista (albeit a more offensive variant). That’s right soccermanagerites, we’ll be discussing the Italian international, Marco Verratti. A truly beautiful footballer, Verrati’s journey to the top is quite unorthodox for what’s considered tradition for Italian players. His professional career did indeed start in Italy, having joined the Pescara youth team set up as a youngster. He was then swooped up by Paris Saint Germain by the time he was 20 y/o and has been there ever since. Verratti is now rightfully considered a PSG legend and, if you think about it, he made the best decision for his career since around the time he was developing back at Pescara, he would’ve been considered too small to play in Italy with only players of the elk of an Andrea Pirlo would be excepted at top Serie A clubs because of how much of an exceptional footballer Pirlo was. Make no mistake, Verratti was decent as a youngster, but was in no way considered a generational talent, and It was a good thing for us fans that he took the risk by going to Paris because we may not have been granted the opportunity to watch him perform and become such a world class player at the very top of his game.
PLAYER BIO
Standing at a mere 5’4″, Marco is one of the smallest players within the entirety of football, and he uses this to his advantage since he is one of the most press resistance players who rarely gives away the ball. Although he may not be a double footed player, his ability to keep the ball in almost every situation makes that right foot of his especially crucial and very dangerous.
BEST ATTRIBUTES WITHIN SM23
Here we have Marco’s best attributes within SM23 and you will recognize that he has some similar qualities to the next player that we will be discussing tomorrow. His attributes above are okay in my opinion, but I would’ve wanted to see a higher ‘Positioning’ stat since this guy is ALWAYS in the right place on the field to collect the ball, especially if it’s to take some pressure off a teammate (he is extremely similar to the legendary Xavi in that elk)
BEST ROLES
Similar to Kimmich and Casemiro, Marco is a one role man and should ONLY be used as your main ‘Playmaker’ no matter what formation you choose to use If you decide to play him within a double pivoted formation, the formula remains the same…Whether back 5, 6, or 3, we use the big man as our midfield operator who we trust to make something out of absolutely nothing…If you’re a brave soul, then you can take the risk of playing him as your sole pivot which means that he will be operating as a ‘Deep-lying Playmaker‘
HOW TO BEST USE HIM
When it is all said and done, the best way to use Marco will be within a midfield 2 or 3 where he has the right ingredients around him to play as your sole ‘Playmaker’. And, just like with Kimmich, he must be utilized by ticking the UPM box since he will not be effective at all if he is not being used
WHO ARE THE BEST TEAMATES?
What you’ll realize during the course of this series is the importance of getting the absolute best out of these type of players. Now, you might be questioning the validity of implementing your entire game around one player, but when this player has the ability to singlehandedly win you trophies then it is advised you do all you can to get a player like Marco on smoke.
In his preferred position and role, it will be important that you partner Marco with a DM(C) that is defensively sound since he struggles defensively and is not that interested in the defensive side of the game (make no mistake, he will still do his job since he’s Italian and they have a knick of unleashing their pride when it comes to the defensive side of the game). With that being said however, I will advise that you play a ‘Ball Winning Midfielder’ next to him who will take up all of the defensive responsibilities. The only other 2 position that we will need to think about will be the ‘Wingbacks’ since Marco’s passing ability is so good that you’ll need some attack minded Fullbacks who will provide the width and create more space for Marco to showcase his ball playing skills, as well as give the BWM more responsibilities to take care of (since they absolutely love doing that )When utilizing him as your double pivot, the same formula will be needed which is a BWM next to him with some attack minded WB’s making those runs in towards the attacking third constantly…If you want to use Marco in a formation like the 3-4-2-1, or 3-2-2-2-1, rather than having a BWM next to him, I advise that you play with a BTB who will do all of the leg work and leave Marco to simply dictate. This is down to the fact that there is already 3 defenders at the back, so having an extra one in the midfield (the Ball Winning Midfielder) will cause too much of an immobile set up especially when playing against a counter attacking type team that has pacey and explosive players Lastly, I mentioned that playing Verratti as your sole pivot is a danger since he isn’t the best defender in the world. But, if you’re brave enough to do that (cause I’m not) then you will need to ensue that you have 2 things under check: 1) You’re playing him within a midfield three, and 2) The other two midfielders have high ‘Stamina’ and ‘Work Rate’ attributes. This is why I’ve chosen the option of using Ndombele either as a ‘Box to Box Midfielder’ or a ‘Playmaker’ since he has the physical requirements to get up and down on the pitch. It’s one of those situations where you have to do your research before making the final decision
Marco Verratti is truly a joy to watch when he is in top form and has the potential to truly make a newbie soccer fan fall in love with the game due to his incredible elegance. We’ll be continuing our look at these diminutive style M(C)’s cause tomorrow, we will be explaining how to get the best out of a Spanish magician who, had it not been for the likes of Xavi and Busquettes, may be held to an even higher regard. Make sure you’re there to check it out! ✌️
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