Alessio Romagnoli: Vincenzo Montella and AC Milan’s Playmaking Protagonista

Football is forever evolving. For those willing to ask the pressing questions and be open-minded, you too can reinvent it. Within the laws of the game, there are no limitations. Regularly, we are exposed to varying styles of play, some more attractive and visually pleasing than others. As long as there are eleven men - or women - on the pitch, the possibilities of innovation are endless.

Breaking stereotypes has become the norm in today’s football. Target men of the past are now encouraged to drop into space for a pass and lay off for a teammate. Wide players, considered primary offensive outlets, must now cover their ground defensively. Midfielders constantly break barriers, playing box-to-box or, floating about as a creative playmaker – a trequartista. Player roles are redefined. It’s almost necessary if the goal is fluent, free-flowing football. Even with many visually appealing positional alterations all over the park, there is no denying the ever-growing importance of a playmaking centre-half in 2017. Defensive combatants still hold the responsibility of eliminating threats, but are now being assigned playmaking duties as well.

Alessandro Nesta and Fabio Cannavaro, two of the best defenders of their generation - and history for that matter - earned critical acclaim in the late 90s and 2000s for their physicality and awareness. Brawny and tactically intelligent, they surrendered little space and disrupted play with timely challenges, all while holding minimal risk of a serious booking. Their positional sense permitted them to frequently win possession, dictate tempo with a single touch and be the source of an attacking opportunity. Artists of the game, their Italian renaissance forever remains in calcio lore. Years have passed however since the elegant Azzurri legends hung up their boots, but their impact still remains all over continental Europe.

Boasting a unique blend of physicality, understanding and ball-playing ability, Jerome Boateng’s repertoire slots him into the upper echelon of his kind. His versatility opens up an array of dimensions for Italian manager Carlo Ancelotti to explore. South of Munich, geographically, lies Turin, the stomping grounds for Juventus’ Leonardo Bonucci. Widely considered to be Europe’s undisputed top technical ‘difensore’, Bonucci is the archetypal, modern-day playmaking defender all managers desire. Under present boss Massimilano Allegri, the ex-Bari man prospers as the ‘Old Lady’s’ creative cog. Shoulder to shoulder with veterans Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini, it’s in the way Bonucci intuitively expands play that makes the Bianconeri line such a frustrating puzzle to solve. Bonucci’s importance in Juventus achieving Champions League glory cannot be stressed enough, which is why Beppe Marotta and Andrea Agnelli balked at Manchester City’s astronomical bid last summer.