Arsenal Have New Supporter In Andre Pirlo

Arsenal’s style of play attracts millions across the globe, but it’s still nice to see legends like Andre Pirlo acknowledging the quality that is in North London.

Maybe he is just buttering up to the new coach at NYCFC but then again, Andre Pirlo does not seem like the buttering up type. He is a legend in his own right and one that built his career on some rather unique methods. The Italian midfielder once said that there were three things in the world he disliked doing. Those things were smiling, running and training.

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And yet he is one of the most intelligent midfielders to play the game.

Let that serve as a bit of a testament to his recent statements. “I like to watch Arsenal,” Pirlo said, as quoted by the Daily Star. He went on to add that the club is often taken for granted because of the expectations that they carry with them. However, as a man who has seen the game for all its worth, Pirlo did not hold back about how highly he thought of Arsenal.

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When asked to compose his Premier League ultimate XI, Pirlo incluced a nice dosage of North London. And I don’t mean those other guys in North London. Three Gunners made it into his team, starting with perhaps one of the most under-appreciated players in the world of football – Nacho Monreal.

“Every time I have seen him play this season he has been faultless,” Pirlo said. And it’s hard to argue. Monreal is not one to make mistakes and his consistency is his calling card.

Pirlo would not stop there in his Arsenal love, however. He then went on to choose Mesut Ozil as his No. 1o, where his praise was magnified. “[Ozil] is maybe the most creative player in Europe right now. [He] creates an unbelievable amount of chances for attackers playing ahead of him. He has vision like nobody else in Europe.”

Nobody knows vision quite like Pirlo, who built his status on his passing. As mentioned, he doesn’t run hard, he doesn’t tackle, he just passes magnificently. In that regard, he is not all that different from Mesut Ozil, which leads to the mutual respect between the two.

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Finally, the last Arsenal man fills itself in.

“It is easy not to get the credit you deserve at Barcelona because of [Lionel] Messi, and now Neymar and [Luis] Suarez, but Sanchez has shown at Arsenal how good he is. They have made him the focal point of their attack and he is repaying their faith.”

Pirlo’s responses show what a sharp mind he has for the game, although some of his choices were a bit skeptical. Instead of Petr Cech, Pirlo opted for the man he fooled in 2012, Joe Hart. While Hart is undoubtedly a fantastic keeper, it begs to question how he can be chosen over the legend, Petr Cech.

The other two iffy selections were Branislav Ivanovic and Philippe Coutinho. Both have established qualities, but at the same time, consistency has not been their strong suit. Regardless, Pirlo is a smart man. He knows what he wants.

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And besides, he could not pick all Arsenal players.