Comparing Andrea Pirlo and Xavi - An exercise in futility

GDANSK, POLAND – JUNE 10: Xavi Hernandez (R) of Spain is challenged by Andrea Pirlo of Italy during the UEFA EURO 2012 group C match between Spain and Italy.

Italy play England in the quarter-finals of the European Championships and Spain play France; delectable ties no doubt, but they’ve seemingly denied us the chance to witness the battle of the registas : Xavi, and Andrea Pirlo. Over the past few days, writers, columnists, pundits, fans and just about everyone else, has spoken of how Andrea Pirlo has guided Italy to the quarters, all practically on his own accord. And in the age where Spain, and Barcelona dominate football, comparisons to Xavi Hernandez are inevitable. But a situation has risen, where Pirlo has come out on top, and Xavi has faced extensive criticism.

Spain have supposedly played “unattractive” football, and have been forced to grind out victories against weaker opponents, and Xavi is, again supposedly, far from his best and struggling to cope with the pressures. Meanwhile, the short-sighted media has taken to hailing Pirlo’s return as the midfield lynchpin of the world. It began with his sumptuous assist for Di Natale’s goal against Spain, and carried on in the second game of the Euros, scoring with a free-kick which puts Cristiano Ronaldo to shame, and controlling Italy’s play throughout. He came away as Man of the Match, but the game ended at 1-1. And that’s why, Pirlo and Xavi, need not be compared. Xavi may not have been Spain’s stand-out performer at the championships, but then again, he doesn’t need to. At Spain, he is surrounded by Xabi Alonso, Andres Iniesta, David Silva, and on occasion, Cesc Fabregas. At Italy, Pirlo has Thiago Motta, Claudio Marchisio and Roberto Maggio to help out in the middle. There’s nothing more to be said because Xavi has one job, and one job only for Spain – to keep pinging the ball around the pitch, and all throughout the group stage Xavi did that with aplomb. The creative aspect has been easily handled by the aforementioned players, and Torres, Fabregas, and Jesus Navas have stepped up to score when needed. But again, these are two of the greatest midfielders to have graced the game, and to undergo fluctuations of form is but natural for a player on the wrong side of thirty. These are players who play week-in, week-out for their clubs and are at the center of all activity for their countries. Xavi has completed the most passes at Poland-Ukraine, while Pirlo has arguably played some of the most attractive football, but on their day, each is as good as the other.

Pirlo’s move to Juventus has galvanized him, and he has been relatively injury free throughout their unbeaten Scudetto winning campaign, while Xavi put on his scoring boots for Barcelona, while playing in a higher position than he has ever before, and managed to strike in 14 goals throughout the season. An Italy-Spain final at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev is still a possibility, and if anything, one should hope for it to see two playmakers of the highest quality battle it out for possession.