坎比亞索是世界上最好的後腰?
Calcio Debate: Is Cambiasso The World's Best Defensive Midfielder?
With Inter the dominant force in Italian football currently, one less
fashionable name has particularly stood out – Esteban Cambiasso. Carlo
Garganese asks if the Argentine is the best defensive midfielder in the world
at the moment…
For all the hundreds of millions of pounds that Inter President Massimo
Moratti has shelled out on Inter since taking over the club in the mid-1990s,
it is rather ironic that possibly his best-ever signing to date, Esteban
Cambiasso, cost him absolutely nothing.
Cambiasso first came to the fore as a 15-year-old in the Independiente youth
team, and impressed so much that he was snapped up by Real Madrid.
At Madrid Cambiasso was never appreciated and had few chances to shine, mainly
due to the fact that the Spanish public in general simply do not understand the
virtues of defence. It was for this same reason that Real decided to sell
probably the best defensive midfielder in the world at the time, Claude
Makelele, to Chelsea in 2003, rather than pay him the wages that he deserved.
Anyhow, Cambiasso’s contract at the Santiago Bernabeu was allowed to run down,
and he signed for Inter on a free transfer in 2004.
The move did not gain much publicity and Cambiasso was expected to be just a
squad player, especially due to the fact that the world-renowned Edgar Davids,
who was just coming off an outstanding six-month loan deal at Barcelona, had
also just signed for the club.
As things panned out it was Davids who would be sitting on the bench, as
Cambiasso immediately made the defensive midfield position his own, with an
outstanding start to his career in Italy.
Within six months of his first season at Inter I had come to the conclusion
that Cambiasso had the potential to be the best defensive midfielder in the
world. Three years down the line, I am in no doubt that this is now the case.
Perhaps the best attribute of Cambiasso is his tactical sense - positionally
he is virtually perfect. His ability to close up the space in the hole between
the defence and midfield makes it virtually impossible for attacking
midfielders or trequartista’s to shine. Anyone who watched the Milan derby
will see how much Brazilian superstar Kaka struggled due to Cambiasso’s
positioning.
The Argentine’s marking, tackling, anticipation, bravery and stamina are also
as good as they come. When a player attempts to take on Cambiasso they rarely
go past him, and the 27-year-old will be just as fit and fresh in the last
minute as he is in the first.
However what also makes Cambiasso so special, and perhaps separates him from
the player closer than anyone to matching him, Liverpool’s Javier Mascherano,
is that the Inter star also possesses brilliant offensive attributes as well.
Cambiasso is often the instigator of attacks, his passing and creativity is
intelligent, and he rarely fails to find his target with a ball.
He has also chipped in with a fair few important goals. Indeed this season he
already has five to his name in all competitions, which is hugely impressive
for a defensive midfielder.
These include decisive goals such as the winner in the Milan derby before
Christmas, as well as a crucial brace to help Inter come from two goals down
to beat CSKA Moscow in the Champions League.
Many people talk of the importance of Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Inter, and this is
very true, however in my opinion Cambiasso is equally vital to the Nerazzurri
machine, particularly in Serie A.
Of course it is always difficult choosing the world’s best player in a certain
position because there are just so many things to consider.
For example Andrea Pirlo is the best deep-lying playmaker of his generation,
and essentially he takes up the same position on the field as Cambiasso.
However would you describe him as a defensive midfielder? I do not think so.
Pirlo is a unique player – he is a one-off. His position is unorthodox and for
this reason I am excluding him from this discussion. He operates outside the
realm.
The two players that come closest to challenging Cambiasso are Mascherano and
Chelsea’s Michael Essien.
Defensively Mascherano is the equal of Cambiasso, however he certainly is not
as complete as his countryman, especially in the offensive department.
Essien is more of a modern footballer based on power and pace, and as a critic
I have always favoured intelligence and guile over this type of present-day
phenomena. Nevertheless the Ghanaian is still a world-class player and any team
in the world today would take him.
Cambiasso however would have been world-class in any era - indeed he probably
would have been better 20 or 30 years ago when the game was slower and more
tactical. Now that is a scary thought!
What are your views on this topic? Is Cambiasso the best defensive midfielder
in the world? If you disagree – who do you think is better than him? Goal.com
wants to know what YOU think?
Carlo Garganese
http://china.goal.com/hk/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=548110
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