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By Hanu Trivedi
(Leandro Paredes & Angel Di Maria- Argentina)
Javier Mascherano, Diego Simeone, Sergio Batista, Fernando Gago, Lucas BIglia. These are some of the names to have played at the No.5 spot for Argentina. Traditionally, the #5 sits back and dictates the play, pulling the strings. The Argentines have always emphasized on having a strong, capable player at the spot, to make the work of the attackers easier and to stop the opposition from breaching the defence. If you go back and check the history backs, you’ll find that there’s always a top class defensive mid in the team. But as the game changes, the role of the No.5 does too. Back in the day, you’d want a tall, strong, imposing figure with good technical attributes. You’d want a player more on the defensive side. Now, the story is different. You want a deep lying playmaker, a quick, mobile player as good attack-wise as he is defensively. The role has become more fluid and more versatile over the years. Many have started calling the player at No.5 as the ‘regista’, bringing up Julian Weigl and Steve N’Zonzi as some examples of an ideal DLP. Enter 23-year-old Leandro Paredes. The Argentinian joined Zenit St. Petersburg from Roma in the summer, and has bossed the Europa League and the Russian Premier League since. A Russian club is not considered to be the ideal destination for a stellar talent who showed his class in the Serie A, but it seems to be going well for Paredes. He’s picked up a total of 4 goals and 4 assists in 18 games total this season. For someone playing at CDM, that’s not bad at all.
(Leandro Paredes- Zenit St Petersburg)
Leandro stands 5 feet 10 inches tall, which is by no means short. He has two caps for Argentina, and got a goal in one of them. What makes Paredes special is that he can play anywhere in central midfield. The Argentine started off playing at CAM, moved down to CM and finally adopted the No.5 role. This versatility is his most special feature. In the modern game, this feature is worth a million dollars (literally and figuratively). Paul Pogba (although not even remotely similar to Paredes) can also play everywhere in the midfield, and is football’s third most expensive player. Along with his compatriot Emiliano Rigoni (also Argentinian), Paredes guided Zenit to a first-place finish in their Europa League unbeaten. Although many consider Zenit and other Russian clubs a destination for washed-up players, this has changed in recent years. Young Argentinians have especially flocked to St. Petersburg Matias Kranevitter, who is also another great No.5, 21 year-old striker Sebastian Driussi, Emiliano Rigoni and Emanuel Mammana are also Argentines playing alongside Paredes at the club. All these players were signed this summer and have proved to be immense for the team. Most of the aforementioned names will probably leave Zenit in a couple of years, going to big clubs in big money deals. But for now, the club is proving to be a safe haven for these budding talents. Will Paredes become the next Mascherano? Or will he become another ‘could-have-been’ like Ariel Ortega? Only time will tell. For now, sit back and enjoy the youngsters performances.