Andrea Pirlo will reportedly play his last match in Europe on Saturday. The 36-year-old, who will feature in the Champions League final against Barcelona, has accepted an offer to join New York City FC this summer (via AS).
The Juventus midfielder will play alongside Frank Lampard and David Villa in the Bronx, with the ambitions of lifting City out of the MLS cellar.
Tactically speaking, the move goes a long way in solidifying Jason Kreis' spine. Able to shift to his more accustomed 4-4-2 diamond, Pirlo is projected to feature in the deep-lying role, while Lampard holds the responsibilities as the club's No. 10.
But those are projections and despite popular belief, games aren't played on paper.
With his signing, City have once again failed to address their issues. The club is simply doing what it has been since inception: providing band-aid solutions.
Devoid of competent center-backs, Kreis has been forced to feature, among others, Chris Wingert, Jason Hernandez and even Shay Facey in defense this campaign. The result: An 11-match winless streak and the worst record in MLS.
The club boasts a paltry eight points through 13 games.
The premise of a 36-year-old Pirlo, who looked out of sorts against Real Madrid in the Champions League semifinal, providing cover for an incompetent backline is all well and good on paper, but in practice, will prove to be an unmitigated disaster.
For all his exceptional talents—and admittedly iconic status—Pirlo's greatest asset is his distribution from deep-lying positions, not defensive cover. And while MLS doesn't exactly boast the attacking talent of its European counterparts, there is plenty of pace and physicality in the league to put aging legs to the test.
Especially when they're coupled with a suspect center-back pairing.
Undoubtedly, Pirlo's arrival will provide buzz to a club desperate to hold onto relevance in the five boroughs, but what New York City truly cares about is a winner.
That's what Pirlo was in Italy. That's what he won't be in the Bronx.
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