Aging Pirlo losing hold as NYCFC leader
Has Father Time finally caught up to Andrea Pirlo? And if it has, what will New York City FC do with the fourth-highest paid player in MLS, and how will they cope for the next few weeks without Yangel Herrera, his potential successor?
Pirlo was a key to NYCFC finishing second in the Eastern Conference last year, notching 11 assists, playing perfect diagonal balls and bringing such calm to the midfield that his immobility didn’t matter. But with Pirlo turning 38 on Friday and without a single assist this season, it now matters a lot. Enough that despite Pirlo’s huge $5.9 million salary, he has been benched the past three games ahead of Wednesday’s match at Real Salt Lake.
“I’m just looking at what the team needs at the period where we are, and that’s why I made the decision,’’ NYCFC coach Patrick Vieira told The Post. “But when you look at how Andrea played at the beginning of the season, he’s been really good for us, especially in our buildup.
“I just believe that at the moment, especially with the teams that we’re playing against, we need different characteristics. … It’s a tough decision. It’s not easy to leave players like Andrea on the bench.”
Herrera’s defense, work-rate and hustle forced Vieira into the tough decision of playing him in the midfield alongside dogged Alex Ring and Maxi Moralez, who has taken on more of the playmaking. Vieira said that could change if NYCFC returns to building from the back and needs more possession, but it’s fairly obvious Herrera, 19, is rapidly moving from Pirlo’s understudy to his replacement.
Herrera’s three tackles per game trail only Ring’s 3.9; Pirlo averages 1.1, the fewest among the starters. Unfortunately for NYCFC, Herrera won’t be starting for a while. He started the wins at Columbus and against Atlanta, but has been called away for the Under-20 World Cup with Venezuela.
“Yangel has impressed me since he joined us on preseason,” midfielder Jack Harrison said. “He’s still young, got great technique, smart on the ball and gets stuck in. He has all the qualities you want in a midfielder.”
“Physically he’s really strong and he’s doing some really important work for us, especially the way we want to play,’’ Vieira said. “He can stop the counterattack. … Of course he’ll be a big miss for us.”
Sunday’s 1-1 tie at Dallas (as Pirlo went unused for a third straight game) was the first of four straight on the road. Mustering just five points in a five-game swing last year cost NYCFC the East, and Vieira has learned the value of rotating his players.
“It’s difficult to have three games away from home. Last year we learned a lot from the mistakes we made, and this year we tried to do different things,’’ Vieira said. “Hopefully it’ll work.”