UNDERAPPRECIATED FOOTBALL

Michael Nardi

In the world of football, fans are attracted to fancy flicks, goals, and aggressive tackles. However, there is not a more critical role in modern football than the regista. It can be characterized as a number 6 on the pitch, but it has an even more crucial role than a traditional holding midfielder as we are accustomed to seeing.

Regista- in Italian- means the director and the same can be said for how they orchestrate attacks on the pitch. A regista is a player who dictates the flow and tempo of a game from a deeper position just in front of the defense. Due to the number of touches per match, this player needs to be very strong technically and have a strong reading of the game when in possession. They are responsible for receiving the ball from their goalkeeper or defenders and finding a suitable pass to get the team out of trouble.

This can be from turning out of pressure or simply playing short passes to shift the opposition’s press. Likewise, they must also be able to retain possession by recycling the ball and once again starting attacks from deep.

What makes the role so underrated is how crucial they are in the success of a possession-based team. These individuals are vital to their team’s system. You won’t see them on scoresheets but their presence is felt in the way the team plays, the comfort they have while in possession, and the ability to get in between the lines. There is a reason many top managers have used this role in their teams and its success is apparent.

Pep’s Barca, Ancelotti’s Milan, and Sarri’s Napoli are some of the best examples where the regista was best utilized. In Pep’s Barca it was Sergio Busquets, for Milan it was Andrea Pirlo, and for Napoli it was Jorginho. Each player is of a different level but they all possess a great level of composure on the ball, and the ability to dictate the play from deep at an extremely high level.

Each player was crucial to the success of their side with all three playing as the lone defensive mid in a three-man midfield. This role does come without its negatives, these players tend to be weak physically and lack athleticism which makes them easy to bypass if they are not in a perfect defensive position. However, as Pep Guardiola once said, “ When you have the ball, that is the best way to defend” and teams that play with a proper regista tend to be dominant possession teams.

While many don’t see the importance of this role and view it as a negative due to the number of sideways and backward passes — these passes are crucial in the way the team builds out.

The role is fascinating and if you keep an eye specifically on these players you’ll see the quality they possess. This can be best seen in Jorginho’s world-class performance against Liverpool in the FA Cup final. Like many things in football, it is the small things that you miss that make the greatest impact and the regista is one of those roles as well.