– In my opinion, he is one of the best midfielders in Europe in his position. He is a unique complete rider. He scores important goals, plays with his left and right feet. He is an important player and leader of Napoli. He can afford to score a goal and I hope he will – this is what Diego Armando Maradona junior said in an interview with Piotr Zieliński.
The son of one of the greatest footballers in history, former Barcelona player and Napoli legend, he acted as if he knew the future. On Thursday evening at Camp Nou Zieliński he played a very good match, he was the leader of Napoli and scored a goal using his left and right legs. The Polish representative flashed in the Europa League, being one of the best, if not the best player on the pitch.
From gate to gate
– The key to Piotrek’s good performance will be to feel at ease on the pitch. He cannot play too much behind the striker’s back, he has to look for a place on the pitch – Łukasz Piszczek said in the pre-match studio in Viaplay.
And Zieliński at Camp Nou felt very comfortable, frequently changing positions during the match. Although in theory he was positioned as an attacking midfielder, the match started at almost the same height as Napoli’s only forward, Victor Osimhen, supporting him in pressing against the Barcelona defenders.
Pressing by Zieliński and Osimhen Screen Viaplay
It was not, however, that Zieliński was clinging to the offensive positions. – With an opponent playing as aggressively as Barcelona, attacking midfielders often do not have it easy and they have to look for the ball and space to play – analyzed Michał Zachodni during the break. And Zieliński did everything to ensure that as many as possible of him were at Camp Nou.
The Polish representative often came very close to his penalty area, where he helped his friends to get out of the way by playing one or two contacts. Zieliński did not avoid mistakes in this, but he was able to react to them. As in the 22nd minute, when he first passed inaccurately to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s feet, but thanks to his immediate reaction he managed to get the peak back from under Nico’s feet.
Inaccurate application of Zieliński Screen Viaplay
Reception of Zieliński Screen Viaplay
In this action, Zieliński proved that he is a great player not only in a “small game” for short passes, but that he can also drive an attack with one precise, long play. After the pickup, the Pole played the ball between Oscar Mingueza’s legs and immediately sent a several dozen-meter pass to Osimhen. However, Marc-Andre ter Stegen reflected the Nigerian’s strike.
Perpendicular application of Zieliński to Osimhen Screen Viaplay
From the middle to the sides
“Zieliński likes to go to the side sectors,” Zachodni noted in the pre-match Viaplay studio. And it was thanks to this mobility and lack of attachment to the position that the Pole created a threat under the hosts’ goal and scored a goal himself.
In the 12th minute, Zieliński showed a nice cross from the left, but Gerard Pique knocked out at the last moment.
Piotr Zieliński at Camp Nou Screen Viaplay
17 minutes later, the Pole scored a goal, entering the penalty area from his right. Before Zieliński defeated the Stegen terrain in installments, hitting first with his left and then with his right leg, he showed off a nice game with Elif Ełmas. Before the Pole ran into the penalty area, he played the Macedonian player well from the first ball, giving the action the right rhythm. Although a moment later Ełmas deceived two rivals with a beautiful body balance, it was Zieliński who started and finished the goal action.
Action Zieliński – Ełmas Screen Viaplay
Zieliński’s goal Screen Viaplay
Harder after the break
In the second half, when Barcelona’s advantage became greater, Zieliński’s task automatically became much more difficult. The Pole participated in pressing much more often and played without the ball. The midfielders of the hosts paid more attention to him, and Sergio Busquets in the 73rd minute even decided to make a very sharp attack on his left leg, which caused our player to suffer a lot.
This does not mean, however, that Zieliński was invisible after the break. In the 62nd minute he circled in the center of the field for a long time, until he finally received the ball and with one pass he immediately accelerated Napoli’s attack. The Pole immediately passed to Ełmas, and he to Fabian Ruiz, who gave Osimhen a chance.
Piotr Zieliński in the middle of the field Screen Viaplay
Zieliński was still looking for opportunities in the front. Not long after accelerating the attack in the midfield, he had a grudge against Giovanni Di Lorenzo. The Pole got irritated with his friend when he passed him inaccurately at the moment when Zieliński was running into Barcelona’s penalty area as a striker.
Zieliński is looking for a place in the attack Screen Viaplay
Zieliński stayed on the pitch until the 80th minute, when his place was taken by a defensive Diego Demme. And it must be emphasized that it was a very good 80 minutes performed by the Pole, who showed why he was close to moving to Camp Nou recently.
– There was a moment when it seemed that Zieliński would be able to go to Barcelona. It was close at the end of 2019. It was the moment when Zieliński had not yet signed a contract with Napoli. This was the moment when Barcelona looked for solutions. In my opinion, such a center of the field of Frenkie de Jong, Piotr Zieliński and Pedri would make the ball happy – Łukasz Wiśniowski said at the beginning of the year in the Eleven Sports studio.
On Thursday, Zieliński proved that not only the ball would be happy, but also the fans whom the Pole certainly impressed.
Source: Sport
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
