But speaking of Cruyff, the initiator of modern strikers, his headball skills were indeed something special.
In the 17th minute, Overmars challenged Barzagli on the wing.
His dribbling and passing were even sharper than Quaresma's, as he effortlessly outmaneuvered Barzagli with successive changes of direction.
Although Barzagli had a strong ability to tackle one-on-one, his downside was that he had the slowest turning speed among the three center-backs. He wasn't the best choice on the right flank, and his characteristics were quite awkward.
As the central center-back, his passing skills were a bit lacking, and his tackling ability couldn't be perfectly utilized.
As a side-center back, though the tackling was fully utilized, the slow turning speed became an evident weakness.
A four-defender system with two center-backs would suit him better, but Sporting Lisbon was not going to change their formation for just one player.
