Player of the Week: Emerson (Juventus)
You could be forgiven for ignoring the importance of Emerson to the present Juventus jigsaw. After all, he has become something of a forgotten man by a few followers given the inspirational form of midfield colleague Patrick Vieira. But the Brazilian underlined exactly how vital he is to Fabio Capello in the 2-0 win over Sampdoria on Wednesday.
Unable to again field Vieira because of injury, Emerson eventually took control of the midfield proceedings against a spirited Sampdoria side - who were looking for a repeat of last season’s win at the Stadio Delle Alpi. And without the spotlight on the Frenchman, the South American reminded everyone why is one of the world’s best.
Emerson, who was allowed to play in a slightly more advanced role by Capello in the absence of the former Arsenal man, gave his side the balance they needed to complete a record breaking ninth consecutive League win since the start of the campaign. He broke up play with his well timed tackles, but also exhibited his undisputed technical ability in a midfield that did get crowded at times.
There is no question that the capture of Emerson from Roma just over a year ago was one of the club’s most astute pieces of business in recent history. He may not always get the headlines that he deserves, but the former Bayer Leverkusen player has a massive impact of the way this Juventus machine notches up results.
He’s a major factor behind why the Old Lady of Italian football have conceded just two goals in nine League matches – despite being forced to use the uncertain Christian Abbiati and Antonio Chimenti in goal so far this term. The 29-year-old provides the perfect filter for a Juventus rearguard, a back-line which has also been without French internationals Jonathan Zebina and Lilian Thuram at times.
It’s little wonder that Capello rates his partnership with Vieira as the top central midfield pairing in world football. And Juve will need Emo at his best on Saturday for the trip to Milan in a game that could effectively already decide the Scudetto by Week 10. To make matters worse for the Rossoneri, guess who is expected to be back alongside him? That’s right, big Pat!
