ISL 2016: Top 5 playmakers this season so far
Juan Roman Riquelme was a treat to watch on the football pitch. The way he held the ball at his feet looked as if he was not kicking, but caressing it. Finding little spaces in wall-like defences was always his forte, and we don’t find any such players these days. With the advent of deep-lying midfielders taking over and them pulling the strings from deeper positions, the playmaking has seen a radical change in recent times.
In the ongoing ISL, teams have seen players from various positions pulling the strings and controlling the proceedings for their team. While playmaking has always been seen as an art, it’s easier said than done. With immaculate reading and diversified studies on the opposition’s game, coaches have, more often than not, been able to nullify the effect of the playmaker.
Here, we take a look at the most exciting playmakers in the league, who have affected the proceedings well for their side.
#1 Helder Postiga
If you’re ever making a list of creative players and Postiga is in the league, he walks into it carelessly. The former Portugal striker has lost his extra yard of pace due to nagging injuries, but his game has been brilliant in the centre of the park, just behind Iain Hume and Juan Belencoso.
The former Tottenham star doesn’t take much of the workload these days but is a treat to watch with the ball at his feet. Any pass to this man excites audiences, who know his quality well. With speedy players like Hume and Doutie around him, Postiga can easily replicate his ideas on the pitch.
The No.9 has already scored two goals and made 2 assists, in just 8 appearances. His hold-up game is still one of the best in the league and his passing is of top order as well. As the final stages of the league approaches, Postiga looks to be more and more dangerous in the attacking third for Atletico de Kolkata.