Article body analysed
'Overweight, slow, not a Manchester United-level player. .. ' Thirteen games in and most fans and a few pundits had already decided that Joshua Zirkzee, named in the Serie A Team of the Year for his beguiling performances in Italy last season, was a poor investment by the Red Devils. Bologna football club reside in Italy's food capital. Few cities in the world could delight the appetite quite like Bologna and while the football has often been hopeful at best, Thiago Motta and his group of chaos-inflicting footballers began to attract as much passion as the famous tagliatelle with ragu last season. Zirkzee was worth the ticket price alone as many happily pointed out to the reporters arriving in droves to enjoy the spectacle. Complex, incredibly intelligent and a throwback to the kind of football that once showcased players' unique talents as opposed to a team's tactical philosophy, Zirkzee entertained. He was the amalgamation of all the players who inspired him and a product of Cruyff Courts, the enclosed football pitches that augment skill on the ball. Did he score endlessly? Nope. Was he essential to Bologna and the football viewing experience? Absolutely. Zirkzee has scored three goals in 20 appearances in all competitions so far The third goal for Manchester United against Everton captured a glimpse of what Zirkzee does so well. A second to survey the pitch, a moment of perfect technique to deliver to Amad. The only thing Zirkzee loves more than runners alongside him is the freedom to drop deep, create and deliver. But that was a glimpse and only a glimpse. How pleasing for Zirkzee fans to watch a United coach finally exploit the player's tactical intelligence and movement in space by allowing him the freedom to roam, to create, to unleash. How thoughtful to surround him with runners who can showcase what his intelligence can produce rather than asking him to simply stay in the box and score. When Corriere della Sera asked the player in February what he needed to improve, he replied: "I have to remember that I am the only striker in the team and to stay more inside the area. " He tries to remember and he can obviously manage it but that's not where his talent lies. Italian media analysed and scrutinised the player's heat map after a match between Bologna and Roma. Zirkzee was omnipresent, moving vertically and horizontally, coming to the rescue of his team-mates to create an outlet for the pass, dragging defenders away to clear space for the incursions of midfielders and Riccardo Calafiori and even coming back to aid the defence. Zirkzee is not a striker, he was the heart of the operation. Every move flowed through him at Bologna because, as he says: "I have a certain ability, [Motta] gave me the confidence to exalt it. " One of his most perfect games was against Inter in the Coppa Italia last season. Surrounded by seven players in the centre of the pitch as he accelerated forward, flanked by two runners, he threaded the perfect pass for Dan Ndoye to score. Inter were knocked out of the cup. Go back and watch his first assist of the game - a flying backheel kick with the outside of his boot from the byline for Sam Beukema to score. Nothing he does is ordinary. Should the defender wish to press him, this will delight the Dutchman further. He loves nothing more than to lure his opponents close to him, the more the better, before he unleashes his technique. Even defenders capable of pivoting are caught flat-footed in the presence of Zirkzee. He is the master of escapology and to him football is art, it's a source of enjoyment, of fun. It's all about the game of one-upping the guy ahead of you and unless Zirkzee can tap into that energy, be allowed to express his talent, he may disappoint. It's almost like he manages the impossible with ease - and the easy with great difficulty. Zirkzee (right) joined United for £36. 5m from Bologna in the summer When playing for Bayern Munich, he notoriously missed a tap-in against Ajax in a pre-season friendly that led to an insufferable amount of criticism and abuse from fans. Social media was too much to bear and the forward proceeded to delete all his Instagram posts and even changed his profile picture to a black screen. Then boss Julian Nagelsmann wasn't impressed: "He wanted to finish this one casually. I hope that he has a different sense of seriousness in competitive matches. " That's the problem with Zirkzee - his attitude has seemingly always been questioned. "Talent alone is not enough, it is important that he works on himself, " said former Bayern manager Hansi Flick. "Then he can play Bundesliga. It's about mentality and attitude and the absolute will to show what you want. " Does Zirkzee want it at all costs? At Anderlecht, a viral clip of then coach Vincent Kompany berating his players made the rounds earlier this summer. "And second thing, Zirk, this is the last time I talk about your attitude. You come off, I don't need a ******* smile but I need an attitude that's perfect. You were not good, just like all the other ones. I could have taken anyone off without anyone complaining. " In teams where effort and intense determination are prized beyond insatiable skill then perhaps Zirkzee may not win hearts until people see a moment of magic and begin to question what football should be about. Kompany actually proved to be an important coach for Zirkzee - he scored many goals in Belgium, paving the way for his move to Bologna. Having a coach who believed in him and helped nurture him was pivotal for a player who always wants to learn but is temperamental by nature. With Motta at Bologna, especially in his second season when Marko Arnautovic had left and Zirkzee was loaded with more responsibility, the Dutchman thrived. Bologna had players that understood how to exploit the space Zirkzee created for them, allowing for Calafiori's excellent drives forward and Lewis Ferguson's many goals. When Zirkzee understands the skill of the players around him, he learns how to manoeuvre to create the conditions for them to express their best. "I try to move knowing the characteristics of my team-mates. With some I come to meet and receive the ball, with others I pretend to attack the depth, then I try to receive the ball on my feet, " explained Zirkzee to DAZN in March. "I don't consider myself a selfish striker but I think it's something I'll have to work on in the future. People are right, I don't score enough. When I don't score I get angry with myself. Believe me. " It doesn't help that Zirkzee's physical stature suggests he ought to be a different type of striker. One look at his physique and we imagine him to bully opponents, use his weight, win the aerial duels and fight. Instead, he is defined by his technique, ambidextrous as a child, he always wants the ball on the ground, more interested in delivering the game-splitting pass than scoring the goal. That's not to suggest he isn't a clinical finisher - two predatory goals against Salernitana last season showed he's not all beauty and magic, there's efficiency too. But that hunger for goal perhaps isn't a feeling that resides deep within. The more he feels involved, the better he plays and Ruben Amorim has seemingly started to understand how the player can be utilised. Be patient with him, it's not every day a player can comfortably contort his body like Zlatan Ibrahimovic or evokes Ronaldinho on pitch. 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