The Number 10 in Italian Football
No position in football has been more romanticized in Italy than the trequartista—the player operating in the "three-quarter" zone between midfield and attack. The fantasista, as they were often called, represented the artistic soul of the team, the player expected to create magic from chaos.
Roberto Baggio, Francesco Totti, Alessandro Del Piero, Gianfranco Zola—these names evoke an era when Italian clubs built their identities around virtuoso playmakers. The number 10 shirt carried weight, expectation, and artistic license.
Understanding this position helps explain both Serie A's traditions and its modern tactical evolution.
The Classic Trequartista
In the traditional Italian system, the trequartista occupied the most dangerous space on the pitch: directly behind the striker, ahead of the midfield line, in the area defenders most fear leaving unmarked.
Freedom and Responsibility
The classic trequartista had unusual freedom. While teammates followed strict tactical instructions, the fantasista could roam. They might drift wide to receive, drop deep to link play, or push high to threaten directly. This freedom came with responsibility: they were expected to produce moments that justified the tactical accommodation.
Technical Requirements
The position demanded supreme technique. First touch had to be perfect—there was no time for adjustment in congested central areas. Vision needed to extend beyond the immediate, identifying passes that might not become possible for several seconds. Dribbling had to be incisive, capable of eliminating defenders in tight spaces.
Defensive Exemption
Here lay the trade-off. Classic trequartistas rarely pressed. They conserved energy for attacking moments, trusting teammates to win possession. In an era of less sophisticated pressing, this was sustainable. The brilliance they provided justified the 9-man defensive structure.
The Position Under Threat
Modern football has squeezed the traditional trequartista toward extinction.
Pressing Requirements
Contemporary systems demand pressing from everyone. A player who doesn't contribute defensively creates a numerical disadvantage that opponents exploit. The luxury of carrying a non-presser became increasingly costly as pressing systems grew more sophisticated.
Space Compression
Teams defend deeper and more compactly. The "three-quarter" zone that trequartistas once exploited has shrunk. Where Baggio might have received the ball with time to turn, modern attacking midfielders face immediate pressure from multiple defenders.
System Dominance
Coaches now prioritize systematic play over individual brilliance. They want predictability, patterns, players who fill spaces rather than seek them. The maverick playmaker doesn't fit modern templates.
The Modern Adaptation
The trequartista hasn't disappeared—it has evolved.
The False Nine
One adaptation positioned playmakers as nominal strikers who dropped deep. Messi's role under Guardiola at Barcelona influenced globally, including in Serie A. The space vacated by the dropping forward creates problems that defenders struggle to solve.
The Pressing Trequartista
Players like Paulo Dybala represent adaptation. They retain the creative qualities of traditional fantasistas while accepting pressing responsibilities. They've sacrificed some freedom for tactical integration.
The Wide Playmaker
Others migrated wide. Playing from the flank offers more space and time while still allowing influence on central areas. Insigne at Napoli exemplified this, drifting infield from nominal wing positions.
The Mezzala Hybrid
Some trequartista qualities now appear in box-to-box midfielders. Players like Barella combine creative vision with relentless running. They might produce the decisive pass while also winning the ball back in their own half.
Serie A's Contemporary Picture
Italian football has been slower than others to abandon the traditional playmaker, reflecting cultural attachment to the position. But economics and results eventually drive change.
Dybala's journey illustrates the evolution. At Juventus, managers repeatedly tried to define his role—false nine, second striker, attacking midfielder, wide forward. His undoubted quality never quite fit systematic requirements. At Roma, he found a system willing to accommodate him, but even there, he presses more than the Dybala of five years prior.
Napoli under Spalletti showed modern interpretation. They played without a traditional number 10, but Kvara, Raspadori, and others shared the creative burden. The trequartista function persisted; the fixed position did not.
Milan's scudetto came with a system rather than a star. Brahim Díaz or De Ketelaere played nominally as attacking midfielders, but their roles were more structured, more defined by team patterns than individual freedom.
Analytical Considerations
When analyzing Serie A matches, the evolution of the trequartista role offers useful frameworks:
Identify the creative hub. Every team needs a player who turns defense into attack, defense pressure into attacking opportunity. They may not wear number 10 or play the traditional position, but they fulfill the function.
Assess pressing structures. Teams accommodating classical playmakers have different pressing shapes. Understanding where they accept defensive compromises reveals opportunities and vulnerabilities.
Form depends on freedom. Players with trequartista qualities need confidence and tactical license to produce. When managers constrain them excessively, creativity diminishes even if defensive structure improves.
The ghost of the classic fantasista haunts Serie A still. The position's evolution reflects football's broader tactical journey—more systematic, more athletic, perhaps less romantic, but no less fascinating.
