In the modern game of heavy metal gegenpressing and robotic xG models, the TV Pirlo represents rebellion. He is the midfielder who refuses to run just for the sake of running. He is the guy who points to where his teammate should have passed rather than sprinting back to cover the counter-attack.
If you have scrolled through football Twitter (X) or watched a Premier League highlights show in the last five years, you have seen the meme. You have seen the grainy clip of a midfielder looking up, not breaking a sweat, while the chaos of a press happens 10 yards away.
Don’t yell at the screen. Pour a glass of red wine (or a chinotto). Put your feet up.
You aren’t watching bad defense. You are watching
Watching a TV Pirlo is relaxing. It is the football equivalent of ASMR.
Do you have a favorite "TV Pirlo" in your team? Or are you a "Kante runner" who hates the aesthetic? Let me know in the comments below.
However, the idea of Pirlo has transcended the actual player.