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Who Is Nico Paz? The Como & Argentina Wonderkid Lighting Up Serie A (Clip From Q & A Pod)
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How good is Nico Paz? After a brilliant start to the Serie A season, Nima Tavallaey and Carlo Garganese do a profile deep dive on the Como attacking midfielder, looking at the former Real Madrid star’s profile, stats, age, position as well as the latest transfer news surrounding the player.
The Italian Football Podcast patron Anthony sends in a question on the Spanish wonderkid lighting up the Serie A.
This is an extended clip from this weeks Q & A episode of The Italian Football Podcast available only to patrons on Patreon.com/TIFP
To send in your questions as well as listen to this & all other full episodes of The Italian Football Podcast (with no ads), go to Patreon.com/TIFP OR Spotify to become a Patron for only $2.99 USD per month (excluding VAT).
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Transcript
Welcome Message
00:00:02
Speaker
Welcome to the Italian football podcast. Right.
Nico Pass's Potential: A Rising Star
00:00:05
Speaker
Next question um comes in from Tony Rizzo. He says, how good do you think Nico Pass can be? He's been incredible for Como so far this season and he's been called up by Argentina.
Analyzing Nico Pass's Style and Youth
00:00:17
Speaker
Yeah, he's he's a fantastic talent. Watching him in that first half against Napoli, I fell in love with him. I already liked what I'd seen from from him in the in the previous games, but he he looks like a really special talent. He's i he's only 20 years old. He's a like midfielder, attacking midfielder, but he's so elegant on the ball, left-footed.
Transfer Insights: Real Madrid's Clause
00:00:39
Speaker
He was signed from Real Madrid this summer for for six million euros, and but It has been reported that Madrid have got a buyback clause ah in their in their contract and to to get him back, but they often do with a lot of players. They've done it in recent years, like Bracken Diaz, they did it with him, Maratta and Carvajal and a few others that they've sent away over the last 10 years or so.
Pass's Impressive Season Stats
00:01:06
Speaker
and he's He's the latest. he He looks like a wonderful wonderful talent. Amazing effort. That shot
00:01:13
Speaker
that he had off the post in the Napoli game. I mean, that was incredible. And this season, he's actually second in Europe, top five leagues for the most big chances created but for Little Como. The only player that has more um big chances created this season is Lamine Yamal from Barcelona, who's obviously an absolute phenomenon.
00:01:40
Speaker
So, it's um yeah, he's he's he's ah he's a wonderful talent. he's he's He reminds me...
Comparisons to Football Legends
00:01:49
Speaker
Bro, he reminds me of Redondo, actually, a little bit. Fernando Redondo, a little bit. Just this kind of, when he picks up the ball, his elegance and the confidence that he has on the ball. But he's a little bit more attacking than Redondo, so that might not be the right kind of comparison. But just that kind of elegance that he has on the ball, he does remind me of him a little bit.
International Recognition and Praise
00:02:09
Speaker
But, I mean, you can see like what big talent he is, because he's been called up but front by the Argentina national team. And he,
00:02:17
Speaker
he uh Scallone that the Argentina coach called chess Fabregas who's the obviously his manager at Cuomo to ask him about him and Fabregas was was was you know going mad about him like just just what an incredible talent he is so I think that um yeah certainly we like breakout star in Serie A this season and and he's somebody that I think is destined to play for a for a big club if it's not Real Madrid because they've got so about a billion other wonder kids and then that team it's I think it will be it will be someone else and Como will do well to keep him probably past this season but yeah he's been amazing this season so far yeah he's been he's been quite the revelation hasn't he um and and he's been like so far if we're honest I think you could say that he's been
00:03:05
Speaker
Well the most impressive breakout young player of the city are I Mean under 21 who else can can we say under there like For a young break-up player, how old has Dennis Mann? because He's been pretty amazing. He's 25, isn't he? He's not in that age bracket anymore. yeah He has been incredible. incredible yeah lovely Amazing player to watch as well. He's 26 even, Dennis Mann. I didn't realise he was that old.
00:03:36
Speaker
Yeah, he well, it's been a couple of years. Yeah. So, you know, it's it's ah I think in terms of I mean, yeah, no, not for Zini, perhaps, but I think yeah in terms of explosion, I might I'm I'm going to to agree with you on that. Or as for in terms of like under 21, no one has been better than but than he has.
Como's Development Philosophy
00:04:05
Speaker
Como has been really impressive as well in the last few games, the way that they played. We spoke about this on the Monday pod, about Fabregas being a really bright young talent himself as a coach and and the the identity and philosophy of the team. And I think the way that they play football, the way they try and keep the ball, the passing, the patterns of play, I think that's obviously help also helped Nico Paz to express himself. And I think that will that will help him continue to develop.
00:04:33
Speaker
this this season and as well. and so he's yeah he's been He's been really, really good and that that is a real incredible capture actually from Kormo to buy him. It's really critical of some of their buys like going for kind of older kind of players that have already been there And yeah these are the kind of signings that really Koma should be making these kind of, you know, up and coming young talents. And then you have a coach like Fabrikas, who's football seems to be conducive to developing these kind of players.
Balancing Youth and Experience
00:05:03
Speaker
So I hope that Koma go for more of these kind of players rather than the kind of older.
00:05:09
Speaker
you know, Andrea Bellotti, Alberto Moreno, you know, Pepe Reina, those kind of signings. I hope they go for Morton Koppas. Well, I think you need balance. I think Marotta's approach with you need balance to get the most out of, you know, to I think just going with the kids, you need special kids and you need that perfect moment in time. Like, you know, the famous class of 97, is it the Manchester, 92, sorry. Yeah. The class of 92. Like that was,
00:05:37
Speaker
That was a special generation. um You rarely get something like that all playing for one club. um But um yeah, it's ah I think i think it's it's it's it's it's very difficult. You know, more often than not, I think you need the balance. But 100%, I think they've gone the right way to do that. And I mean, the Rafael Varán thing, and I have to do a mea culpa there, I thought,
00:06:00
Speaker
Varane's body could handle it, but evidently not. I mean, he was completely broken. It was sad um to see because he's one of my favorite defenders of a lot of this past decade. I thought he was just at Real Madrid was just ridiculous. Yeah, it's sad. It's just a shame. It's a shame about that one. But he's going to stay at the club.
Real Madrid's Youth Strategy
00:06:20
Speaker
So hopefully he can help develop some of these players like Paz.
00:06:24
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. And and as for Real Madrid, I mean, Florentino Perez is just like, he's just got, they've got everyone. like its just the like but theyve They just got all Wonder Kids and now Mbappe. It's just like, no, this is not this is not on. like Someone needs to get that football manager saved out of Florentino Perez's hands. So many kids. it's is And they're all brilliant. Yeah.
00:06:52
Speaker
um But I gotta say, Arda Gula is like, just he's got that special something about him, don't he? There's so many of them. There's so many of these young talents. this is is I've i've never um've never seen so many young talents away from a P Diddy party. yes this Oh my god! Get get the P Diddy reference in there. It's unbelievable.
00:07:16
Speaker
oh dear no no you're right you're right it's um it's uh he's uh you know he's he's truly special there's there's lots of them too um so um yeah well done to como well done to como