Joao Mario's a bargain
Saddled with the pressure of a   40m price-tag, Joao Mario is proving to be well worth it for Inter, writes Richard Hall.

"Joao Mario, for me, is a player who could play for any club in the world - Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter, Milan, Bayern." These were the words of ex-Portuguese midfielder Deco after his move to Inter. When asked why Frank de Boer and Stefano Pioli have struggled to find a position for him, he was quick to retort. "It's because he can play anywhere, he is fantastic.” Obviously.

The question by the reporter was a fair one. How can a player who cost   40m plus a potential   5m in bonuses fail to establish a regular starting place, never mind a make it apparent which position he occupies? Surely this vast outlay of money, this huge investment in the future was part of a plan? They must have seen him play, right?

The fact is, as Deco suggested, Inter had watched him on many occasions and were attracted to his multi-purpose abilities. This was no ‘Jack of all trades and master of none’, this was the real deal. This was a player who from the outset showed why that he had the ability to play almost anywhere on the pitch and excel.

The young boy who started in the Porto academy as a defender and graduated from the Sporting classes as a midfielder showed at an early age that he could turn his hand to any position. By the time he turned 24 years of age in January, he had won the European Championships with Portugal (playing every game) and helped transform Inter’s season. In doing so, he had played in central midfield, attacking midfield, left and right midfield, defensive midfield and as a striker. Arguably for one game he filled in a centre-back and another he could have been said to be more of a support striker. Even so, that’s a minimum of six positions in 27 games.

With three goals and four assists in 19 appearances for Inter, the man who idolised both Zinedine Zidane and Manuel Rui Costa growing up looks on track to be at least in the same bracket as the latter.

What he has given to the Nerazzurri is a sense of calm and purpose. His fluid yet determined style seems to have few weaknesses. He is strong, quick, has a range of forward thinking passes as well as knowing when to be safe. Adept at set-pieces, he likes to run with the ball and has an incredible shot on him. His critics will tell you he can’t tackle, but that should be seen in context, as he is superb at ushering the man on the ball into a non-dangerous space without ever committing.

This has left Pioli with a man who is as dangerous from the bench as he is when he starts. Against the bigger teams, it is preferable to see him in the starting XI, as he can dictate the play and give Inter a calm and measured approach they so often lack. Later in the game he knows when (and how) to up the tempo. Equally against the smaller teams the sight of the Portuguese man coming off the bench is a holistic solution that often makes teams capitulate at the mere thought.  

The next level he needs to reach is still some way ahead of him, however. Whilst he is a huge bonus for Inter, he is not yet a man who you can rely on consistently to win a game on his own, and in fairness he may never be. Does this matter though? Are his talents not enough?

The beautiful but simple enigma that is Joao Mario is so easily explained. Why have Coaches struggled to play him? This is a statement usually seen hand in hand with: ‘Is he really worth the money if he isn’t starting every game?’ It is true that the Coach doesn’t know where to play Joao Mario, this is because there are too many places you want to put him. He is adept as a central midfielder, a wide man, even a trequartista. One must also remember that he is 23 and adapting to a new country.

So, is he worth the money? Joao Mario is simply a stock that will continue to rise to such an extent that it may never be worth selling.  
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