Fausto Vera – Argentinos Junior’s balletic anchor man
Fausto Vera is a known entity in Argentinean football as he has already been subject of interest from Belgium and Italy as his exploits in the Copa Libertadores as well as his inclusion in the Olympic squad should make him available to Premier League clubs this summer. The 21-year-old has become a crucial player at the base of midfield for Argentinos Juniors as he joined the club when he was 8 and has played a crucial role with incredible consistency. Argentinos Juniors continues to be one of the finest academy systems in Argentina as it is likely that they will part with Vera for a lucrative transfer fee in the coming months.
Vera studied the likes of Sergio Busquets from Barcelona, Casemiro from Real Madrid and the godfather of the modern-day Argentine number 5 in River Plate’s Enzo Perez as the 21-year-old has physical resolve meshed with technique in possession. Vera prefers to keep things simple with clever passes to keep his side in possession as Gabriel Milito’s side prefer to hold possession but he is capable of using some swagger to shimmy past a marker and drive the ball forward as well as playing some delicate line-breaking passes in the higher areas of the pitch. At the base of midfield, one of his biggest gifts is his one or two touch passes as he is constantly dropping deeper to create passing angles for his centre-backs and demanding possession in the six-space while maintaining an awareness of markers behind him.
Argentinos Juniors made a shrewd move in tying him down to a new contract till 2023 in September last year which will ensure that they will earn a good fee after Vera’s exploits with the Argentine U23 side later this summer. Another of Vera’s strengths is his ability to receive possession and work passes with both feet as at home to Banfield, he allowed a pass from his right-sided centre-back to roll across his body to his left foot before playing a pass in between the lines with his right foot. Vera would then move to the right flank to demand possession in a tight space with the opposition striker looking to close him down while the 21-year-old pivote was on the half-turn for Vera to receive the ball and caress a one-touch pass in between the lines to a teammate.
In some situations, especially later in games, Milito will push Vera higher up the pitch or in certain situations as Argentinos Juniors will work build-up sequences where Vera pushes higher up and another midfielder will drop into the six-space. Against Banfield, Argentinos Juniors worked this ploy as Vera received possession from the left flank to allow the ball to roll across his body and lob a one-touch pass over an opposition player and into a teammate in between the lines. Vera’s scanning of situations and ability to play simple one-touch passes in all areas of the field is impressive as is his ability to be penetrative and press resistant with his one-touch passes. There are sequences where he can work one-touch passing combinations to lay-off to his centre-backs before moving into space to receive possession again or scan the pitch and work a one-touch pass through an open passing lane he identified before receiving possession.
He would receive possession on the half-turn in the six-space again to work another one-touch to a teammate in the right half-space to beat two opposition players. Against Aldosivi, he demanded possession in the deeper areas of the pitch to weave past two players and drive the ball into the centre of the pitch to switch a pass to the opposite flank. The 21-year-old is an expert at using a ‘gambeta’ or a ‘croqueta’ to weave out of a tight situation and into space to hold the ball while he will also use his body to shield the ball from an opposition player and draw a foul. Vera is lanky but he also possesses a stocky physique which allows him to muscle his way out of situations or draw fouls in the deeper areas. Dribbling tends to be very risky in the deeper areas as Vera found out towards the end of the first-half against Aldosivi when he lost possession on the edge of his own box. However, he was fantastic in dropping deep to receive possession and working balls through the lines.
At home to Estudiantes, he had one of his best games of the season, starting the game with a fantastic line-breaking pass to Gabriel Carbajal in between the lines as he just shows an impeccable sense of calm in distributing the ball from the base of midfield. He then shuttled across to intercept a David Ayala pass before stretching his leg to regain possession after Argentinos Juniors lost the ball to skip past a man as he fired a strike wide of the goal. Vera’s slight of foot came to the fore again when he received possession with pressure in his face to use his directional first touch to evade his marker before swivelling and threading a pass in between the lines. He then received possession on the left flank as he was on the half-turn to take a touch with his right foot before lasering a pass in between the lines with his left.
Vera has an impeccable mastery of the fundamentals of the defensive midfield position as his quick-feet partnered with lumbering size make it difficult for him to cede possession while he his directional first touch to shift possession away from his marker and set his body up to spray a line-breaking pass is phenomenal. Vera would notch a goal as a free-kick into the box was headed into his path for the 21-year-old to calmly side-foot past the keeper for his side to take the lead. As well as being gifted on the ground, Vera is dominant in the air, rising high to win aerial duels to shield his defence and regain possession to recycle attacking moves from the base of midfield. He would regain to spin out of counter-pressure from three opposition players before driving the ball forward to poke a pass to a teammate in between the lines. Vera would then receive possession in the ten space to slalom past a defender and release the ball to the wide areas.
He would regain possession again to slalom past an opposition player before holding off another as he lost possession closer to the touchline. Vera is tremendous at distributing the ball on the half-turn as well as playing a one or two-touch sequence to move the ball. He once received the ball from the left to allow the ball to run across his body to thread a pass into the next line. The 21-year-old finished the game with an 89% pass succession rate, 2 shots and 1 goal while winning 4/6 aerial duels and making 1 block in a phenomenal two-way performance.
Away to Nacional in the Copa Libertadores, he showed fantastic defensive anticipation as the opposition shifted the ball to their left flank to thread a line-breaking pass to a player dropping out of the nine-space as Vera slid across to make a timely interception and regain possession for his team. He had another fantastic pass on the half-turn when he received possession to take his first touch with his back-foot to put himself in between the ball and his marker to fake like he was going to spin away as both of his centre-backs were marked. He drove the ball back to the right flank and lasered a pass past two opposition players to a teammate in between the lines to facilitate an attacking move.
In this game, Vera showed tremendous initiative to continuously orchestrate press resistant moves from the six-space. He once received possession to scan twice, looking at the centre-back behind him while an opposition player was pushing up to mark him from the opposite direction, once Vera received the ball, he elegantly swivelled away from his marker with his directional first touch and worked a back-pass to his centre-back. In the same sequence, he dropped into space to receive possession again to turn twice and play a back-pass to his goalkeeper as he would receive possession a third time under pressure to take a touch and play the ball to the flank. He would receive possession in the six-space from his right-sided centre-back to play a one-touch pass back to him before moving into space and gesturing for a pass to receive possession again to thread a pass into the wide areas before receiving possession a third time to take a touch and play a pass back into the centre.
The 21-year-old would receive possession in the six-space again to lay-off and move into space to receive possession again to turn and drive the ball into the opposition half to thread a pass into the nine-space. Vera then received a lay-off to play a one-touch pass into a teammate in the next line to receive possession again for a pass into the wide areas for his teammate to play the ball back to him to allow the ball to roll across his body before swivelling back to play a ball towards the flank. The Argentine deep-lying mastermind would have to stretch to guide the ball back to his centre-back with an opposition player pressing him before he received possession again to turn and work a pass to a teammate in the next line. Against Nacional, he had a variety of moves in which he touched the ball several times in the six-space in order funnel transition and direct his side into the attacking half.
In a different situation, a teammate played a misdirected pass for Vera to shield the ball and lay the ball off to his teammate to prevent his side from losing possession in the opposition half. He would continue his incredible performance when he received possession from a throw-in to play the ball to a teammate and move into space to receive possession to flick his hips and work a pass into the centre. Defensively, he would be drawn into the wide areas for the winger to beat him as Vera was unrelenting chasing the opposition winger into the centre and making a clean tackle to regain possession. He would use his clever passing and movement in the six-space to create another opportunity as he received possession to lay-off to a teammate and demand possession before dropping into the six-space to create a passing angle for his centre-back in order to receive possession to turn and play the ball into the next-line for a teammate who would thread a pass in behind for Argentinos Juniors to have a shot on goal.
His passing in tight spaces is a thing of beauty as he is so calm and undeterred by oncoming pressure which makes him elusive to opposition attackers. He received a pass from the right flank to turn while a player was in his face for Vera to thread an accurate pass in between the lines. He would play another pass in between the lines before he received possession in the opposition half to skip past one marker, shimmy past another and then release the ball to a teammate. In another throw-in situation, he received the throw-in to work another one-two before receiving possession to play a pass to a teammate on the edge of the opposition box. In the months leading up to the Olympic games, Vera has put in some amazing performances which should impress teams abroad.
Vera’s motoring skills, sense of movement and command of the six-space makes him one of the more refined Argentine deep-lying playmakers in an incredibly well-stocked talent pool. His constant demand of possession and fearlessness with it in tight spaces has made him one of the more interesting players in this position. The 21-year-old has a maturity to play simple and not constantly search for the highlight reel pass but maintain the ability to play line-breaking passes with regularity. In the opposition half, he has the intelligence to allow his side to maintain possession and shift the opposition defensive block with tidy passing or shielding the ball. Defensively, he is strong in the air and has an incredible reading of the game to slide across to make interceptions while he is strong and assured in tackles and 50/50 battles.
Argentinos Juniors could be more willing to sell as they have 20-year-old Matias Lugo as well as Fernando Redondo’s 18-year-old son, Federico Redondo as internal replacements as Vera should command a good fee after the Olympics. The 21-year-old is set to be a key player for Argentina’s Olympic side as his exploits in the Copa Libertadores should warrant a British work permit making him a cost-effective option for some English sides. Teams like Arsenal, Manchester United as well as Brighton and Hove Albion who could need a reliable defensive-midfielder should be keeping an eye on Vera this summer as it would be the perfect time for him to move for all parties.
