Real Madrid's Ángel Di María Could Become First-Choice Playmaker

After Ángel Di María put in a man-of-the-match-worthy performance during Real Madrid's 6-2 victory over Sevilla, I couldn't help but compare the game with its corresponding fixture during the previous season, which also ended in the same scoreline.

Although it was Cristiano Ronaldo who made the headlines against the Andalusian team on May 7th with four goals, Mesut Özil produced an equally impressive output with three assists to his name, bringing his seasonal tally to 21. Özil would eventually finish with 24 assists, effectively leading La Liga and the rest of Europe.

Di María's pass to Ronaldo for the opener against Sevilla reminded me of two similar goals engineered by Özil, including one against Real Zaragoza in August. The earlier assist came during the 2010-11 campaign against Racing Santander as part of a majestic, acclaim-drawing performance from Özil.

Last season, almost all of Di María's play originated on the wings. While his outside play this season has been just as phenomenal, it is reinforced by new-found skill in the center. His talent in the middle of the pitch was evident against Sevilla. Supported by Ronaldo and Callejón on either side, Di María took control and created a multitude of opportunities for his teammates.

Di María once preferred to stick to the outside and would only converge towards the inside to either shoot or pass, but he now looks much more comfortable receiving the ball at any point on the field. His versatility is reflected by the numbers he has put up.

Di María has already provided thirteen assists this season, with twelve of them notched during his last eleven games. By comparison, Özil had nine at this point last year, and no one would disagree that he had a phenomenal debut season with Real Madrid. If Di María keeps up the pace, he could have an even better and more influential season than Özil did last year.

While Özil should most certainly not be written off as an important member of Real Madrid's squad, Di María's recent form could tempt José Mourinho to give the Argentine a more permanent central role in hopes of capitalizing on his ability to deliver the final ball, which at this point is more refined than that of any other player on the team.