Opinion: We are seeing the rebirth of Javier Pastore at Roma

We had got used to being without the Argentine because of the string of injuries that disrupted his first season at Roma and now that we are seeing him perform on a regular basis, it is natural to think about what we have missed out on during his time on the sidelines.

It was Pastore's fourth game in ten days last night and his third in a row in the starting line-up, a feat which he had not managed in quite a while. His total playing time last season in competitive matches was just 838 minutes, while his current total this time around already stands at 507.

Following on from strong performances against Borussia Monchengladbach and AC Milan, the Argentine once again showed he is a player the club can count on, particularly with the ongoing injury crisis. The footballing lesson he produced earnt him a rousing ovation from the Udinese faithful – further confirmation of just how impressive he had been.

Pastore was among the top performers against Milan, but raised the bar even higher in Udine. Having started the game in an attacking-midfield role, the red card for Federico Fazio saw El Flaco drop back into a deeper position, as Gianluca Mancini filled in at centre-back alongside Chris Smalling, and showcase his quality during his 69-minute stint. His fine vision, ability to catch the opposition by surprise and dictate the pace of the team's play by slowing it down or speeding it up, which makes him a key cog for Paulo Fonseca, were all on display in abundance.

Pastore has been full of running recently, although this is starting to no longer be a surprise. On Sunday at the Olimpico, he was the player who covered the most ground (11.72 km according to official stats from Serie A) and certainly would have been towards the top on Wednesday if he had not been subbed off. The Argentine made a telling contribution which oozed quality and substance, particularly considering he also did his fair share of defensive work to help the team in a difficult game in which they were a man down for the best part of an hour.

The statistics help us paint an even clearer picture. Pastore finished the game against Udinese with seven successful defensive duels out of seven, which was more than his midfield partner, Jordan Veretout (one successful tackle and one defensive duel out of three), and Smalling (four successful duels out of nine) and Mancini (four out of eight). The 30-year-old made two interceptions and regained possession four times, all of which were in opposition territory.

Pastore often found himself in the same part of the pitch as Rodrigo de Paul for a battle between Argentines that the Roma man won easily, with five duels to his name compared with none for his countryman.

In this photo, for example, El Flaco gets in a tackle to foil his compatriot's attempt to put a Udinese attack together.

This is the moment when De Paul picked up a yellow card in the 68th minute for a foul on Pastore.

El Flaco won the ball back here to set up one of Roma's most dangerous moves in the first half, when the Argentine ended up having his shot blocked.

We saw how he stuck to Jajalo, cleverly dispossessed him, supported Edin Dzeko and Kluivert on a fast counterattack with a three-on-two, although Pastore did not manage to make the most of it because of the Udinese centre-backs' good defensive play. Instead of playing the ball to the unmarked Dzeko or Kluivert, he missed his chance and was closed down before getting a right-footed shot in.

Pastore redeemed himself in the second half, thanks to the move that became the symbol of Roma's successful outing in Udine. There was a series of exchanges that led to Roma taking an unassailable 3-0 lead in the 54th minute and all but secure the three points.

The move began with Mancini, who produced a stellar display, winning possession back in the Roma penalty area and playing the ball down the left where he combined with Aleksandar Kolarov and Dzeko. The number 9, who dropped deep to pick up possession, played the ball to Pastore, who was in space just inside his half.

El Flaco saw that Udinese had overcommitted going forward and were completely unbalanced down their right, with Roma quickly moving the ball down the flank. It was then played inside, while Kolarov busted a gut to get forward in support. He spotted Kluivert's run from right to left in behind Mato Jajalo, while Nicolo Zaniolo was bursting down the right in space.

When everybody, the Udinese rearguard included, expected a simple ball to Zaniolo, Pastore managed to seemingly counterintuitively play a defence-splitting pass to Kluivert, which forced three of the four defenders to turn on the run and change direction.

Kluivert took the risk of cutting in on to his right foot, instead of taking on the shot on his left, and it paid off as he found the back of the net.

This photo makes the complex nature of what El Flaco did even clearer to see.

Many of us probably thought about the words of former Roma sporting director Walter Sabatini, someone who knows El Flaco rather well. "Pastore strides across the pitch with the ball at his feet with great balance and drives forward with consummate ease. He picks out passes that other players simply don't see," he stated a year and a half ago in an interview with Sky.

All that Pastore was missing was a goal and he did go close after 11 minutes, with an effort from the edge of the box that was just off target. It was a similar attempt to the one against Milan a few days ago.

It will soon come if he keeps playing with such consistency and quality. Pastore seems more determined than ever to free himself from the shackles of the "fragile talent" label and take his revenge on Serie A.

Fonseca believed in him and now has a mature attacking midfielder in his ranks who boosts the quality of Roma's football, particularly when you need that ability to unlock a very resolute opposition defence.

When the key players return from injury, Pastore may well take another step forward.