Apple and oranges. Maxi doesn't need anybody to carry his water and cover for him - he can can carry the ball forward on his own, he can tackle the ball off an attacker, he can press, he can dribble through a pack of defenders, and he can even get into the box for a header. What he can't do is get past his own mental block to shoot, hence he needs some attackers to pass to.
Pirlo cannot do any of those things, at least not this past year. Pirlo needs a dedicated DMid to clean up behind him. The best Pirlo could do was receive the ball from the defender and make a quick pass. He can't tackle the ball off an attacker with any regularity. he can't press with any real success. he can't dribble through defenders. and he sure as hell can't get into the box for a header. Pirlo has even more of a mental block to shoot (at least Maxi did score some goals).