Why Tottenham Hotspur must do everything possible to beat PSG to Illya Zabarnyi – Opinion

The Lilywhites have entered into the ongoing summer into quite a pivotal period given the transition from playing under Ange Postecoglou to having to implement their playing structure under Thomas Frank. And this overhaul is also expected to have an identity change as the North Londoners try to adapt to a defensive identity at Tottenham.

And while Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are a solid pairing, the former has been linked with a move away from Tottenham, while the latter has a sketchy injury record, which has already burnt the Lilywhites badly last season.

But now with Tottenham Hotspur stadium hosting Champions League football for the upcoming season complemented by the demand to have multiple defensive structures (3-4-3, 4-3-3, or even 3-5-2), the North Londoners cannot afford to miss out on elite young centre-backs who combine positional intelligence with progressive instincts (especially with Thomas Frank taking charge of the proceedings at Hotspur Way).

And this is exactly what Illya Zabarnyi brings, and this is why Daniel Levy and the North Londoners cannot let PSG swoop in and sign the Bournemouth defender without giving the French side a proper fight.

Zabarnyi brings what Tottenham desperately need under Frank

The Ukrainian boasts elite defensive maturity, despite his budding age, given that he has over a century of appearances across the Premier League and Vitality Stadium; moreover, he has played in multiple systems that include low blocks and zonal pressing under different managers with the Cherries. He’s also excellent in making decisions and 1v1 situations and has enough intelligence to operate in his zones. The fact that he rarely overcommits is very crucial to Thomas Frank wanting to play at Hotspur Way in his structured mid-block where defenders must maintain vertical compactness.

Zabarnyi also has that two-footed capability given how he is right-footed but is very comfortable playing with his left, so you can play him on either side of the centre-back pairing (which is a valuable rotation flexibility in itself). And then he can also play those clean diagonal passes to full-backs or midfielders. This allows Frank to build symmetrically from the back (something he craved at Brentford but lacked due to Ethan Pinnock being the only left-side option).

He also brings a sense of composure under pressure, and he has that capacity to read the plays quite dangerously in early runs (zone 14 coverage is especially strong).

How can his tactics fit under Thomas Frank?

The Dane head coach likes to defend in quite a structured manner and not rely on chaotic pressing situations like Tottenham did under Ange Postecoglou, which means that the defenders must know how to get into compact spaces quickly while having that discipline to stay in their positional zones while managing overloads. They must also have the ability to cover for attacking full-backs like Udogie or Porro.

And Zabarnyi fits seamlessly into this, as he can play as a right centre-back in a 4-3-3 or even as part of a back three.

I also think that Zabarnyi is a smarter long-term signing when directly compared to someone like Guehi, and he is also more tactically secure than Collins.

Strengths

He has a high-level defensive IQ, as we have seen given how he plays under Iraola, and he is also ready calm when it comes to playing under pressure. Zabarnyi also boasts an elite recovery pace and has that two-footed composure.

Weakness

He is still learning high line triggers (that should not be a problem given how Thomas Frank likes to operate in a structured mid-block instead).

More Tottenham Hotspur News:

• TTLB Opinion: Is Postecoglou the reason behind Maddison’s underwhelming season at Tottenham?
• TTLB Opinion: Tottenham target Branthwaite and Guehi – but who makes more sense?
• TTLB Opinion: Should Tottenham be worried about Van de Ven to Real Madrid or is it all agent talks?

Author Verdict: Zabarnyi has the capacity to be the lead CB at Tottenham for years to come…

Zabarnyi is not just a depth defensive signing, but he does seriously have a capacity to be a future anchor. And given that he already had a good amount of top-level experience as well as two-footed build-up play skills, he is exactly the type of intelligent defender that Thomas Frank can mould into a Premier League monster.