Scouting Ian Subiabre: Strengths, Weaknesses & Tactical fit under Thomas Frank

While Thomas Frank takes charge of the proceedings at Hotspur Way, it is likely that Daniel Levy will continue with his recently adapted transfer policy of signing players while they are getting into their potential and then ensuring that they walk into their potential within the corridors of Hotspur Way. In fact, bringing the Dane as head coach would have been a decision with his history of developing young talent at Gtech Community Stadium being one of the factors that led the chiefs at N17 to appoint him, given that the Lilywhites are blessed with a lot of young talent on the roster, and the 51-year-old will be extremely excited to get the chance to nurture and unlock their true potential.

We have seen how the 63-year-old business chairman at Tottenham has brought in the likes of Destiny Udogie, Pape Matar Sarr, Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray, Wilson Odobert, Antonin Kinsky and Mathys Tel in the recent past, with most of them going on to become a part of the regular roster at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. And by the looks of it, the Premier League heavyweights are set to bring more depth into this talent pool at N17 in the ongoing off-season as Tottenham express interest in bringing Ian Subiabre to England.

There are recent reports from earlier this week that indicate that the Lilywhites have made formal enquiries to bring the River Plate starlet to N17.

Let’s talk about Ian Subiabre…

Strengths

Subiabre is someone that loves being isolated in wide areas, and that’s irrespective of whether he is starting on the left and cutting inside on his stronger foot or drifting centrally from the right. He has that close control on the ball complemented by his shift of balance that makes him a nightmare in 1v1 duels. And the Lilywhites can use him keenly especially when facing compact low blocks. If we are thinking about how Thomas Frank likes to have his wide forwards create their own space, Subiabre fits this bill perfectly, especially given his agility and unpredictability.

The Argentine teenager is a versatile prospect and can play as a left winger who cuts inside or even as a right winger who offers deeper combinations. You can also slot him in that #10 or second striker role in Thomas Frank’s 3-5-2 framework. And this is something that Frank would love, given how he likes positional fluidity within his structured system.

I think that you can use him as a rotational piece in the immediate season, and you can develop the teenager into a multiple attacking threat over the years to come.

Now while he is still young, the Argentine River Plate wide forward has shown intelligence and maturity in his understanding of space and off-the-ball movements. He is quite good at finding gaps between full-backs and centre-backs. He also likes to rotate into pockets when central midfielders are dropping and also likes to track back when possession is lost. Now things are something you don’t find quite often in players who are still this young, and it makes him a good fit in the structure that Thomas Frank is expected to implement at Tottenham (especially when transitioning from a mid-block into a counterpress).

Weaknesses

At the moment he still doesn’t have that physicality that helps him hold off defenders in more intense duels, particularly when we consider the pace and power of Premier League-level physical situations. The teenager will need time to get to the gym, but he should also be given some sense of tactical protection (i.e., layered support behind him) as he builds that understanding and physical strength required to thrive in England.

And while he is creative, I think that he still needs to develop a bit in terms of his decision-making. So you’d see Ian beat his man with flair, but every now and then he delays the pass or misjudges a shooting angle, so Tottenham faithful will need to be patient with him as he refines his output in the final third.

How can Ian Subiabre tactically fir at Tottenham under Thomas Frank

I think that if we are speaking about playing in 4-3-3, he would most naturally fit in as a left winger who cuts inside to combine with a central #10 (like Maddison or Eze, if the latter is signed). He opens the left half-space for an overlapping full-back (Udogie) and plays as a half-space creator who destabilises settled blocks. And here the Dane head coach could try to replicate the Brentford-style offensive setup, where wide forwards are key to creating overloads and space for midfield runners.

Then if we are talking about an alternative 3-5-2, Frank can use Ian in a second striker role where the Argentine can float off a physical number nine. And he can bring that in-between lines movement and decoy runs. Here you’d want him to try to bring more of a sense of chaos when defenders focus on central target men.

In the latter, he will be more reactive and will have fewer defensive responsibilities and focus on final third manipulation (which suits his raw traits for now).

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Author Opinion

Tottenham would be smart to bring in someone with the capacity of Ian Subiabre at Hotspur Way, given that he is still within grasp and a relativelyunknown talent, and under Thomas Frank, the North Londoners are clearly looking to head into a direction where they can end up using a lot of the qualities that Subiabre possesses. Now he will not be an instant starter, but his long-term ceiling is very high.