Denis Zakaria

[Cobwebcat]

If fit, this player potentially shores up an area of the pitch for us, when needed.

It doesn't matter if he only ends up playing 10 games per whole season & then being sold on again after two years, provided he helps stop teams who would run through us, score & then park the bus & counter us, from doing so & we get the points.

Pep must surely be able to persuade the players to vastly improve the current standard of finishing, we now have potentially the best cb group in the world, we have an army of players who can knock nice passes about, a selection of unthreatening midfield ball recyclers, vast experience we have more or less every option barring 'proper' cf & an all round midfielder who can geuinely cover ground & compete with athletes.

Imo a player like this (fit) plus Haaland would give Pep.the ability to match & destroy any team even at its own game, if he wished.

Those two would be a far better investment than Messi imo.

Haaland and Zakaria to replace Fern and Aguero would be ideal though it will be a sad day when both leave.

Messi would be the bonus we didn’t need but would still want...who could complain about all 3? Set for years with hopefully a few coming through the academy.

I just hope we don’t buy any more defenders...it’s an obsession if we do.

 

[Neville Kneville]

Haaland and Zakaria to replace Fern and Aguero would be ideal though it will be a sad day when both leave.

Messi would be the bonus we didn’t need but would still want...who could complain about all 3? Set for years with hopefully a few coming through the academy.

I just hope we don’t buy any more defenders...it’s an obsession if we do.

I'm not against us signing Messi, for all it entails, but if it was 'either or' it would be those two, for me.

 

[Deleted member 87819]

On the bench against Real Madrid tonight

 

[Mazimee]

Apparently, Zakaria is going to play against Rodrigo. We will see how it goes

 

[Deleted member 87819]

I need to post this now or I will regret it.

I don’t think this guy is who we’ve been waiting for. Everytime I have seen him play for Monchengladbach, it’s been a frustrating experience. Lately he’s been on the bench and coming in for poor performances. I went to Sofascore to check his scores for his performances and you have to go back months to find one for which he received a decent score.

Then I went to look for his heatmaps. They are very disappointing.

I can’t believe this is what Pep would want.

Compare his to Douglas Luiz’s.


or Declan Rice


Look at Rodri


Fernandinho in the last two season is a lot like Rodri’s too.
If Zakaria got here, he would have to change massively to become a “Pep player”. I think people here are waiting on your games against Monchengladbach in the UCL to judge him, but based on his recent history, it’s very unlikely that he will start those games. His coverage in the midfield just isn’t good. But like a lot of players, if you go to Youtube, in a compilation he becomes a genius...

 

[kun]

I need to post this now or I will regret it.

I don’t think this guy is who we’ve been waiting for. Everytime I have seen him play for Monchengladbach, it’s been a frustrating experience. Lately he’s been on the bench and coming in for poor performances. I went to Sofascore to check his scores for his performances and you have to go back months to find one for which he received a decent score.

Then I went to look for his heatmaps. They are very disappointing.

View attachment 7482I can’t believe this is what Pep would want.

Compare his to Douglas Luiz’s.

View attachment 7483
or Declan Rice

View attachment 7484
Look at Rodri

View attachment 7485
Fernandinho in the last two season is a lot like Rodri’s too.
If Zakaria got here, he would have to change massively to become a “Pep player”. I think people here are waiting on your games against Monchengladbach in the UCL to judge him, but based on his recent history, it’s very unlikely that he will start those games. His coverage in the midfield just isn’t good. But like a lot of players, if you go to Youtube, in a compilation he becomes a genius...

I agree. Zakaria seems like a good player but maybe too immobile and technically average for Pep. Camavinga is 18 and has a pretty impressive heat map.

 

[Sir peace frog]

if we are going off heat maps to judge players, maybe we should buy robbie savage, he was everywhere, but usually too late

 

[PannickAtTheDisco]

Whilst heatmaps are useful you have to take into account how the team plays and the match itself.

 

[Deleted member 87819]

Whilst heatmaps are useful you have to take into account how the team plays and the match itself.

I said in my post that every time I have seen him, it has frustrated me. And he’s a bench player right now. There is a reason for that.

 

[PannickAtTheDisco]

I said in my post that every time I have seen him, it has frustrated me. And he’s a bench player right now. There is a reason for that.

he's had a long term injury and it doesn't click back straight away.