09-24-2015, 12:05 AM
Zapata to me is the perfect third or fourth string CB on a team like this. He offers speed, athleticism and defensive skills that can inject energy into the game as a sub and occasional starter. But as a full time starter, the guy is not reliable enough for that role. He is an enticing entity because of his physical gift (he is a very good combination of speed, athleticism and build), but makes too many mistakes with the ball and loses his man a lot on marking assignment too. He is ok as a starter right now because we don't really have much better options, but it is definitely an area that we need to consider upgrading in the short term future, especially since Romagnoli isn't mature enough to lead the back line on his own yet.
I think our defense needs a player who can be the leader and director. We need someone who can call out plays and make sure the line holds their positions and assignments correctly. The individual qualities of our defenders isn't that poor, as Antonelli, Romagnoli and Abate/DES/Calabria are not slouches. But when playing together, the result isn't very good. From the games I have seen, there seems to always be communication issues in the back where players lose track of what their assignment is. We get burnt a few times already this season by opponents who exposed our issues holding up the line and beat our offside traps or missed markings to score goals. A leader like Nesta or Silva, who not only do well individually but also make sure the line of communication between the entire back four is clear and concise can do wonders to our quality in defense. The player doesn't have to be individually brilliant like Nesta or Silva (would be great if he is, of course), but he has to know how to lead a back line.
I think our defense needs a player who can be the leader and director. We need someone who can call out plays and make sure the line holds their positions and assignments correctly. The individual qualities of our defenders isn't that poor, as Antonelli, Romagnoli and Abate/DES/Calabria are not slouches. But when playing together, the result isn't very good. From the games I have seen, there seems to always be communication issues in the back where players lose track of what their assignment is. We get burnt a few times already this season by opponents who exposed our issues holding up the line and beat our offside traps or missed markings to score goals. A leader like Nesta or Silva, who not only do well individually but also make sure the line of communication between the entire back four is clear and concise can do wonders to our quality in defense. The player doesn't have to be individually brilliant like Nesta or Silva (would be great if he is, of course), but he has to know how to lead a back line.