Cristian Zapata - Vincent Kompany’s Ideal Defensive Partner at Manchester City?
With an FA Cup trophy secured, expectation is now on Roberto Mancini to deliver on a grander scale as Manchester City brace for a title challenge next season.
City arguably boasts the strongest squad depth in the Premier League, yet the club have still been linked with a host of names to improve the Italian’s side over the summer.
But in which department can Mancini strengthen?
Should Carlos Tevez remain at Eastlands, the Italian will want to build on the cohesion in his side’s attack, rather than disrupt it. Edin Dzeko still has a season to prove his worth after an uninspiring arrival in January. Mario Balotelli will need to eradicate the petulance in his game to shine on Europe’s biggest stage next season. Emmanuel Adebayor looks set to leave, but City still have a capable striker in Jo among their ranks.
In midfield, the anchor of Nigel de Jong looks assured while Yaya Toure impressed in his inaugural term in English football.
Gareth Barry remains a Mancini favourite, although his pass success rate was lower than that of the Dutchman, while his key passes per game average was less than that of the former Barcelona midfielder.
City boasted the joint-best defensive record in the Premier League last season. Having conceded 33 goals, it’s difficult to recommend Mancini bolsters his back-line, but the majority of Eastlands targets have been defenders thus far.
Mancini has the potential to ask his Dubai-based investors to find a suitable partner for Vincent Kompany at the heart of his side’s defence. The Belgian was a standout player at Eastlands this term, while both Joeleon Lescott, and Kolo Toure, before his suspension, fell slightly short of their fellow centre-back in terms of performances.
Cristian Zapata enjoyed a commanding season at Udinese, who secured fourth spot in Serie A last term. The 24-year-old was an integral part of Francesco Guidolin’s 3-5-2 system and has subsequently been linked with a move to the Premier League after a series of influential performances.
Statistically, the Colombian lines up in a similar fashion to Kompany. Zapata made on average 2.1 tackles per game, while the City defender made 2.7. The Belgian also shaded interceptions as he averaged 2.4 per game, while Zapata made 2.1.
Zapata also appears to be less rash in the tackle than Kompany, as the Udinese man committed 0.8 fouls per game on average, while City’s defender made 1.2. The two, however, share both a similar shots blocked average, with Kompany totalling 0.9, Zapata slightly less with 0.7. Their pass success rate is also alike, with Kompany again shading it with 86%, while Zapata is on 84%.
Kompany trumps Zapata on his clearances rate as the Belgian made an average of 9.1 in every league outing, while the Colombian recorded an average total of 7.9, which is also impressive when you compare that statistic with John Terry’s 5.1, or Rio Ferdinand’s 6.5.
According to Whoscored.com’s player page profile, both Zapata and Kompany share similar traits as the duo have displayed high concentration levels over the course of the season, as well as the ability to tackle with precision.
