There is currently a “golden generation” emerging out of Ecuador with lots of money being thrown at some of their young stars. The most prominent example of this being Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo, who joined in the summer for a huge fee north of ₤100 million after impressing at Brighton and is somewhat of a figurehead for this emerging crop of talent. Kendry Paez and Willian Pacho are further evidence of this golden generation tagline, both being bought by top 5 European League sides and for me Oscar Zambrano will be following them into Europe relatively soon.
Player information:
Club: LDU Quito
Nationality: Ecuadorian
Age: 19
Position: DM
Preferred foot: Right
Contract expiry: Contrasting dates so N/A
When Zambrano starts it is usually when LDU line up in a 4–3–3 and is very much a single pivot acting as a fulcrum point for the side progressing the side with his passing ability. Zambrano rarely roams from central areas when receiving and typically stays deep, which allows his midfield partners to get further up the pitch in more attacking zones knowing they have the security of Zambrano staying back for transitional moments so the side isn’t exposed.
Physicality:
- +Agility
- +Acceleration
- +Pace over longer distances
- -Upper body frame
- -Aerial duels
On the ball:
Zambrano in possession is a good first/second phase midfielder for his side partly because of his insistence to show for the ball and escape the shadow of the opposition players, subsequently encouraging his central defenders to play the ball into him. When he is waiting to receive the ball he does execute some of the necessary fundamentals for any player in a single pivot these being his scanning of the shoulder and having a body shape ready to receive the ball and turn out. His scanning could be more frequent for my liking but this could be due to the fact he is playing to the level of opposition pressure he receives, which admittedly isn’t a lot at times when playing for LDU. So, at times he may not feel the need to do constant checks as he does typically have time in most games and the picture won’t change a lot around him, but nevertheless I still like the movement he shows and the willingness to receive the ball.
An example of his movement can be seen above, on this occasion it is taking place in the second phase as LDU have pinned the opposition in their own half and have entered into their middle third. Zambrano can be seen coming short for his right sided centre back and asking for the ball into his feet but doesn’t receive the ball quick enough so ends up having the lane into him cut off. As a result of this Zambrano repositioned and acted as the secondary option in this possession which in turn provided his RB with a central passing option. He achieved this by acting as a 3rd man and forming a triangle in this particular scenario, which for me is a sign of his positional intelligence in possession. It is this sort of movement and positioning ,even if he doesn’t receive, that is positive to see as he is a constant option for a ball into central areas if LDU want to advance centrally and he has the presence of mind to be a support option for his side by forming triangles and being the 3rd man.
Zambrano’s understanding of positioning is also important for helping LDU sustain attacks, he sits at the base of the majority of attacks and is a good insurance policy to have when recovering loose balls due to his tenacity and ability to cover ground quickly. His technical security is important in these instances as well due to the fact if he does recover a loose ball he needs to be able to recycle the ball comfortably and avoid needless giveaways as to allow the attack to continue and the pressure to stay on the opposition.
When Zambrano has settled possession he mainly progresses the ball through passing and does so very impressively, with the ability to break lines and also spread play into the wide areas with lofted balls that have pinpoint like accuracy at times and will stretch the defence. His ability to break lines also helps in his efforts to dictate the pace of the game as it allows him to accelerate his teams attack and get them into the final 3rd. A great example of this acceleration of play is above with him only needing two touches in this particular scenario. After LDU have just won the ball back, Zambrano completely takes out the opposition midfield with a drilled pass through the midfield line into the LDU forward, getting the side into the final 3rd and creating a transition for them. Having the vision, speed of thought and ultimately the technique to execute such high value passes from deep is an extremely dangerous tool to have, since it can result in Zambrano picking apart low blocks, almost like a quarterback.
In terms of ball carrying and dribbling, these aren’t tools that Zambrano uses an awful lot of the time but will use them in short bursts on occasion in order to create himself space and give himself time to play a pass. But, perhaps the reason why he doesn’t typically carry the ball over longer distances is the fact that he will sometimes struggle to hold a man off and subsequently get nudged off the ball losing his side possession and open to a counter. This is despite having relatively decent ball control which is most evident with his first touch which usually brings the ball under his spell and settles it. However, when Zambrano gets moving at speed he can sometimes lose this control and take loose touches which put the ball too far in front of him and see him give the opposition a window to win the ball back, which is perhaps another reason why he rarely tries to maraud with the ball.
Off the ball:
Out of possession Zambrano is a highly concentrated and energetic defensive midfielder who goes into duels with great tenacity to try and win the ball back for his side but also a good positional sense, these qualities make him a good screen for his defence and offers them plenty of protection.
His positional sense and reading of the game combined with his ability to cover ground quickly make him astute at cutting out passes into the opposition forward line, killing off attacks quickly making life easier for his defenders. Take the above as an example, LDU have lost the ball and Zambrano immediately looks to fill the hole in between the midfield and defence to prevent the opposition from playing the ball into that area and facing up to the defence. His ability to cover ground allowed for him to cover this hole quickly and subsequently cut out the pass into the opposition forward and get LDU back on the ball and have an attack of their own. Being able to nullify counter attacks quickly and get his side back on their own attacks is a trait that can make Zambrano a very valuable asset as every side needs someone who can put out fires before any real damage can be done.
This positional sense of his also aids in his task of shadowing passing lanes into the forward line and reducing the forward options of the opposition midfield/defence. He will be seen throughout games checking his shoulders and subsequently readjusting if the player he is meant to be cutting off has tried to escape his cover shadow, showing his awareness and concentration levels.
When it comes to duels, Zambrano’s tenacity is a strength because of the fact it allows him to sometimes make up for his frame and aggressively get his man off the ball through sometimes persistence alone. But, it can also be his weakness off the ball giving away needless fouls from time to time due to overexerting and being too eager to get it back, sometimes by getting too tight to his man or just being rash. Above is a good example of him being too aggressive and too eager to win the ball back, Zambrano is touch tight to his man and has no real chance of getting the ball because his man has got his body in between. But instead of just ushering away from his half Zambrano decides to try and wrap his leg around and get a touch on the ball when he has no need to win that ball back in this position at all and gives the opposition a chance to create a better attack.
Something like this will hopefully be ironed out as he gains experience since for me it isn’t something like a temperament issue, it is just Zambrano being over eager to constantly win the ball back and perhaps a bit naïve in the range of his tackling ability so sometimes gives away silly fouls.
The future:
I think a move to one of Belgium’s top teams as a small step into Europe before making a jump into a top 5 league, this would give him the time to bulk out a bit in his frame and become even more physical, whilst also giving him to time to improve even further technically and tactically. Which, with his current rate of improvement could see him make massive leaps as a player and attract huge interest.
Zambrano has all the qualities to be a stalwart for future Ecuadorian national sides in my eyes and could be the glue for a number of teams in midfield if he keeps improving the way that he is.