Tag: defender

Patrick’s Prospect Picks: Zinedin Smajlović – Sandefjord’s Exciting Defender

November 24th, 2025
Hello all, its time for another PPP article! After keeping an eye on how Smajlović continued to perform well this year, we dispatched Patrick to take a more in depth look at Sandefjord’s standout Bosnian-Swedish CB. Article below, enjoy!

-LM

Who is Zinedin Smajlović?

Given the name from France International, Zinedine Zidane, Zinedin Smajlović was born in Stockholm on December 20th, 2003, and might have inherited a little extra skill from his name. Smajlović spent 3 years of his youth career at 5 clubs – Starting from 2019 at FC Djursholm, then 2020 in IFK Stocksund, 2021 transferred to IK Frej, and lastly, went to one of Sweden’s top quality youth academies in IF Brommapojkarna in 2022. IF Brommapojkarna was once an affiliate with Manchester United back in the late 90s, but now is affiliated with the Red Devils rivals, Manchester City. After a year at IF Brommapojkarna, Smajlović left on a free to Täby FK in the Division 2 Norra Svealand. At Täby FK, Zinedin pushed on, and after only 13 appearances (including 5 goals) was bought for 100k Euros by Serie A side Lecce in January 2024. After nearly two years of no game time with one year at Serie A side Lecce and then loaned out to Serie B side Lecco the next, Smajlović left Italia, and found himself back in the Nordic lands of Norway shortly after. Sandvikens IF in the second division of Sweden, signed Smajlović in July 2024, and after playing 10 stellar appearances and bagging 2 goals, Sandefjord said enough is enough and signed the youngster on a free transfer in January of 2025. Now less than a year later, Smajlović has established himself in the Eliteserien being a top player. Smajlović is the 2nd highest average rated CB in the league (behind Bodø’s Odin Bjørtuft) and has the 10th Highest average player rating in the league. Smajlović is determined, powerful and undeniably ready for the next step.

Sandefjord:

Sandefjord and their tactical setup has them playing a more possessive game where they look to open up defences in the midfield and work the ball into the box. Evidenced by Sandefjord having the 4th highest average team possession at 53.8% in the Eliteserien. Additionally, Sandefjord are currently 4th in accurate passes per match made with 418.8 and the 4th most accurate long balls per match at 29.6. All this while only maintaining an average of touches in the opposition box at 10th with 644, and just 45% of what Norwegian giants Bodø/Glimt have. Sandefjord enforce a mentality to attack the first opening you see and move forward towards the goal.

Technical Ability:

Zinedin Smajlović is forming himself into a very modern center half that utilizes his passing ability, composure, and his bravery to make progressive/overlapping runs to help keep the ball moving forward. Zinedin contributes heavily to this style with his composure and creativity on the ball. Zinedin has an 88.84 touches per90 showing that they use him as a backbone in build up. Over the span of his last 6 games where Smajlović played, here are his touches compared to his other teammates.

Smajlović touches in the last 6 games:
- 111 (Tied for most with Ottosson) vs Haugesund 3-2 W
- 117 (most on team) vs Bryne 1-0 W
- 69 (Most on team / only had 40% possession as a team) vs Molde 3-1 W
- 86 (second on team by 5 touches) / 46% team possession) vs Frederikstad 1-1 D
- 104 (Third on team, 16 behind first, and 6 behind second) vs Rosenborg 2-2 D
- 97 (most on team / 44% team possession) vs Tromso 1-0 W
Smajlović and his long-range passing are where he thrives. As mentioned previously, Sandefjord are 4th in accurate long balls per match. Smajlović contributes with 5.50 accurate long balls per90. Smajlović contributes to roughly 18.5% of their accurate long balls a game. Smajlović favours the stretch passing into the half spaces where his wingers seem to occupy frequently. If the long ball is not available, Smajlović recycles between his CB partner Kristiansen, and their DM Ottosson in a classic 2-3-5 build up. If Smajlović can’t open up the center of the pitch, he looks to switch the ball to the opposite wing to quickly create advantageous positions for his teammates to move forward towards the net. He showed the ability to read the play 1-2 steps ahead of his opposition when creating.

Examples of Passing:

Note: All screenshots were captured from FCompsTV – YouTube

After faking body position to look like he was passing to his wide teammate, Smajlović identifies opposition LB is being drawn out wide, and takes advantage of the space with a beautiful chip pass into the 18-yard box.

Zinedin shapes to pass to his right, dragging the defenders over, before finding a pass through the lines to his teammate in space to turn and progress:

This is where Smajlović’s creativity helps with Sandefjord’s chance creation and in showing that they are a possessive and attacking team. He’s confident and a daring player. Does not matter who is there, he wants to go forward. Zinedin likes putting himself in situations where he can force the opposition to make difficult decisions in defensive coverage. Whether this is to draw in the press, or to shift the defensive coverage to open up new passing lanes, he will find a way to manipulate the defence. Smajlović has some interesting stats to go off with his 1.08 Successful Dribbles per90, 75.8% dribble success rate per90 and fouls won per90 being at 0.90. Implementing the second nature of looking to go forward with confidence and having him be the focal point of where the ball needs to be. One man army pro (COD reference for the nerds). It’s a good sign that Sandefjord regularly require a lot out of Smajlović, showing he has experience being a main focal point.

Example of Dribbling:

Smajlović wins the ball back in his 18-yard box, before pushing past 3 defenders and finding his teammate in open space:

Athleticism & Defence

Some of the most interesting traits from Zinedin Smajlović that make his technical ability stand out more, are his size and athleticism. At 21 years old, Smajlović stands tall at 191 CM (6’3”). He has a big strong frame, good speed and runs hard, while surprisingly agile for his dominant size. He quickly jumps forward after winning the ball, and is always thinking about being progressive and proactive. Not only does Smajlović has the foundation to develop further, but he also already has the man-like strength, with great leaping ability. Sandefjord tend to use Smajlović as one of their main aerial threats when attacking from set pieces. Smajlović often finds himself getting good touches in the box due to it and has been very effective with getting shots on net. Smajlović has 1.42 touches in opposition box per90, along with his 1.20 shots per90 and 0.22 shots on target per90. He has great balance and finds himself constantly winning duels along with his great strength and balance he possesses. Not only that, but with his speed, he has impressive recovery ability. Smajlović for some defensive stats that stand out are his 5.63 Duels won per90, 63.3% Duels won per90, and his astounding 5.20 recoveries per90. Sandefjord instill a high line and press system for their team. Smajlović is the stopper of the CB pairing between him and Kristiansen. Smajlović has an instinct to play on the front foot, which also applies to his defensive mentality. He is almost both the unstoppable force and the immovable object. Smajlović attempts many duels a match but wins the majority of them. His strength alone can separate the opposition from the ball but also demonstrates good timing in the tackle. Besides having the technical ability to tackle, his high-level reading of the game allows him to constantly interrupt the flow of the opposition.

Examples of Defensive Play:

Smajlović does a great job reading that the pass will be received by the opposition player in the half space. He starts to move as the pass is being fired in, strongly separates the man from the ball, and starts the counter:

Smajlović is running back to defend a counter attack and is in a 1v1 position. Smajlović does an amazing job to angle the opposition towards the byline and on an angle to get a low quality shot. Smajlović gets him exactly where he wants on the byline and blocks his shot:

Set Pieces:

Sandefjord tend to use Smajlović as one of their main aerial threats when attacking from set pieces. The cross comes in and Smajlović’s teammates drag and block their man markers towards the front post, to get Smajlović in a 1v1 aerial duel where he converts for a goal:

Refinement & Dedication

Zinedin Smajlović is having a tremendous season and has been making a name for himself in the Eliteserien. At just 21 years old, doing what he does, it is remarkable. Smajlović is refining his game and tends to keep improving as we have seen from him over time. Reiterating on the point for one of Smajlović’s best traits, is also one of his weaknesses now. His dedication and bravery he possesses to always leave it all on the pitch is strong, which makes him play harder, but sometimes too hard. Smajlović has the most yellow cards on his team with 5 and is tied for most on his team for red cards with 1. It is interesting as well, considering that Smajlović has the second lowest fouls committed per90 on his team with 0.7. He tackles well, but when he fouls, he overpowers his man a little too much. Additionally, Sandefjord foul the second most in the Eliteserien at 13.0 fouls per match. On top of that, they have the third most yellow cards in the Eliteserien at 53, tied for the most red cards in the Eliteserien at 3, and lastly, conceded the most penalties in the Eliteserien at 11. As a team, that is not great. Even being carded as much as they are, they have conceded the 6th fewest goals against at 40. If those penalties were cut in half, it’d put them tied for top three for goals against. Once Smajlović refines his defensive craft a little more, he can be the best CB in the Eliteserien.

Zinedin Smajlović is destined for greatness. Already on the right path, Sandefjord seem to be unlocking his full potential. It may not be long before we see him make the leap to a top Eliteserien side, or even to one of Europe’s elite leagues. With his dedication, drive, and decisiveness, Smajlović isn’t just a name to watch, but he’s a future star in the making. The question now is.. how far can he go?

-PMC III
Honest Ahanor: Serie A’s Rising Star Defender

October 1st, 2025

Born in 2008 (yes, I feel old too) about 25km north of Napoli in the city of Aversa, Italy, Honest Ahanor is now making his name known. Growing up with Italian legend Paolo Maldini as his footballing idol, Ahanor joined the Genoa youth ranks with that in mind, as he began to develop as a CB. During the 2024/25 season, Ahanor started with the Genoa U15’s, then moved to the U16’s, and promptly again to the U17’s. This same year, at 15 years old, he was called up to play for Genoa’s U19 team, and the following year was immediately promoted to the U20’s. Just three matches at that level in the 24/25 season, and Genoa had seen enough, bringing Ahanor up to the senior team. This rise from U15 football to Serie A in less than 2 seasons was truly remarkable, and since then Ahanor has been showing why he deserved it. After playing in 6 matches for Genoa in the 24/25 season, Atalanta shelled out 20M euros for the defender, the second highest transfer fee of all time for an Italian U17 player. Clearly they saw his potential, and he has repaid their faith so far, performing even better in his first matches with Atalanta than he did at Genoa.

Player Overview:

A true ball playing CB, Honest Ahanor stands out most in possession. He loves to bring the ball out of defence himself, and will frequently use his long frame to skip past defenders in just a few steps. Ahanor does have the early makings of a rare type of defender, one who can very comfortably operate as both a CB, and as a LWB. Think Atlético’s Dávid Hancko, just trade off some of Hancko’s defending/crossing ability for a bit more on the ball skill.

Physical:

Standing at 184cm tall, Honest Ahanor has a relatively slender, but strong build. At just 17 years old, he is nowhere near his physical peak yet, and will almost certainly develop considerably in this area. However, his light and agile frame allows him to move with the ball unlike most defenders, showing strong pace and a quick change of direction. While not aerially dominant just yet, Ahanor has shown a very respectable level of duels as a teenager playing against grown men – winning 14/20 of his Serie A duels and 3/4 of his aerial duels so far.

Mental/Tactical:

While I can’t say I know Honest Ahanor, the human being, we can infer something about his mentality from his rapid rise to the top of Italian football. Every time he has been given an opportunity, he has made the most of it. With Atalanta, Ahanor has played in both Champions League matches so far, albeit just 5 minutes vs PSG. In his full match against Club Brugge, Ahanor was one of Atalanta’s standout players while being one of their least experienced, showing his ability to rise to the occasion. Tactically, as I mentioned before, I believe Ahanor could operate as a LCB/LB in a back 4 system, or as a CB/LWB in a back 5 system. He really enjoys making forward runs, both inverted and overlapping, though in Atalanta’s current system he is asked to make inverted runs more often while playing as the LCB. Ahanor’s off the ball movement is also very impressive, not just often seen. In the match against Brugge, several times Ahanor broke the first (and sometimes second) lines of press by himself, before laying the ball off and continuing his run into the box, adding an extra dimension to the Atalanta attack for defenders to consider. Defensively, his positioning looks quite sound for such a young defender, frequently intercepting and recovering the ball for his side. At times he has to use his long frame to stretch for a block or tackle, and could work more on being in position to not need to make a tackle, like his idol Maldini. Overall, Ahanor looks like a tactically versatile player who can play in multiple roles across a defence.

Technical:

When Ahanor is on the ball, he looks special. Very comfortable with the ball at his feet, Ahanor is a very accurate passer, recording an 86% pass completion rate in Serie A, and in his full UCL debut completing 58/59 passes. Ahanor does like to try a few long balls per game, which does make his pass completion rating more impressive. Ahanor has yet to be dispossessed while in possession this season, which absolutely lines up with the eye test on him. Almost as if he wants to be pressured, Ahanor will draw defenders in very close, before darting around them before they can react. This made buildup for Atalanta relatively easy both against Juventus and Club Brugge, as any time play was switched over to the left side, Ahanor had more than enough space to take the ball into the middle or final third by himself, and had the ability to do so. If you’re an admirer of Total Football, or love seeing a defender attack, then Honest Ahanor is the defender for you.

Summary:

A very exciting Italian defender, Honest Ahanor can comfortably play anywhere from LWB to a central CB, but would be best in a back 5 system. Incredibly gifted on the ball, he is a one-man press destroying machine, frequently bringing the ball out of defence by himself, and then appearing in the final third in central positions you wouldn’t expect a CB to be in. The amount of chaos that he causes to defensive structures is quite unique. With the right development, Ahanor has potential to be an Italian senior national team player at the bare minimum. With a closest player comparison to Dávid Hancko, it is no coincidence that I believe Atlético de Madrid would be a top destination for Ahanor to reach his full potential at. He already has the makings of a top-level ball playing CB, and the defensive development he would receive under Simeone would round out his skillset in a way that could allow him to become a real star. Everton could be another decent option as a LB, looking at their usage of Mykolenko over the past few seasons. Regardless of where he ends up, Honest Ahanor is an extremely promising prospect with the potential to become a world-class “Swiss army knife” type defender: slot him in anywhere in defence and he’ll do a job.

Honest Ahanor, One to Watch.

Thanks for reading,

LM
U21 Euro Ones to Watch: Quentin Merlin

June 27th, 2025

Today’s highlighted player from the U21 Euro tournament is France’s left-back, Quentin Merlin. The 23 year old defender became a regular starter for Marseille in Ligue 1 over the past season, and has carried that momentum into the U21 Euros. The quick summary that you came here to see is that this is the best chance creating fullback in the tournament.

Over the course of four 90’s this tournament, Merlin is averaging 2.72 chances created per 90, which is the highest in the tournament both overall and per 90. This comes from an average of 2.5 successful crosses per match and a 23% cross accuracy rate. While this does not seem particularly high, it is very impressive. If nearly 1 in 4 of Merlin’s crosses reach a teammate of his in the box, that is very good delivery. Crosses that are recorded as “unsuccessful” can still cause problems for the defense and lead to a corner kick, or are cleared back out to Merlin’s teammates. Also near the 90th percentile in the U21 Euros for successful dribbles per 90, this starts to paint the picture of the type of player Merlin is.

Merlin is very intelligent with where to position himself when his team has the ball. He identifies space to be exploited, and times his runs well to provide a passing outlet that can quickly be turned into a chance created. His short passing and buildup is no weakness, and he can comfortable help his team move the ball up the pitch with shorter passing. His greatest strength, and the ability that impressed me the most, was definitely his crossing. More specifically, it was how he delivered his crosses. Often in football, it can be rather predictable when a wide player is going to look to put a cross in. Defenders watch for their wind up and will attempt to block the cross. Merlin’s delivery is so quick that it was near impossible for a defender to block his crosses through reaction time. He does not have a big wind up with his leg, and the time from when he starts a crossing motion to when it is on its way under a half second every time. This caused significant problems for the defenders that France faced in this tournament. To prevent Merlin from getting crosses in, they would need to be tightly marking him before he receives the ball, however, doing so left the likes of Mathys Tel with far too much space to operate in, giving the defence a “lose-lose” decision to make.

While I wouldn’t market Merlin as having Wan-Bissaka levels of defensive ability, he is certainly no defensive liability. He is not the greatest aerial strength, but is an effective counter-presser and interceptor of the ball, averaging 6+ recoveries/interceptions per 90, while only committing 1.3 fouls per 90. At 173cm, Merlin is not a very tall player, but has a strong build that allows him to retain possession and challenge for ground duels rather effectively. His biggest weakness, and the weakness that could be exploited the most, is his aerial ability. A back post cross to a striker would likely cause Merlin difficulty in defending it, and this could be taken advantage of on set pieces.

However, his overall brilliance shown in creating chances and pressure for his team when in possession more than outweigh any minor defensive weakness. Merlin looks to have the potential to become one of the best crossers of the ball in world football, not just the best at the U23 level. His workrate level is high, and is most definitely still young enough to have room to grow. I would be very surprised to see him stay at Marseille much longer, as his performance at the U21 Euro’s was very impressive and showed his capability to perform at an even higher level. There is certainly a future for Merlin in the French senior national team, as I do not believe they have a player of his type available at LB right now. He is most suited to play for a possession based team – his incredible on the ball ability and movement would fit perfectly into a squad that is looking to control possession and apply consistent pressure on the opposition defence. I would not be surprised to see the likes of PSG or Bayern Munich take a chance on Merlin, as his delivery is already at a very high level, and could easily fit into their squads. Overall, Merlin was the best LB at the U21 Euro’s, is an elite chance creator, and looks destined for bigger things in the future.

Quentin Merlin, One to Watch.
U21 Euro Ones to Watch: Oliver Provstgaard

June 23rd, 2025

Back with another scouting report from the U21 Euros, and today is possibly the CB that impressed me the most in this tournament: Oliver Provstgaard. Now if you had just been following along with the tournament on an app like Fotmob or Whoscored to check match ratings, you will miss a lot of great defender performances. These types of match ratings heavily favour defensive actions / goal contributions, and as we know, a CB can play a great game without needing to make many defensive actions due to good positioning. This was the case for Provstgaard.

Captaining this Denmark side in the tournament after moving to Lazio in January from Velje, Provstgaard has all the makings of a top top CB. Standing at 194cm tall with a strong build, he does not require much physical development to make it to the top. In terms of his mentality at a young age, it is perfect. His attitude, determination, concentration, leadership, focus and communication were at a very high level throughout the matches he played, never dropping focus late on. I honestly haven’t seen a CB remain so ready to make a play when the ball isn’t near them, for this entire match when the ball was upfield, Provstgaard remained in an athletic crouched stance, facing the side of the pitch, ready to make a run back or step up when needed. I never saw him walking around the pitch upright when the ball was not near him.

Physically, Provstgaard also looks ready to play at the top level against fully grown professionals. His pace, mobility, and strength were better than almost every other CB in this tournament. He has the bravery to complement his physical characteristics, and is unlikely to be physically dominated by an opposing striker.

Tactically, Provstgaard is an elite box defender, and has very strong positional and game sense. He regularly was in position to clear a cross before it reached an attacker, or to win the aerial duel on a high cross. In this tournament, Provstgaard won the majority of his tackles, averaging 7 defensive actions per match compared to only 1 foul conceded per match. He does not recklessly dive into tackles, and plays a very smart defensive game.

On the ball, Provstgaard has the potential to be a very good ball playing CB. At the U21 Euro, he averaged 3.7 successful long balls per match, which fits my eye test of noticing that he can play a very good long diagonal ball to switch play or release a winger in attack. His overall pass accuracy at the tournament was 88%, showing that he does like to try a long ball. He was never dispossessed while on the ball, and looked calm in possession. On set pieces, his aerial presence provides a considerable threat.

Overall, Oliver Provstgaard looks to be headed right to the very top, and should be primed for a breakout season at Lazio this year if he gets the game time. I believe it is almost a certainty that he will become a regular for the Danish senior team in the future, and has the potential to play for a top European club challenging for the Champions League. He does not have any major weaknesses, and likely just requires a bit of belief from his manager to continue his impressive development. One of the best prospects I saw at the U21 Euro, and certainly One to Watch.
U21 Euro Ones to Watch: Jakub Jakubko

June 22nd, 2025

The next player that caught my eye at the U21 Euro’s was the young Slovak CB, Jakub Jakubko. The 20 year old defender who plays for FC Košice in the Slovak top flight is almost certainly a relative unknown for the football world. At this tournament, he partnered the more established Adam Obert in defence, and never looked out of place. Obert, for comparison, has already played 77 matches for Cagliari in Serie A, and has registered 12 caps for the Slovak senior team. As Obert was the more ball playing CB, Jakubko played a defensive cover role very effectively.

The first thing I noticed about Jakub Jakubko was his mentality. He is as determined of a player as you’ll ever see, with the bravery required to make crucial blocks and tackles. While he was not yet leading and commanding the backline (naturally, due to Obert’s seniority), he will still be eligible for the next U21 Euro tournament in 2027, where he will be the most experienced CB on the squad and given a leadership role.

Physically, Jakubko is as ready to play at the top level as any 20 year old CB you might see. Some physical development will come with time, but he already exhibits very good pace and stamina. While not losing duels at this tournament on strength, that could be a development curve if he were to play in a top 5 league right now. However, with his pace and positioning sense, Jakubko often puts himself in place to make a defensive play before the need for a physical duel is necessary.

In this match against Spain, the Slovak defence was put under heavy pressure for the majority of the match. Jakubko showed impressive concentration throughout the match, and made many important blocks. He rarely put himself in position to concede a penalty, being very smart with his physical challenges inside his own box.

The area most requiring development (if it was required for the system he is playing in), is his on-ball play. Comfortable making short to medium range passes, you could not call him a ball playing CB at the moment. Not all systems require ball playing CB’s, and so this is more a hurdle if Jakubko is to play for a top team in Europe.

Overall, I think that Jakubko could be playing for a mid to low table Serie A club within the next year. There has been a successful path to the Italian leagues for promising Slovak players. Milan Skriniar, Tomas Suslov, Ondrej Duda, Stanislav Lobotka, the aforementioned Obert, and of course, Marek Hamsik are all examples of Slovak national team players who came through Italy in their club careers. Clubs like Cagliari will look at Obert’s success at that level and have (hopefully) seen that Jakubko made a very solid CB partner for him at this tournament. Barring significant technical development on the ball, I think Jakubko may not play for Inter Milan and PSG like Milan Skriniar did, but he absolutely has a very strong chance to be a good Top 5 leagues player and Slovak senior team starter.

Jakub Jakubko, one to watch.