Zabarnyi continues to raise concerns in Paris Saint-Germain's defence

Ukrainian Illia Zabarnyi is experiencing a tough start to his second season with Paris Saint-Germain, having once again failed to deliver the expected performance. His appearance against Slovan Bratislava in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday evening was another example of the weaknesses he is struggling with.

Despite Paris Saint-Germain paying over €60 million to sign Zabarni from Bournemouth, amid expectations that he will become the successor to Brazilian Marquinhos in central defense, the 32-year-old captain of the Parisian team remains an indispensable element, at a time when the emergence of the Ukrainian defender as a starter raises concerns among the club's fans.

During the match against Slovan Bratislava, Zabarnyi had a negative impact on the only goal scored by the Slovak team, as he was easily outpaced by Kamara in the duel, who scored his goal. This is not so much a glaring individual error as it reflects, according to French assessments, the limitations of the Ukrainian defender in certain aspects, particularly with his slow movement and difficulty in changing direction against fast attackers.

Zabarnyi has clear strengths in duels and aerial balls, but he struggles repeatedly against fast players and in dealing with balls behind the defensive line, which is a very sensitive issue in Luis Enrique's system that relies on a high defensive line. The defender received a rating of 3 out of 10 from 'Foot Mercato', 'L'Équipe', and 'Le Parisien' following the match against Slovan Bratislava.

Paris Saint-Germain finds itself facing an additional problem due to limited options in this position, making reliance on Marquinhos' readiness in big matches extremely important. Meanwhile, the team's rivals have become aware of the weaknesses in the Parisian backline and are constantly trying to exploit them. Therefore, Zabarnyi will need to quickly correct the recurring deficiencies, or the club may have to move to strengthen the center-back position before the planned deadline.