World Cup Scout: Brazil vs Switzerland - Imposing Swiss midfielder to make an impact

It’ll be a tough ask to keep Brazil at bay on Sunday, though Vladimir Petkovic has an upcoming central midfielder that has the means of disrupting their rhythm. Denis Zakaria is a rank amateur on the international stage, but comes into the tournament on the back of a respectable season for Borussia Monchengladbach. 

He scored two and registered one assist in the Bundesliga last season, yet it’s his defensive work that has caught the eye. Averages of 2.5 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per game were both commendable and Switzerland need the 21-year-old’s tenacity off the ball to ensure the defence is protected properly. 

With the Swiss expected to start in a 4-2-3-1 formation, Zakaria could line up alongside Granit Xhaka at the base of the midfield with a view to ensuring the defence is adequately protected. It isn’t just his work off the ball that drew admirers last season, but an ability to know what to do with possession once he wins it too. 

An 89.5% pass success rate was better than any Gladbach player in the Bundesliga last season and while he may not be the most glamorous of footballers, Zakaria is vital in this Switzerland side. Standing at 6’3”, he’s an imposing figure in the middle of the park, though this sometimes works against him. 

Ill discipline is cause for concern with no player receiving more yellow cards (11) than Zakaria in the Bundesliga last season, reinforcing a statistically calculated WhoScored.com weakness of ‘discipline’. Playing his role increases the chances of being reprimanded by referees, yet with 1.9 fouls per game also ranking highly in Germany’s top tier, it’s a side to his game that needs to be managed accordingly. 

Considering he’ll likely feature alongside Xhaka in as a double-pivot if he starts, it’s an ill-disciplined midfield pair that needs to be wary of giving away too many free-kicks in dangerous positions. However, if Zakaria can play to his full potential, it’ll allow the forward players to thrive and that should play a key role in Switzerland’s quest to progress to the next round.