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Only a true Botafogo fan can relate! In this video, we break down Ziak's much-anticipated debut—analyzing his slick moves, smart passes, and that top-tier soccer brain. Will he be the game-changer Botafogo needs? Find out and see if our predictions come true! Subscribe for more awesome soccer content and comment your favorite Ziak moment! #soccer #football #analysis #Botafogo #sports

👉 This channel was created in collaboration with https://www.youtube.com/@futebolmaximo

0:00 - Transfer Window and Ziak's Debut
0:29 - Approach to Football Analysis
2:09 - Ziak’s Playing Style and Position
4:01 - Technical Skills and Soccer Intelligence
5:52 - Notable Plays and Passing Quality
9:26 - (Irrelevant Segment Omitted)
10:33 - Defensive Role and Physical Challenges
14:22 - Ziak's Debut and Final Impressions

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Transcript
00:00Man, there are things that only a Botafogo fan goes through, right?
00:03First, the transfer window comes and you get that feeling of,
00:06oh my God, they're going to take all my good players and I'll watch my team fall apart.
00:09But then things turn around and the first signing is a guy who's played for Ajax,
00:13Chelsea and all those big clubs.
00:15How is my heart supposed to handle that?
00:17I don't know.
00:17Let's take a look at how Ziak's debut went and get our first impressions.
00:20And like any normal person, he showed both problems and strengths.
00:23But most important of all is now, from here on out, what can we expect from this guy?
00:30How do I like to think about a football analysis?
00:31There are the statistics that, for example, in this play here,
00:34the stat for Ziak is a completed pass.
00:36Okay, he completed the pass.
00:38And by adding the statistics to what my eyes see,
00:41then yes, we have a complete analysis.
00:43I'll show you the stats here in this video too.
00:45But what I really like to do is make you come here and see things through my eyes.
00:49For example, what do I see in this play here, which is a completed pass.
00:53Just notice this little control he does here.
00:55Look, look, this first touch of his, you can see it's a little tap.
00:58Look, he pulls it, already putting the ball a bit away from his body.
01:01What does this little tap mean?
01:02It means he's a guy who's gotten very used to playing at a competitive level
01:05where there's very little time and space to act.
01:08This little tap is nothing more than economy of movement
01:11and fewer touches he takes on the ball.
01:13Notice that he gives this little tap this way
01:15and he's already ready to pass to someone
01:17and he's already ready to act
01:18and he's not facing away from goal anymore.
01:20He's already sideways after he realizes that no pressure came from anywhere.
01:24Look at him, watching, and the player still from Botafogo
01:27still hasn't come here to receive the pass.
01:29Then, yes, he kind of wastes the touch on the ball
01:32but that's because the situation allowed it
01:34and then he makes the pass at the right time.
01:36From now on, keep noticing this in his game.
01:38Notice how he does some difficult things.
01:39It seems very simple because he saves movement
01:41and the number of touches on the ball.
01:42It's not a ball that he controls with his left foot,
01:44adjusts, steps, and then touches with his left again.
01:46No, he controls with his left, already uses his own body movement
01:49and passes with his right.
01:50You get it?
01:50But then, with the first touch the guy makes on the ball,
01:53I already start thinking,
01:54wow, he, look, he already thinks fast, already saves movement
01:57and because of the situation he realized,
01:59he was like, huh, wow, I have more time here than I expected.
02:02It might seem silly
02:03but it's a great sign regarding his positioning.
02:07He's the guy who's going to stay behind the forwards.
02:10And even if Junior Santos or Danilo
02:12position themselves in a line behind him,
02:14for example, those two guys are the ones
02:15who are going to push forward
02:16and push the opposing team back even more.
02:18While Ziyech stays back here, look, Danilo's pushing forward
02:21and he's staying behind.
02:22The quality he has with the ball at his feet
02:24and his characteristics,
02:26they're not about physical duels,
02:27it's about receiving the ball,
02:29facing the goal,
02:30facing the box,
02:31with options to pass or to finish.
02:33This time, here, it was a blocked shot
02:35and like, he's still going to get in sync with the guys, right?
02:38Look at Danilo here,
02:39he moved forward to receive this pass,
02:40consequently pushing back the opponent's defense
02:42and opening up space for Ziyech.
02:44And then, here he's offside,
02:45Danilo doesn't really know what Ziyech is going to do
02:47because they don't know each other that well yet.
02:49He pretended to go forward,
02:50pretended to pull back,
02:52he got a bit lost,
02:52which is normal,
02:53it's the first time they're playing together.
02:55Here's another example of movement.
02:56While the other Botafogo players push
02:58the opponent's defense back,
02:59look at Arthur Cabral inside,
03:01Medina moving up here,
03:02Danilo himself is advanced
03:03and look where Ziyech positions himself.
03:05Here, he didn't have space to receive the ball,
03:07but his positioning,
03:08the area he'll keep occupying,
03:09is behind those guys.
03:10And while everyone pushes the defense,
03:12after a scramble for the ball here in the box,
03:14look where he ends up,
03:15it's an area facing the goal.
03:16To finish, to score,
03:17the ball might end up with him,
03:18or the play can start being created.
03:20Already thinking about that?
03:21Look, someone could set it up for him,
03:23chest it to him.
03:24Something that in this scramble here,
03:25didn't happen.
03:27This role of mostly facing the attack
03:29is typical of a player
03:30who's less suited to physical battles.
03:33A challenge,
03:33a tough tackle,
03:34shielding,
03:35holding off the defender,
03:35and it's much more about the guy
03:36who has skill with the ball.
03:37Really,
03:38someone who can find passes
03:39that very few people can apparently entice mind.
03:41It makes much more sense
03:42to leave him in this area of the field,
03:44floating from side to side,
03:44than having him running up and down the wing,
03:46or even more inside the box,
03:47really pushed forward.
03:48And let's be honest,
03:50in all of our minds,
03:52right?
03:52So every play of his
03:54that will show up here in this video,
03:55every play you'll see from now on
03:56of him at Botafogo
03:57will come from this logic.
03:59He's the guy who sets up the assist.
04:00Look at this.
04:01He created a dangerous chance
04:02that led to a shot by Danilo.
04:04Look how these things start coming together.
04:06Look,
04:06with his back to the attack,
04:08efficiency,
04:08in his movements and touches on the ball,
04:10with one touch,
04:11he already shakes off the marking,
04:12turns sideways for the attack
04:14and manages the play that creates danger.
04:17And it's dangerous.
04:18And even a shot,
04:19a good save by the goalkeeper here.
04:20This whole play,
04:20for example,
04:21started with his ability to solve things
04:22with very few touches on the ball.
04:24And apparently,
04:24he watches a lot of top-level soccer,
04:26right?
04:26Because of this play here.
04:28Anyone who's subscribed to the channel
04:29already knows
04:30what's the best possible spot
04:31for this cross here.
04:33Taking advantage of the fact
04:34that the whole defense
04:34is watching the ball
04:35and has their backs turned to the far post,
04:37he lifts the ball to the far post
04:39because that's the advantage the attacker has.
04:41And right after,
04:41I think his first goal for Botafogo
04:43is going to be something like this.
04:44Look,
04:45play down the wing here.
04:46And look,
04:46he's the guy coming from behind.
04:48He's the guy for the cutback pass,
04:49you know?
04:50While Botafogo crowds the box,
04:52everyone pushes forward.
04:53He comes here
04:53to get that little cutback pass.
04:55But this time,
04:56there wasn't a direct passing lane
04:57for Danilo to find him.
04:58So the play ended up differently.
04:59But just look at his positioning,
05:00you see?
05:01I think his first goal for Botafogo
05:02is going to be like this.
05:03Man,
05:03the play down the wing,
05:04cutback pass,
05:05and he's arriving,
05:06facing the goal.
05:06And about that cross to the far post,
05:09blind spot,
05:09it was a play like that
05:10which led to his most impressive move
05:12in his debut.
05:13Look,
05:13taking advantage of the defense's blind spot,
05:15created some chaos here
05:17in Mirasol's box.
05:18And when the ball comes to him,
05:20he lifts it up with a lot of skill.
05:22Come on,
05:22this is just insane, right?
05:23He lifts it up with a lot of skill.
05:26And these two quick touches on the ball,
05:28look at that.
05:28He makes the guy turn his back
05:30and lose track of the ball.
05:31So he can gain space on the field.
05:33And then Walter came off his line well.
05:35Here,
05:35he managed to get a shot off,
05:36that was blocked.
05:37But this play here,
05:38even though it wasn't the goal or anything,
05:40this here shows a skill
05:42that man in modern soccer
05:44is the most valuable thing in the world.
05:46In today's soccer,
05:47like everything,
05:48all the things we talk about,
05:50directional first touch,
05:51body positioning,
05:52economy of movement
05:53with just a few touches on the ball,
05:55all of that has a common goal.
05:57In the end,
05:58everything that's studied technically in soccer
06:00is to take advantage of situations
06:01where you have little time and space to act.
06:03Everything in the end
06:05is because of that.
06:07So,
06:08when the player
06:08in any situation
06:10shows a lot of ability
06:11to solve a problem
06:12with little time to think
06:14and little space to act,
06:17my brother,
06:17this guy is really promising,
06:19you know?
06:19In his case,
06:20promising isn't really the word,
06:21right?
06:21Because everyone already knows
06:22what he's capable of.
06:23But anyway,
06:24you get me.
06:24And here,
06:25in this play,
06:25Danilo took a while to figure out
06:26if he was going outside,
06:27if he was going inside
06:28and he kind of got in the way.
06:30Looks like a referee,
06:31you know?
06:31Referee sometimes is in the wrong position,
06:33doesn't know what the player is going to do
06:35and moves at the last second.
06:36If Danilo didn't really get him here,
06:38after a few minutes playing,
06:39things fit together a bit better.
06:40And it's that he doesn't pass the ball to him here,
06:42trapped with his back to goal.
06:43The chance of some physical clash happening
06:45with him at a disadvantage here
06:47is real.
06:48Danilo holds the pass to him,
06:49doesn't give it,
06:50passes it up front to Arta Cabral
06:51and Arta Cabral,
06:52yes,
06:52then gives the ball to him,
06:54facing upfield.
06:54For example,
06:55that's what Santos does a lot with Neymar,
06:57you know?
06:57You can see plays like this with Neymar,
06:59exactly like this,
07:00all the time at Santos,
07:01Neymar here,
07:01in a position to receive.
07:02But man,
07:03in a disadvantageous situation,
07:04when they're going to be pressured,
07:06it's like this.
07:07Send the ball up front
07:08and someone finds Neymar facing forward.
07:10Of course,
07:10it's not always like that,
07:12but that's the preference
07:12and in the play itself,
07:14it's already justified.
07:15It's a normal pass.
07:16Okay,
07:16he found the guy here,
07:17no problem,
07:18but the trick is that
07:18he looks over to the other side,
07:19his head.
07:20Look,
07:20turning that way,
07:22look,
07:23adjusting as if he's going to make a long pass.
07:24Look,
07:24look at that.
07:26You see?
07:27He looks,
07:28gives himself a little space
07:29and then passes here.
07:30He didn't create a spectacular,
07:32amazing chance.
07:34Medina really deserves credit
07:35for managing to get a shot off in this play,
07:37but like it or not,
07:38it ended up being a key pass.
07:40It was a pass that ended up leading to a shot.
07:42In the end,
07:42the most refined pass he showed was this one.
07:44From here,
07:45look,
07:46he picked out Junior Santos up front
07:47with this ball here.
07:48It's trajectory.
07:50The weight,
07:51the curve it makes,
07:52it bounces on the field,
07:54spinning just a little backwards.
07:57Completely favoring Junior Santos' run
07:59over the defender's run.
08:00The defender,
08:00you get it?
08:01Junior Santos is behind here
08:02and he manages to get in front,
08:04not just because of his speed.
08:06Number,
08:07it's really the merit of the whole trajectory
08:09the ball makes.
08:10That's how he wins.
08:11But up front,
08:12there's a lack of energy.
08:13Junior Santos doesn't see.
08:15And look at him back here.
08:16See,
08:16it's impossible to pass the ball back to him.
08:18Impossible to play it to him.
08:20Junior Santos ended up losing it,
08:21but the quality of the pass was obvious.
08:23Then,
08:23in this game,
08:24he made two key passes.
08:25Look,
08:25the game against Mirasol.
08:26Mirasol.
08:28Decisive passes.
08:29He made two key passes.
08:30These are passes that lead to a shot.
08:32These are pretty decent numbers
08:33for someone who only played 45 minutes,
08:3550% shooting accuracy.
08:37And the one that was blocked
08:39was on target.
08:41A defensive contribution,
08:42this number is cool
08:43because defensive contribution
08:44doesn't necessarily mean that
08:46he tackled someone.
08:47Defensive contribution
08:48is an interception,
08:50a tackle,
08:50or a clearance.
08:52In his case,
08:53I don't remember off the top of my head,
08:54but it could very well have been an interception,
08:56which is the thing
08:56with the least physical contact.
08:58You know,
08:58a clearance is more for those
08:59who play at the back.
09:00So,
09:00it was some interception he made
09:02or maybe a ball recovery
09:02during a counter press.
09:04Right there,
09:04immediately,
09:05it counted as a defensive contribution for him.
09:0884 pass accuracy,
09:09even though he's the guy
09:10who makes passes
09:11that aren't that easy.
09:12We saw the crosses
09:13from the edge of the box,
09:14the slightly longer passes
09:15with the ball heavy on the pitch
09:17with the perfect bend
09:19to reach Junior Santos.
09:20So,
09:20considering he's the guy
09:21who makes those passes
09:22that are a bit harder to pull off,
09:24an accuracy of 84 is good, man.
09:26And as the more attentive
09:27have already noticed,
09:28this up here
09:29is much more
09:30than just a fantasy game.
09:31It's a place
09:32where you can get
09:33news about the players,
09:35understand how they're doing
09:36and why they're suspended.
09:39When is the estimated return?
09:40For example,
09:41if you look at Rainier's card,
09:42you can already see
09:42that he has a thigh injury
09:43and the estimated return
09:44is at the beginning of October.
09:46And it's the same thing
09:47for all the players
09:47who are out.
09:48You stay up to date
09:50with everything.
09:50You follow the Brazilian round,
09:52the match is up here,
09:53keep up with all the results
09:54and get real-time notifications
09:55about who scored the goal,
09:57who conceded the goal.
09:58Besides,
09:59being able to enjoy
10:00all our content
10:02that we publish here
10:02on YouTube,
10:04over there,
10:04on that site,
10:05and there's more.
10:06There's a menu here
10:07called Brazilians,
10:08which is kind of like Netflix.
10:09See?
10:09All the videos related
10:10to Vinicius Jr.,
10:11Rafinha,
10:12Rodrigo,
10:13Igor,
10:13Thiago,
10:14Joao Pedro,
10:15everyone is here.
10:16See?
10:16You can watch the highlights
10:17from the games they played in.
10:19You can stay up to date
10:20with how these guys are doing
10:21without having to leave our site.
10:23So,
10:24besides knowing even more
10:25about soccer
10:25than all your friends,
10:26you also helped the growth
10:27of Football Maximum.
10:28The link is down here
10:29in the description
10:30and in the pinned comment.
10:31It says like this,
10:32look,
10:32Webb,
10:33and when he has the ball
10:34at his feet,
10:35there's a concern
10:36about him facing the goal,
10:37facing upfield.
10:38Most of the time,
10:39he's almost never
10:40the most advanced player
10:41on the team
10:41for that to happen
10:42without the ball
10:43at his feet.
10:43Things change.
10:44Junior Santos
10:45comes back toward midfield.
10:47Danilo stays here
10:48in the midfield
10:48and Ziak is the guy
10:49who goes up front,
10:50being one of the two up front,
10:52who marks
10:53that's the least amount
10:54of physical contact
10:55the player can have
10:56when defending
10:56and the least
10:57defensive responsibility.
11:00So another thing
11:01we're going to see a lot
11:01is this kind of thing here.
11:02Look,
11:02he gets the ball
11:04facing the attack,
11:05all right?
11:05He finds a pass,
11:06some cleverness here,
11:07right?
11:08Using body language
11:09to get this guy
11:09to close off
11:10one passing lane,
11:11but in fact,
11:11he plays into another.
11:13But anyway,
11:14that's not what
11:14I'm going to talk about here.
11:15Look,
11:16this guy loses the ball
11:18and when it's time
11:19to challenge,
11:20the guy who's on the ground
11:21and lost the ball
11:22is the one
11:23who's going to come back
11:24and he's the one
11:25who's going to challenge.
11:27And while Ziyech
11:28was already getting ready
11:29to be the highest player
11:30up the pitch
11:30when they're out of possession,
11:31you know?
11:32Walter Fogo,
11:33in my opinion,
11:34will want to defend
11:34much more with a mid-block.
11:36Because of that,
11:37because with a player
11:38who has less of that
11:39physical dual profile and all,
11:41this lack of vigor
11:42and pressure
11:42starts to become a problem.
11:45When the team
11:46is in a high block,
11:47look at the time
11:48and space
11:48the opponent has
11:49with the ball carrier
11:50unpressured here.
11:51A lot of time
11:52to think,
11:53to act
11:53because Ziyech
11:54is pretty far from him
11:55and since he's been out
11:56for a long time,
11:57physically,
11:58he's going to be below par,
11:59especially in this debut.
12:01And at the same time,
12:02we can't guarantee that
12:03like, no,
12:03soon he'll recover physically.
12:05Yes,
12:05he'll be pressing high
12:06and marking like crazy up there.
12:07I also don't know
12:08how that's going to be.
12:09He's only 33 years old,
12:11that's pretty chill.
12:12But in this case,
12:13look at the consequence.
12:14With time and space to act,
12:16he manages a line-breaking pass,
12:18Mirasol goes forward
12:18and starts exchanging passes
12:20a little closer
12:21to Botafogo's box.
12:22No,
12:22but this Mirasol attack
12:23didn't lead to anything.
12:24And number,
12:25it didn't lead to anything,
12:26not really.
12:27Instead of exchanging passes
12:28near their own goal,
12:29the opponent started being able
12:30to exchange passes
12:31near Botafogo's goal.
12:33Soccer,
12:34especially nowadays,
12:35is really a territorial battle.
12:37So if the guy gains
12:38this territory
12:38and plays the same game
12:40he would play here,
12:41much further forward,
12:42it's a huge advantage
12:43for that team.
12:44And the root
12:44of this territorial gain
12:46is a lack of pressure up front
12:47when the team pushes up.
12:48That's why I think
12:49it's going to be more
12:49of a mid-block
12:50just playing it safe.
12:51Botafogo needs to be careful.
12:53When Ziyech drops back here
12:54to help with the build-up,
12:55look,
12:55usually Vitinho is the one
12:56who does this build-up.
12:57It's pretty common
12:58for him to stay back here,
12:59but this time,
13:00Ziyech is going to switch
13:01with him,
13:01see?
13:02Vitinho is going to push forward
13:03and Ziyech is the one
13:04who's going to drop back here.
13:05It's a bit similar
13:05to what Danilo is doing
13:06down here,
13:07see?
13:07He's here,
13:07he came and dropped back
13:08to face forward,
13:09but when it's on the right side,
13:10yeah,
13:11apparently that's going
13:11to be the dynamic.
13:12Ziyech drops back there
13:13to receive the ball
13:14and turn to face the attack.
13:15Using his passing quality,
13:16Botafogo forces the play
13:17to Vitinho
13:17in a situation
13:18where he doesn't have
13:19much of an advantage,
13:20see?
13:20Fullbacks don't usually
13:21play with their back
13:22to the attack,
13:22you know?
13:23That's a skill
13:24that's difficult,
13:25that's a midfielder skill,
13:26that's a striker skill,
13:27not every striker
13:28has that skill.
13:29So Vitinho naturally
13:30loses here,
13:31he can't control the ball
13:32while turning,
13:32keeping the ball,
13:33well,
13:34close to his body
13:34and he loses the ball.
13:36When he loses the ball,
13:38there's a second problem,
13:39the one marking there
13:40isn't Vitinho himself
13:42who's already used
13:43to that area of the field,
13:44used to delaying the play,
13:45used to it.
13:46Look,
13:46I'm not gonna go
13:47for the tackle now,
13:48I'm gonna force him this way,
13:49I'm gonna force this guy
13:50cornering him a bit
13:51on the sideline here
13:52to give the whole team
13:53time to get organized.
13:54While this guy is attacking
13:55and I'm delaying his decisions,
13:56Ziyech doesn't even think
13:57about running all the way back,
13:58it doesn't make any sense.
13:59And so he goes forward
14:00to try to tackle there,
14:01but you can see
14:01it's a tackle that,
14:02no.
14:03He didn't get there in time,
14:04Reynaldo already had it,
14:05he stole the ball
14:05really well here
14:06and he doesn't commit the foul,
14:07doesn't put his body in front,
14:08in my opinion,
14:09that would have been
14:09the best move here.
14:10He's not gonna run back,
14:11just put your body in front,
14:12let him bump into you.
14:13And moving forward,
14:14he got a yellow card,
14:15he plays even further up,
14:16doesn't really tackle much
14:17with a yellow card,
14:17he's fine,
14:18it's not like a defensive
14:19midfielder with a yellow,
14:20but here he let Reynaldo go by
14:21even without committing a foul.
14:22Then came the cross,
14:24what a play,
14:24really beautiful.
14:25This right here is great,
14:27that's just insane,
14:28it was kind of a bicycle kick here,
14:29really awesome man.
14:31But anyway,
14:31that's where the play starts.
14:32With high pressing,
14:34it's very common
14:35for this marking
14:36to be man-to-man pressure
14:37and this man-to-man pressure,
14:38it has two points
14:39that are like non-negotiable.
14:41One of them is that
14:41it requires a lot of physical effort
14:43from each player.
14:45Chasing your player
14:46without knowing exactly
14:47what moves he's gonna make
14:48is stressful and exhausting.
14:49That's why this pressing
14:50is done at strategic moments
14:51in the game,
14:52never for the whole match
14:53and there's an unquestionable weakness
14:54in this type of marking.
14:57It's when the player gets beaten
14:58by the one he's marking,
15:00a dribble,
15:01a move,
15:01a one-two,
15:02anything can make
15:02the player get beaten.
15:04When this player is beaten,
15:05it starts a domino effect
15:06which is a bomb
15:07that's going to explode
15:08back in the defense.
15:09Look at this play here.
15:10Look, Ziak,
15:11see?
15:11Telling the team
15:12to come up and press.
15:13He said,
15:13hey, push up,
15:14I'll follow.
15:15This guy is just a signal
15:16with his arm
15:17and everyone already knows
15:18it's gonna be
15:18man-to-man marking.
15:19Look,
15:19everyone's sticking to their man,
15:21Junior Santos here.
15:22All right,
15:23each on their own
15:23and when the ball gets
15:25to the guy Ziak is marking,
15:26notice that he tries
15:27to force him
15:28to push the guy
15:29kind of toward the sideline
15:30so he has little space
15:31to act
15:32but he gets beaten
15:33very easily.
15:34The guy dribbles the ball,
15:36gives it a little burst
15:37of speed,
15:37dribbled the ball
15:38and already got past him.
15:39When that happens,
15:40look at this.
15:41The Botafogo player
15:42is already unsure
15:42whether to leave his man
15:43and go to the other one.
15:44It's a defense
15:45that still isn't organized,
15:46isn't adjusted yet.
15:47It's also the coach's debut
15:48along with all of this
15:49and mainly because
15:50of a very simple move
15:51to get past the forward
15:52up front
15:53in a man-to-man marking.
15:54It leaves
15:55dangerous space.
15:57Down here,
15:57there's already a free man
15:59and it's a dangerous shot
16:00that the goalkeeper tips
16:01with his fingertips
16:02and the ball still
16:03hits the post.
16:04From a technical point of view,
16:05individually,
16:05this guy has the potential
16:06to really stand out.
16:07When people say he was on
16:08vacation out for a long time,
16:09you start thinking
16:10about his physical condition.
16:11But man,
16:11the guy is 33 years old,
16:12bro.
16:14Let's keep an eye out
16:15to see if his first goal
16:16for Botafogo
16:17will be like that.
16:18In a play down the sideline
16:19and a passback
16:20with him receiving it
16:21facing the goal.
16:22Let's keep an eye on this
16:23because there's a real chance
16:24his first goal
16:24will be like that.
16:27If I want to play
16:28fortune teller here,
16:29my first impressions,
16:30in my opinion,
16:31couldn't be better.
16:32Take care.
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