Ilya Zabarnyi’s recent move from Bournemouth to Paris Saint-Germain has certainly stirred the pot, and not necessarily for the right reasons. Following a rather chaotic match against Bayer Leverkusen, many are raising eyebrows about his place in the star-studded PSG lineup.
Let’s rewind a bit. Just this summer, Zabarnyi made headlines when he swapped Bournemouth for Paris in a hefty €63 million deal. During his three-year stint with Bournemouth, he became quite the fan favorite, earning a reputation as a solid defender. Fans were excited when he began making his presence felt at PSG as well. In no time, he’s racked up ten appearances across all competitions, including three in the Champions League. Pretty impressive, right?
But, then came the game against Leverkusen. Yikes! While PSG ultimately celebrated a staggering 7-2 victory, Zabarnyi’s performance definitely wasn’t one for the highlight reel. He found himself in hot water, receiving a red card in just the 37th minute. Talk about a nightmare! Adding to that, he conceded not one but two penalties during the match—one for a handball and the other for a foul. Ouch!
The football world has been buzzing about this situation, with commentator Pierre Ménès weighing in on his YouTube channel after the game. Ménès didn’t hold back in his critique, and it’s safe to say he wasn’t impressed with Zabarnyi’s performance.
“I’ve pointed this out before,” he remarked, “but this guy really struggles in duels.” That’s not exactly the kind of review you want to hear, especially from someone with an audience like Ménès. He went on to point out, “He’s been beaten twice, given away two penalties, and his performance was, frankly, beyond mediocre. It’s worrying.”
Ouch again! It’s clear that Zabarnyi’s debut season with PSG is taking some unexpected turns. While he’s shown he can hang with the big boys, this latest performance certainly raised flags for fans and commentators alike.
It’ll be interesting to see how he bounces back from this setback. After all, PSG has big ambitions, and as tough as this moment is, every player knows they need to shake off their missteps if they want to shine on that massive stage. Here’s hoping Zabarnyi can turn things around and prove skeptics wrong. After all, every great player has a story of overcoming challenges, right?
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