Abakar Sylla at Strasbourg 2023/24: Vieira’s new centre-back with quality beyond his experience – scout report

Not too long ago, the new Chelsea ownership group, led by American Todd Boehly, purchased their second professional football club, RC Strasbourg. The Ligue 1 side, who struggled last season and just survived relegation, were given a fresh start, with Boehlys first order of business appointing former Crystal Palace and Nice manager Patrick Vieira as the clubs new head coach. Now, they have also broken their transfer record, with the French side paying just over €20 million to sign Club Brugges 20-year-old Ivorian centre-back Abakar Sylla. 

Strasbourg are signing a defender that has only played one full season of senior football but has excelled often during his time in Belgium. This scout report and tactical analysis will take a look at the Ivorians style of play, as well as his strengths and where he could look to improve. This article will also examine how the defender may fit Vieiras tactics. 

Style of play and positioning overview 

When it comes to Abakar Syllas style of play, the Ivorian centre-back is a pacey and physical defender, one that does not shy away from the ball and is strong in defensive duels. His ability in defensive duels is probably the most refined aspect of the 20-year-old defenders game. It is undoubtedly one of the reasons Strasbourg brought him in for such a hefty transfer fee. The 20-year-old also possesses the rare combination of pace and physicality, with the defender able to beat attackers in a foot race or bully them off the ball using his 623 frame. 

The heat map above shows the areas of the pitch where Abakar Sylla usually finds himself throughout the course of a match. As the graphic shows, most of the Ivorians involvement occurs on the left side of the defensive half, with the 20-year-old commonly being used as the left-sided central defender in a back-three system with Club Brugge.

As we can also see from the graphic, Sylla had the freedom to drive forward at times in the Club Brugge system, with him being heavily involved at times in the attacking half of the pitch. A lot of this comes from Sylla driving forward with the ball at his feet, with this a common trait in his game. 

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