Ozan Kabak, at just 19 years old, made the move to his third professional club. For some players, this would be a sign of an individual who struggles to settle at any set club. In Kabak’s case, however, it is a declaration of his ambition and the belief that clubs have in his abilities, despite the small pool of minutes to analyse. Now, after completing his first season with Schalke in the Bundesliga, he is being linked to the Premier League champions, Liverpool, and East Midlands side Leicester City, just a year after signing to Gelsenkirchen for €13.5 million.
Kabak was a member of the Galatasary youth system and made his first-team debut with the Istanbul club in May 2018. Typically, centre-back is a tremendously difficult position to play as a youngster at the top level, but Kabak took to senior football in his stride, quickly impressing scouts and fans alike with his composure and excellent positional sense. We will dissect this further through an analysis of his performances this term.
Kabak’s main strength is his ability to read situations and predict opposition patterns of attack. Despite not being overly tall, standing at 6’1”, he owns a remarkable leap that enables him to dominate in the air and he is comfortable defending in isolated situations, either centrally or down the wide channels. This scout report will display how he has adjusted to Wagner’s man-oriented high pressing tactics this season.
In this tactical analysis, we will also cover how important his defensive acumen is to a Schalke side who ranks third in the league for successful pressures, while also covering which potential suitor he would fit better.
Style of Play
When analysing Kabak’s style of play, we will focus on three key sides of his game. These combine to offer an insight into the kind of player that Kabak is and what he could grow to become in the future, potentially at either Liverpool or Leicester City. At only 20 years old, in this stage of his career, it is worth pointing out which features of his game are strong, and which are weaker, to discover how he will aid his side in winning matches.
Now, what are Kabak’s key strengths and what is his playing style? Like many rounded defenders, Kabak started as a striker before dropping back to use his talents in defence. At 6 foot 1, Kabak has that quickness and ability to read the game that can make smaller defenders stand out, and often be more useful than a taller, more limited figure, but as stated earlier, he still dominates aerially. These attributes will also be of use when playing in a high defensive line.
Kabak is right-sided (see below his heatmap) and right-footed but can tackle with either foot, which can prevent the type of awkward positioning when going into challenges that can lead to fouls, which is seen in the fact he has only received four yellow cards across the last two seasons. His defending can be dogged, but there is also a range of passing that can belie this, as well as a willingness to take players on and carry the ball out of defence. He is very efficient in his defensive duels and is very composed when stepping forward to challenge opponents in direct duels.
Above is a heatmap of Kabak this season, as a right-sided centre-back.
Dominance in aerial duels
Under former Huddersfield Town coach David Wagner, Schalke operate a high line of defence and a man-oriented press. This can lead to his centre-backs becoming susceptible to being exposed and isolated against quick attackers when the opposition win the ball back and transition into the attacking phase. As a result, being a central defender in this system requires a certain physical and technical profile, one which the Turk boasts.
