At 16 years and 343 days old, Warren Zaïre-Emery took to the field for PSG’s long-awaited UEFA Champions League clash with Bayern Munich and in the process, became the youngest-ever player to start a Champions League tie. This was yet another record broken by the young midfielder as he had previously become Les Parisiens youngest ever starter and goalscorer.
Since coming under the ownership of the Qataris, Paris Saint-Germain has been transformed into a team packed with global superstars. The desire to fill their ranks with these big-name players has come at a cost with talents who had come through the youth system such as Kingsley Coman, Moussa Diaby and Matteo Guendouzi opting to leave the club as nailing down a place in the starting eleven seemed unattainable.
Times are changing though, the appointments of Christophe Galtier as head coach and Luis Campos as football advisor is an indication that the Paris club want to finally utilise their famed youth system. Campos in particular boasts a spectacular record when it comes to youth development. During his time at Monaco, he noticed the potential of Kylian Mbappe at an early age and created a pathway to the first team so as not to stifle his development.
Having a homegrown player such as Zaire-Emery who has been at the club since he was eight years old, breakthrough into the first team means that other youngsters may not be so keen to leave if they can see one of their peers making a name for himself. This tactical analysis, in the form of a scout report, will look at the strengths and weaknesses of Zaire-Emery’s game and how he looks to be completely unfazed stepping into the star-studded first team in Galtiers tactics.
Player profile
Since Galtier’s appointment, PSG have primarily used a 3-4-3 or 3-4-1-2 and on occasion a 3-5-2 formation. Not only does this accommodate the vast number of superstars who demand to be in the starting eleven, but it also provides them with a great amount of fluidity which allows the midfielders to be incredibly active in the attacking phase of play — primarily deployed as a central or occasionally as defensive midfielder as his heat map demonstrates. He usually plays on the right side of the two-man midfield. To say he is only 16 years old, Zaire-Emery frequently demonstrates a confidence that is beyond his years.
When in possession the PSG youngster showcases an enviable amount of composure. He is more than adept at carrying the ball forwards. As the image below demonstrates, he consistently makes runs into the final third, both with and without the ball which of course provides another attacking outlet for Galtier’s side.
He is more than comfortable with the ball at his feet. At 1.7 metres, he is not overly tall which affords him a lower centre of gravity, therefore it is much more difficult for an opponent to push him off the ball. The midfielder does not shy away from responsibility as he frequently takes it upon himself to progress the play. So far this season Zaire-Emery is averaging 1.25 progressive runs per 90 which indicates how effective he has been when progressing PSG further into the attacking phase of play.
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