Robson Bambu at Nice 2019/20 – scout report

One of the first significant transfers of Ligue 1’s 2020 summer transfer window will see Patrick Vieira’s Nice side bring Athletico Paranaense centre-back Robson Bambu to the Allianz Riviera.

Former Bayern Munich centre-back Dante featured heavily at the heart of the defence for the former Arsenal and Juventus midfielder’s Nice side throughout the 2019/20 campaign, however, with age catching up with the 36-year-old defender, it may be wise of Nice to invest in this area of the squad. Furthermore, only five Ligue 1 teams had a worse defensive record than Nice last season so securing central defensive reinforcements may have been a priority for Vieira. 

He has done so by recruiting 22-year-old Bambu from the Brazilian Serie A and in this tactical analysis piece in the form of a scout report, we will look at how Bambu may fit into Les Aiglons’ tactics next season. We will look at some of the strengths and weaknesses that have appeared in the 22-year-old’s game during his time at Athletico Paranaense, as well as how Vieira used his centre-backs at Nice last season to try and determine how the defender may fare in Ligue 1. 

Pace and reading of the game

One of the reasons that Nice may have opted to sign Bambu is his combination of pace and ability to read the game. These two traits of his combine to help him to perform effectively when playing as the deepest of his team’s centre-backs out-of-possession, covering in behind for his teammates, while these traits also help him to cut out opposition passes higher up the pitch and successfully intercept the ball. 

In Ligue 1 last season, Nice made an average of just 36.48 interceptions per 90. This placed Les Aiglons in 18th place on the Ligue 1 interceptions table for the 2019/20 season. 

This low positioning on Ligue 1’s interceptions table is undoubtedly partially influenced by the fact that Vieira’s side are one of the most possession-based teams in France’s top-flight. Nice retained an average of 53.2% possession in Ligue 1 last season, which is the fifth-highest of any side in Ligue 1. 

However, Nice’s defensive record, which was the sixth-lowest in Ligue 1 last season, can do with some improvement next season and improving their ability to make interceptions with the addition of a player who excels in that area, such as Bambu, could go a long way to helping Nice tighten up at the back. 

Specifically, Nice struggled to defend against counter-attacks throughout the 2019/20 campaign. They conceded a total of seven goals from counter-attacks last season. Only one Ligue 1 side conceded more goals than that from counter-attacks last season in France’s top-flight. 

The image above provides us with one example of Nice falling victim to a well-orchestrated counter-attack from last season. Here, we can see Monaco in possession of the ball just in front of the centre circle. We can also see Nice centre-back Dante rushing out of the defensive line in an attempt to pressure the opponent and win the ball back high up the pitch to try and thwart this counter-attack effort, in the image above. 

As well as that, we can see all 10 of Nice’s outfield players in this image, situated inside of the opposition’s half, now that Dante has rushed out of the backline.