At Paris Saint-Germain, the start of the season often triggers immediate judgments. In L’Équipe, AFC Bournemouth’s sporting director, Tiago Pinto, reiterated a simple truth about Ilya Zabarnyi: adaptation takes time, even more so in Paris.
Pinto: “The first six months at Bournemouth were also difficult.”
“The first six months at Bournemouth were also difficult because he was injured and wasn’t a regular starter. When you arrive at a new team, it requires an adjustment period, that’s normal. Especially in Paris. With us, it was tactically simpler because each defender knew exactly what he had to do: it was one-on-one, each player had to track his opponent everywhere on the pitch.”
The underlying message is clear: drawing definitive conclusions after just a few weeks is not “lucid,” it’s simply premature. Tiago Pinto points out that the defender’s first few months at Bournemouth were already complicated, particularly due to injury and the gradual integration process. And above all, he highlights a major difference: there, the tactical framework was simpler, with clear reference points and individualized duels.
In Paris, the demands are on a whole new level: constant pressure, immediate expectations, and a context where the slightest hesitation becomes a major issue. As a result, “hasty judgments” seem more like a reflex than an analysis. PSG has already seen this with players quickly singled out, then able to reverse the perception once time, rhythm, and automatic responses finally do their work.
Criticizing a performance is fine. Labeling a player at the start of the season is not. PSG has nothing to gain by repeating this scenario: adaptation is not an excuse, it’s a fundamental principle… that is forgotten as soon as the hype intensifies.
