Santos FC Musings

The End of the Line

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:12:00 -0400

The ghost of Paulista, the first and only team to win four Campeonato Paulistas in a row, can breathe easy once more. A 1x1 draw at the Vila Belmiro on Sunday meant that Santos blew the chance to equal the feat of the now defunct club. The result combined with Corinthians’s 2x1 win in the first leg gave Tite’s charges the title 3x2 on aggregate. It was a symbol of the vestiges of Santos’s luck that this aggregate score was so kind. There was drive and heart on display from the team in the second leg, but that can only go so far.

Muricy Ramalho sent out the following starting XI.

Rafael; Bruno Peres, Edu, Durval, Léo; Renê Jr., Arouca; Felipe Anderson, Cícero; André, Neymar

Surprisingly, Santos was tentatively on top for most of the half. The team’s energy left Corinthians struggling to keep a hold of the ball and and create chances. That being said, Santos hardly managed to create any opportunities either as the Neymar-centric attack was often left beating weakly on Corinthians’s defensive wall. The breakthrough eventually came from Neymar and company through Cicero’s lovely finish. That glimmer of hope was lost in seconds as Corinthians immediately went up the other end to equalize courtesy of a couple of defensive gifts by Santos’s defense. In the end. despite conceding most of the possession to Santos, Corinthians create more clear scoring chances by halftime.

The second half saw Santos gradually fade away as Corinthians took control of the game passively. The visitors had more and more chances to score as Santos pathetic attempts at going forward left wide swaths of space open at the back. As the game drew to a close, you couldn’t really tell that Santos needed a goal, such was the nonchalance and complete lack of energy in the attack. It was disheartening.

The final whistle came without any fanfare. Corinthians were champions and Santos was left to waddle in the shadow of ineptitude cast by Muricy Ramalho.

Here are the highlights.

Before I go on further, I’ll address the refereeing decisions. The two non-penalty calls were a matter of interpretation. The first handball was not deliberate. The second was a bit more iffy, but the ref had a reason not to give it. The missed call for a egregious foul on Neymar and a clear second booking for Fábio Santos, not so much. Ultimately these factored little into the final result. Santos deserved to lose. By my count there were three shots on target from Santos, one of which was converted. Corinthians had three off the post alone. I won’t even go into the chances they wasted.

Rafael and Neymar were the pick of the bunch. The latter - as always - found himself trying to play hero as the team’s lack of cohesiveness left it virtually toothless. Cícero at least tried to help Neymar on the creative side, but aside from his goal and a potential assist that André wasted, he did little. Renê put himself about a lot but was very sloppy in his distribution and marking. Edu and Durval were relatively decent, just as long as they weren’t asked to deal with pace. Felipe? Abject. Léo and Bruno? Abject. Arouca? Abject. André? Abject would be a kind assessment.

This is Muricy Ramalho’s Santos. There is a theory that underplays the role of coaches in how a team plays, but one need only to look at the two legs of this final to provide a counterargument. On one side there stood Tite commanding a team with a clear identity, working within a defined tactical framework. On the other side Muricy Ramalho stood supervising what in a tactical sense was just a bunch of kids running around on the playground.

To be perfectly honest, it would have been an affront to football if Santos had won the Campeonato Paulista. That’s the depths Muricy Ramalho has carried this team to. In a week Santos fans will have the pleasure of watching this team in the Campeonato Brasileiro.

Looking Forward

However. before that opening game, there is the second leg of the Copa do Brasil game against Joinville on Wednesday night at the Vila Belmiro. The tie stands at 1x1 at the moment, so Santos only needs a scoreless draw to go through.

Other News

Rafael and Neymar made the best XI of the Campeonato Paulista.

Henrique from Mogi Mirim has signed for Santos. He will be on loan at the club until the end of the year. At that time the option to buy 50% of his economic rights for about one million Euros can be triggered. He did fairly well for Mogi. Now it’s time to see if he can make the step up to a bigger stage.

André is rumored to be on his way to Vasco.

Neymar’s Possible Departure

I debated whether or not to say anything about this, because I find transfer sagas utterly boring. There are rumors flying around that Neymar might leave this summer. According to reports, Santos has already rejected a big of 18 million Euros from Barcelona. The club does want to sell Neymar so that he won’t leave for free next summer, but somehow I doubt it will happen. The final decision comes down to Neymar himself, and he seems to want to stay for another year.

[Photo Credit: santosfc.com.br]

Hope Lives

Tue, 14 May 2013 07:24:03 -0400

[Photo Credit: santosfc.com.br]

The result was far from surprising. Despite the efforts of Santos’s players and coach to convince fans otherwise, everyone knew that the club’s sixteen game unbeaten run was an illusory standard to hold up. Santos in its current state is a shadow of a team, and Corinthians exposed that in stark detail. O Timão should have put the game away in just the first half alone. However, poor finishing and more heroics from Rafael saved Santos from humiliation. Inexplicably, Neymar and co. escaped from the Pacaembu with a respectable 2x1 defeat. Hope lives, but perhaps only in its Nietzschean form. Santos has a monumental task to overcome next week at the Vila Belmiro.

WIth Montillo out injured, Muricy decided to go with Muricybol in its purest form to face Corinthians in the first leg. Three and a half defensive midfielders were in the starting lineup. (Three and a half instead of four to be fair to Cicero.) Bruno Peres also returned to the lineup for the first time in a month.

Rafael; Bruno Peres, Edu, Durval, Léo; Renê Jr., Marcos Assuncão; Arouca, Cícero; Miralles, Neymar;

The first half played out exactly how one would guess based on the all factors in play. Corinthians ran rampant with their energy and quick combinations in midfield and attack. It took everything Santos had just to repel the constant attacking waves. Without Rafael’s amazing saves, it could have been at least 3x0 going into the break. Instead, it was only the one Corinthians goal that marked the scoreline. Santos’s attack was nonexistent in the first forty-five as the lack of creativity in midfield meant that any possession gained was wasted almost immediately.

The second half saw improvement slowly creep into Santos’s game. Felipe Anderson came on for Assuncão to inject some pace and guile, while André replaced Miralles up front. This was also facilitated by Corinthians lowering their tempo, most likely with a view towards their midweek Libertadores game. Still, Santos found it difficult to create any good chances, but at least there were some shots on goal. One or two of these actually caused Cassio problems. Another bit of bad defending from a set piece gave Corinthians a second and all hope seemed lost. However, fifteen minutes from time, Durval scored the third set piece goal of the night to keep Santos’s dream of the tetra alive.

Here are the highlights.

There was no question as to who was the Man of the Match. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to say that Rafael has been in good form, but I can now say that again. He was absolutely immense on Sunday. Beyond him, it’s difficult to see any more reasons for praise. Léo had one or two good moments in the first half, and Neymar was the same in the second. Edu and Durval had these moments scattered throughout the game. Felipe Anderson was pretty average, but stood out due to how bad everyone else was. I guess the fact that André played better than Miralles should be noted as well. Everyone else was inept, with Marcos Assuncão being the king of this group. Absolutely useless.

I have no comment to add on Muricy Ramalho which hasn’t been repeated on this blog multiple times before. I suppose he deserves some credit for admitting that he got his tactics completely wrong going into the game. I believe it was something along the lines of “I thought the game would play out differently than it did.” The comedy continues.

The best thing to come out of this game was the end of the what was arguably the most laughable sixteen game unbeaten run in football history.

Looking Forward

The team has a week to think about how to get the two goals needed to claim the trophy next Sunday. (There are no away goals in the final.) Being the pessimist I am, a 1x0 win followed by penalties seemed to be the most likely good scenario, but you never know. Corinthians will be coming off the back of a midweek Libertadores game, which will tilts things a bit in Santos’s favor. It will take luck and effort not seen from Santos this year, but stranger things have happened.

Other News

Willian José should be headed to Santos on loan after initially turning down the club to go play for Grêmio.

Beneficiary of the Gods' Favor

Sat, 11 May 2013 17:40:00 -0400

That is the only possible explanation for Santos continuing to go unbeaten despite playing like a drunkards week in and week out. Another soporific, undeserved win extended the club’s unbeaten streak This time it was over Joinville in the Copa do Brasil. Santos should have lost, but a goal from Durval from a set piece taken by Marcos Assuncão put Santos in the driver’s seat ahead of the second leg.

With Montillo out injured, Muricy went with his darling formation: the 3-5-2.

Rafael; Neto, Edu, Durval; Felipe Anderson, Arouca, Renê, Cícero; Emerson; Miralles, Neymar

The game was an absolute bore. At one end, Santos had a wall set-up that Joinville has difficulty breaking down consistently. At the other end, Santos continued with the apathetic attacking plan that has become symptomatic of the team in 2013. Neymar and co, created even less clear chances than Joinville did.

In the battle of ineptitude Joinville were second best and really should have scored twice. As it happened, Santos once again pulled a win out of the sky as Durval headed home a goal with seven minutes to go. After that the team put the bus even deeper into the parking spot instead of trying to negate the need for a second leg. It was pathetic and completely unsurprising.

Here are the highlights.

Individual performances generally fell into two camps. Most of the defensive players had good displays since they had both numbers and a poor opponent in their favor. Even so, they still managed to screw up a couple of times. Those moments called for Rafael and poor finishing to come to the rescue. The other end of the pitch was also at the other end of the scale. The emphasis on defense combined with Santos’s ineptitude made the attack toothless. Neymar again had a couple of good moments without playing to his normal standards. (When was the last time he was at that level?) The pick of the players on the pitch was probably Felipe Anderson. He caused consistent problems for Joinville down the right hand side.

That’s now sixteen games unbeaten. The level of disparity between this record and the type of football one would associate it with is risible.

Looking Forward

The first leg of the Paulista final is on Sunday at the Pacaembu. The way Santos is playing it’s going to take a miracle to triumph over Corinthians over two legs. MIracles do happen though. Santos has to take advantage of the fact that Corinthians is looking ahead to a midweek clash with Boca.

Necessary Drama

Mon, 06 May 2013 13:21:00 -0400

[Photo Credit: lancenet.com.br]

The quarterfinal against Palmeiras was a game Santos should have won in ninety minutes. Instead, a late equalizer meant the team had to progress after a penalty shootout. The shoe was on the other foot in the semifinal against Mogi Mirim. The home side dominated the encounter, and should have put Santos to bed long before Edu Dracena’s late leveler. Once again penalties were needed, and, once again, Rafael played the part of the hero. His saves sent Santos advanced to a fifth consecutive Paulistão final. The dream of the tetra lives on.

The reported troubles at right-back turned out for the worse. Felipe Anderson was used as a makeshift model by Muricy in his lineup.

Rafael; Felipe Anderson, Edu, Durval, Léo; Arouca, Renê Jr., Cícero; Montillo; Miralles, Neymar

Santos were on the front foot from the off as they tried to suffocate a clearly nervous Mogi Mirim. A few good chances came and went, but the team’s play generally lacked cohesiveness. As a result, Mogi’s defensive line found it easy to rebuff Santos’s attacks. The game was turned on its head on the stroke of half time. A defensive lapse by Felipe Anderson left Roni free to give Mogi the lead.

After the break it was the home side who took control of the game. They could and should have extended their lead as Santos floundered at both ends of the pitch Mogi’s profligacy came back to bite them when Edu headed home an equalizer with thirteen minutes to go.

The fact that Santos played for the penalty shootout after that was no surprise. This is a Muricy team after all.

A poor series of penalties followed. Ultimately, Santos triumphed 5x4 in sudden death after Rafael saved his third penalty to book a place in the final.

Here are the highlights.

There were very little positives to take from the game. Rafael had the best display overall. Edu was fairly decent at the back. Arouca looked good in the opening exchanges but quickly faded into obscurity. Neymar had a couple of good moments, and Léo put in one or two excellent tackles. Aside from that, there was nothing else to praise. On the touchline, Muricy Ramalho sat down looking like he was enveloped in an existential crisis. I still can’t believe the team managed to win this game based on everything that happened. Santos deserved to go out on the back of this performance.

It’s highly unlikely that anything will change before the final. The problems that this team suffers from are too far embedded for that. The best that can be hoped for is that raça will be enough to bring a historic fourth title in a row.

Finally, kudos to Mogi Mirim. I wish them the best of luck in Serie C.

Looking Forward

It’s a clàssico in the final of the 2012 Paulistão. Two legs will determine the champion as Santos and Corinthians face off. The first leg is on Sunday at the Pacaembu. The encounter will come a few days before Corinthians’s Copa Libertadores second leg, so their attention will be divided. Santos has to take full advantage of that.

Before that game though, there is the matter of a Copa do Brasil game away to Joinville on Wednesday night.

Other News

Jubal has been called up to Brazil’s U20 squad.

Unnecessary Drama

Wed, 01 May 2013 21:49:15 -0400

It was a nail-biting end to the first quarterfinal of the 2013 Paulistão. When the smoke of the penalty shoot-out cleared, it was Palmeiras who wore the mantle of despondency as Santos advanced to the semifinals. Rafael was the name on everyone’s lips after his two penalty saves, but he shouldn’t have even had the chance to be the hero. Santos had enough opportunities to put the game away in normal time and cruise into the last four.This worrying profligacy must be corrected if the road to a fourth consecutive title is to continue.

There were a number of personnel worries coming into the game. Giva’s injury left André and a half fit Miralles as the attacking options. The death of Rafael Galhardo’s brother meant he was unavailable for selection. Neymar was a doubt for the game after his injury midweek on international duty, but he was passed fit to play. The team that Muricy sent out was:

Rafael; Alan Santos, Edu, Durval, Léo; Arouca, Renê Jr., Cícero; Montillo; André, Neymar

The first ten minutes of the game belonged to Palmeiras as Gilson Kleina’s men dominated proceedings. They were fast and inventive in attack, and marked Santos’s saida de bola well. It looked bad for Neymar on co, but Cícero’s goal popped Palmeiras’s bubble, and their energy dissipated. From then on, Santos controlled the game. Palmeiras found it difficult to break through the defensive block in front of Rafael’s goal, and were hit repeatedly by swift counterattacks whenever possession was lost. By all rights, the game should have been over and done with with the number of chances Santos had to score. However, some inspirational goalkeeping from Bruno and poor decision making in front of goal kept the door open for Palmeiras.

In the closing stages of the game, O Verdao finally walked in. Muricy Ramalho’s decision to bring on the turtle known as Marcos Assuncão for Arouca proved to be a key component in Palmeiras’s equalize.There was also less than stellar defensive work from Edu who came up with the bright idea of marking thin air rather than the striker in the box.

After that goal, penalties seemed inevitable, and Neymar last miss confirmed this.

What couldn’t be done in normal time was done from the spot. Santos put away all four penalties while Rafael saved two to book a place in the final. After the game the win was dedicated to Rafael Galhardo as he dealt with his loss.

Here are the highlights.

Aside from the first ten minutes and the host of missed chances, I think the display was fairly good. On the defensive end, Palmeiras were stifled well as the team finally remembered how to park the bus. Of the back four only Alan Santos had a poor game, but even he was fairly secure in defense. He was mirrored on the other flank by Léo who defended superbly, but didn’t contribute anything to the attack. The screen of three in midfield played their dual role as well. Palmeiras found it quite difficult to pass by Arouca, Renê, and Cícero. When Santos had the ball Renê quick passing armed the counterattacks and Arouca ruled the right side when his energy. Cícero was muted in this respect.

Arouca’s performance was mirrored higher up on the left flank by Neymar as he often found himself isolated against Palmeiras’s rightback. This is the type of situation you’d expect him to exploit to the fullest, but his finishing let him down on multiple occasions. Montillo had another one of his Houdini games partly due to the team’s almost exclusively flank- based counterattacking tactics. André was less useless than usual but still far off being a competent center forward.

It would be efficient to talk about Muricy and the subs together. Miralles for André was straight forward. The Argentinian had a poor game, but that was no surprise given that he just recovered from an injury. Neto played surprisingly well as an emergency right-back after Alan Santos picked up an injury. He wasn’t supporting the attack, but he put the fear of God into Palmeiras’s left sided attacker. Marcos Assuncão’s entrance was the worst by far. Santos basically went down to ten men when he came on.

Even when the team set itself up to get all the blame for failing to kill the game, Muricy still had to inject some ineptitude of his own.

Looking Forward

A meeting with Mogi Mirim this Saturday awaits. The underdogs dispatched Botafogo-SP with ease in their own semifinal, scoring six unanswered goals. Santos will start as favorites, despite the game being away from home. However, complacency would be disastrous. Mogi are more than capable of causing an upset.

Other News

Santos’s new first kit will be revealed next month

Rafael Galhardo’s brother died in a car accident. Best wishes to him and his family.

Bruno Lamas has moved to Cruzeiro.

Until Next Time

Here’s a short interview with Montillo. (English subtitles can be activated.)

Shifting Gears

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 09:14:00 -0400

[Photo Credit: santosfc.com.br]

It may just be a coincidence, but since the “Esse Time Não Me Representa” campaign, there has been a new spring in Santos’s step when the team takes the pitch. The third occurrence of this phenomena was on display in the Vila Belmiro on Sunday. Goals from André and Cicero gave Santos a win over Penapolense, but the performance still left much to be desired. Energy was just one component that was missing this year. There are still others to find.

Muricy sent out the following XI at the Vila.

Rafael; Galhardo, Edu, Durval, Léo; Renê Jr., Alan Santos; Montillo, Cícero; André, Neymar

Santos came storming out of the gates. However, while the onslaught contained its fair amount of drive, it lacked intelligence. The decision making in the final third was poor, especially from Neymar. The breakthrough did eventually come with a rare moment of clarity in attack. André almost messed up the good work with a clumsy finish, but he got enough on the ball to beat the goalkeeper. Cícero’s offside goal minutes later gave Santos a cushion going into the second half, despite the fact that the team didn’t play especially well. As the half ended, Penapolense’s were beginning to apply some pressure of their own and create chances. It was a harbinger of what was to occur in the second half.

After the break Santos were the team digging into a defensive position as the visitors began to prepare the kitchen sink. The team’s weak right side of defense creaked severely under the pressure. A crack appeared when an own goal from Galhardo gave the visitors hope. others threatened to surface in the minutes that followed. With Penapolense in attack mode, there was room to counterattack, but poor attacking intelligence once again thwarted success in that respect for Santos.

At the end of the game the action petered out, presumably because Penapolense heard Linense were being beaten so their place in the last eight was secured. Finally the ref blew his whistle to bring an end to Santos’s State league campaign for another year.

Here are the highlights.

Overall it was an average team performance. In the defense only Leo really dragged his weight, but that was only in an defending sense. Conversely, Galhardo was good going forward but his defending was atrocious. Edu and Durval just about did enough not to be vilified. The Double pivot of Arouca and Alan Santos did well, especially the latter. Arouca drove the attack forward in the first half, but his influence fell in the second. Alan was just superb. He marked robustly, was calm in possession, and distributed the ball well. The more I see him, the more impressed I become.

Going forward into the attacking sector, Cícero and Montillo were good for the most part. However, like Arouca, their glory came in the first forty-five minutes. Neymar was frustrating. He often got into good attacking positions but undercut his opportunities with poor decisions. That being said, he was one of the better players on the pitch. Surprise, surprise. André…well, he scored.

On the coaching end, Muricy Ramalho celebrated his return by refusing to make a sub to alter the team when Penapolense were on top. Welcome back.

Santos ended the league portion of the Paulistão in third place with 39 points and a 11-6-2 record. The point total and position in this year’s edition mirrors that of last year’s.

Looking Forward

It’s time for the meat of the Paulistão. The playoffs kick off for Santos at the Vila Belmiro against Palmeiras on Saturday. The winner books a place in the semifinals. Palmeiras will have their attention divided as three days later they have a last sixteen Libertadores game. The meeting between the sides in the league portion of the competition ended with Santos being thrashed 0x0. Only Palmeiras’s wayward finishing kept the scoreline undisturbed.

It’ll be tight but I have a feeling home advantage will tip the scales. Let’s hope so.

Other News

Santos’s president, Luis Alvaro de Oliveira, is back in the hospital. The blog wishes him a quick recovery.

Siege

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 08:38:00 -0400

The return leg against Flamengo-PI in the Copa do Brasil was strange. Santos dominated the entire game, and should have scored a fair number of goals above the two that did hit the back of the net. However, some poor decision making got in the way. Based on this information, the obvious conclusion appears to be that Santos played well, but it isn’t that straight forward. It was a matter of overpowering Flamengo instead of outplaying them. Santos will play Joinville in the next round.

In typical Muricy fashion, he marked his to the touchline by discarding the successful 4-3-3 formation from the win against Uniao Barberense to go back to the 4-2-2-2.

Rafael; Galhardo, Dracena, Durval, Léo; Renê Jr, Arouca, Cícero, Montillo, Patito; Neymar

I should note that Santos were already going through on away goals due to the result in the first leg. Thus, all that was generally needed was to lose to a team that isn’t even in Serie D.

There isn’t much to analyse about the game. Away from their raucous home crowd, the away team spent the lion’s share of the match holed up in their barracks waiting for reinforcements that were not coming. Santos laid siege to Flamengo’s encampment, but a wrong pass at crucial juncture always thwarted success. At the other end, the defense was still not looking strong, but it didn’t matter much since Flamengo decision making in front of goal on their rare forays forward was poor as well. Throw in some questionable refereeing with two clear penalties not called for Santos, and the scoreline was undisturbed for a long time.

It took until the seventy first minute for the first breach to be made. Rafael Galhardo revealed the cannon of a right foot that he has been hiding with a thunderous strike into the top corner. Later another beauty from Neymar sealed the win.

Here are the highlights.

There isn’t much to take from such a one-sided game. Pato didn’t take his chance to challenge for a starting place. He was extremely poor. Arouca looked fairly good on his return from injury, but soon tired. Léo spent most of the game being uninterested in going forward. There was the matter of some dodgy defending which, once again, came from the right side. Galhardo and Edu did not cover themselves in glory. Everyone else was fairly good, I guess.

Looking Forward

The last round of the Campeonato Paulista league stage is on Sunday. Santos will take on Penapolense at the Vila Belmiro to close out this portion of the competition. Muricy Ramalho plans to use a full strength side to ensure that a place in the top four is secured. Penapolense need a win to ensure that they don’t miss out on the playoffs, so they’ll be taking the game seriously as well.

Neymar Sinks the Battleship Barbarense

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 06:32:12 -0400

[Photo Credit: Denny Cesare/Agência Estadovia via Globoesporte]

There was no cause for optimism going into Santos’s clash on Saturday with União Barberense. Another woeful display from Santos against Flamengo-PI saw to that. The only thing that had changed since that encounter was an online photo blog by the club’s fans to effectively disown the team in its current state. Predictably, the club’s management effectively ignored this new protest, but it may have had an effect nonetheless. Santos put in arguably their best display of the year so far against União. As per usual, Neymar led the way by scoring all four goals. The victory was an apt way to commemorate Santos becoming 101 years old a day later.

Tata surprisingly went with a 4-3-3 (4-2-1-3) and a new rightback as in the configuration of the lineup.

Rafael, Alan Santos, Edu Dracena, Neto, Guilherme Santos; Renê Júnior, Cícero, Montillo; Giva, Neymar, Patito

The team’s previous excursion in a 4-3-3 was in the derby against Palmeiras. That day it was executed terribly - with some help from Palmeiras - and a tactical switch had to be made at halftime. The same was expected against União, especially with a mostly water-logged pitch serving as the stage for the encounter. This assumption didn’t hold true as Santos, after some initial flailing, executed the attacking characteristics of the formation quite well. For the first time this year, there were signs of true midfield elaboration. União were opened up when they setup a defensive wall as well as on counter-attacks.

Walter Montillo was central to this newfound fluidity. He looked comfortable operating at the tip of the midfield triangle, and was involved in most of Santos’s attacks. As a result of this functioning attack, Neymar grabbed a brace in a little under half an hour. However, at the other end, problems still remained despite a clear six man defensive line (the back four and two defensive midfielders). Cesinha constantly found space to work with on the right side of defense, which he used to give Alan Santos a few nightmares in the first half.

The defensive problems lessened in the second half. Whether this was a result of improved defending, or a loss of drive after Neymar added two more to his tally before the 51st minute, I’m not sure. (It’s probably a little bit of both.) After that the game simply boiled down to how many more goals Santos would get before the final whistle.

The answer turned out to be none despite Neymar’s best efforts. Here are the highlights.

Finally something new to talk about in my post game rambling. Firstly, I must say what a joy it was to see the players actually moving around the pitch instead of waiting passively to receive the ball. That was a crucial missing part of the team’s attacking play this year. I don’t know how it suddenly popped up from nowhere, and I don’t really care. I just don’t want it to leave.

For all of Santos’s good attacking in the game, only Neymar and Montillo excelled from the attacking four - the latter did wane in the second half though. Giva and Pato were a bit hot and cold which was somewhat a result of the condition of the pitch. In an attacking capacity the work of the two fullbacks was relatively acceptable. Alan Santos was reluctant to go forward at first, but grew in confidence as the match went on. In the second half he was sending in accurate crosses into the box which immediately makes him better than any other rightback in the squad. The double pivot was mostly there to defend, but Cícero did get forward a few times, one of which resulted in his assisting a goal.

On the defensive end, the evaluation is bleaker. The aforementioned six man defensive block gave up far too much to União in the first half. Actually, it’s erroneous to blame everyone. The left side, believe it or not, was fairly secure. Neto was imperious for most of the game, while Guilherme Santos seems to have learned how to defend, which is nothing short of extraordinary. (Maybe it was just the level of the opposition.) The right side suffered in the first forty five minutes. Edu won everything in the air, but looked suspect when he was confronted on the ground. Alan Santos struggled to adjust to playing at rightback, and was consequently given a warm time by União’s forward line. However, just like his attacking game, his defensive awareness grew as the match went on. The double pivot were fairly good, but more cover should have been given to Alan when he was under siege.

Overall it was a performance to warm the soul after all the drab football this year. However, the number of defensive errors was worrying, and there were signs of the team being a broken one. This is a step in the right direction. but there is still a lot of work to be done. Consistency is the key. After the weekend’s results, Santos is in fourth place with a game to go.

Looking Forward

The second leg of the Copa do Brasil tie against Flamengo-PI is on Wednesday. Renê Junior is suspensed, Durval is expected to return to the defense, and Muricy Ramalho should be back on the touchline.

Other News

Neymar’s goals made him the thirteenth highest scorer in the club’s history since Pele. His haul lifted him past Odair in the standings.

The groups for the U20 Campeonato Paulista have come out. Santos is in group six with Corinthians, São Vicente, Flamengo-SP, Audax São Paulo, Juventus, São Bernardo, and Santo André. The competition starts on May 18 and ends on November 30.

News has come out that Santos tried to sign Humberto Suazo, but failed due to his high wages. What a shame. He’s a great striker. A rumor floated around after this bit of bad news is that Willian José may come on loan from Grêmio.

Meltdown in Teresina

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 06:15:00 -0400

The plan for Santos’s debut in the Copa do Brasil was simple: fly to Teresina, and beat Flamengo-PI by at least a two goal margin to reduce the two legged affair to one game. That didn’t go so well. Santos did get a two goal lead, but proceeded to throw it away. In the end, Neymar and co. were lucky to leave with a point. Santos is still the heavy favorite given the two away goals, but the abject showing against an (essentially) amateur side is even more evidence of the team lack of direction.

With Muricy Ramalho still recovering in the hospital from his bout of sickness, his assistant, Tata took charge of the team. The lineup he sent out was as follows.

Rafael; Galhardo, Edu, Durval, Léo; Alan Santos, Renê Jr.; Montillo, Cícero; Giva, Neymar

The quality of opposition didn’t serve to change the narrative that has played itself out many times this year. There was no cohesion in attack, no sturdy structure in defense, and Neymar was left to do all the work on his own. The two goals Santos scored were entirely of his own making as he produced a pair of delightful assists. Neymar’s individual quality was balanced out by the boneheaded behavior of Rafael and Durval that led to Flamengo-PI’s goals.

Outside of the goals, there were chances to add more notches to the scoreline for either side. Santos’s came mostly from counterattacks and dead balls, where the need for collective understanding is not as necessary. Two of these did end up in the net, but they were rightly disallowed. Flamengo-PI’s opportunities were varied and somewhat sparse. Despite Santos’s incompetence, the home side’s quality was still too low for them to be a constant nuisance, but they came worryingly close to converting a few due to poor defensive organization. Most of these came after the equalizer as the support from the crowd drove the home team on while Santos wilted yet again.

I’d say 2x2 was a fair result on the balance of play. Santos clearly didn’t deserve to win. Here are the highlights.

So, individual performances. Well, with regard to the front four, Neymar and Giva were decent while Montillo and Cicero were largely anonymous. The double pivot was functional enough on the defensive end, but hardly contributed to the attack. Now that I think about it, it’s a bit strange. Alan Santos may not have the qualities to bolster the attack, but Renê Jr. is more than capable of playing this role. Yet another strange problem with the team. I’d rather not talk about the back four. OK, it wasn’t all bad from the defense but it was mostly woeful.

There’s not much to say about Tata since I expected nothing from him. There was the oddity of his appearing to only remember that substitutions existed with ten minutes to go. Beyond that…meh.

I guess I should point out that the 2010 Copa do Brasil winning team also had a poor result in their opening game. That 1x0 win away to Naviraiense was followed by a 10x0 annihilation back at the Vila Belmiro.I wouldn’t hold my breath with regard to this team pulling off anything similar when the second leg rolls around.

Looking Forward

There are only two games left in the league portion of the Paulistão. The penultimate encounter for Santos is an away game against relegation candidates União Barbarense on Saturday. The team will be almost the same as the one from the Copa do Brasil game as Arouca and Miralles are still recovering from injury. The only exceptions will be in central defense where Neto will come in for the suspended Durval, and Guilherme Santos may play in Léo’s stead. Muricy still hasn’t recovered fully from his sickness, so Tata will lead the team once again.

The “Esse Time Não Me Representa” Campaign

Santos fans have taken the protests against the dull football the team is playing to another level. A tumblr blog was created for people to send in photos with the central phrase “esse time não me representa” (this team doesn’t represent me). The move has permeated the Brazilian media in several forms. It’s time Santos’s higher-ups listened.

Other News

Santos won its first match in the U17 Campeonato Paulista.

Santos has hired a scout who will start working some time later this year. This may sound like bland news, but it get’s better and worse - yes, at the same time. This scout, a Brazilian by the name of Sandro Otlandelli, previously did work for Arsenal in South America. His last job was at Atlético-PR, but that ended on a sour note. Not too bad so far, right? Here’s where it gets worse. Santos’s scouting network before this hiring consisted of Muricy Ramalho, his two assistants, and occasionally Serginho Chulapa. The club was mostly dependent on businessmen offering up players. It’s unbelievably amateur. At least that explains Santos’s pathetic transfer policy. The goal to reduce the club’s debt is admirable, but the strategy to keep the team competitive given this financial prudence is beyond appalling. Someone mentioned to me on Twitter that the majority of Brazilian clubs have poor scouting networks, but this is no excuse. Santos’s management should be thinking above and beyond. [The article outlining the news is here.]

The club’s Youtube channel has finally added English subtitles to their videos.

Until Next Time

Here’s a 3D representation of the Vila Belmiro, and pictures from a ceremony to honor the two Santos sides to win the Copinha.

[Source]

A Multitude Condensed to a Single Point

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 10:15:37 -0400

Santos’s game last night against São Caetano was defined by its wasted opportunities. Attack after attack went begging from Muricy Ramalho’s charges throughout the ninety minutes as the visitors hung on for dead life. In the end, a Neymar freekick was needed to save some of Santos’s blushes against the nineteenth place team in the Campeonato Paulista. The 1x1 draw left Santos in third place again, but that may change over the weekend depending on results.

Muricy Ramalho sent out a mostly unchanged XI from the last game.

Rafael; Galhardo, Neto, Durval, Léo; Renê Jr., Alan Santos; Montillo, Cícero; Giva, Neymar;

I mentioned in my last blog that I expected to miss the game. That turned out to not be exactly true. I caught the last three minutes or so. Not that that really matters since that time interval couldn’t produce an overall impression of the game. Or could it? What I saw was some disjointed play and Neymar producing a bright moment or tw. After reading some reports and talking to some other Santos fans, that’s exactly what happened. I can’t really say that I’m surprised.

That seems to clash with what I wrote in the introduction to this post. It doesn’t. The two states coexist quite swimmingly. I have to admit that it did have me confused for a while based on the reactions I saw on Twitter. I soon figured it out, though. Santos’s play was better than the tripe on show so far this year, and only extremely poor finishing prevented a goleada. However, it was still far below what this team should be displaying. Other than Neymar and another good night for Alan Santos, everyone else was pretty much average against what is an extremely poor team.

Now for the first highlights video I’ve seen from the club’s Youtube channel. How convenient that it came out after a game where mere highlights would give the impression that Santos played well. For a cynic like me, it comes across as propaganda.

Looking Forward: Copa do Brasil Entrance

Santos will take its first step into another competition in midweek. The team travels to Piaui to play the first leg of its tie against Flamengo-PI in the Copa do Brasil. If all goes as expected, Santos TV will be releasing another highlights video. Hopefully it will have more goals this time.

Bits and Bobs

This is a new section for random thoughts and other interesting things that will occasionally pop up. I’ve been thinking of Argentinizing (I made that up all by myself) Santos some more. In addition to Montillo, Patito, and Miralles, why not add Ignacio Scocco of Newell’s Old Boys? He scored an absolute golaço last night. Although I don’t watch Argentine football, I follow enough to know that he’s a good player who has been doing well. My thoughts didn’t stop there with respect to NOB. The team’s current coach, Gerardo Martino, will be leaving soon. What I wouldn’t give to have him as Muricy Ramalho’s replacement.

Speaking of a new coach, this article in Portuguese describes a way to get rid of Ramalho. The gist is that the obstacle of the 4 million Reais payoff for firing him could be lessened by hiring a cheap coach with the money left untouched by the fine’s monthly installments. Since we all know that Santos’s head honchos will never consider this course of action, let’s look at the state of things right now. Muricy Ramalho’s contract ends in December, and rumor is that it won’t be renewed as energetically as last time. With two years under his belt at the club, it seems that Mr. Grumpy is near to untouchable, and has set himself up as some kind of quasi-dictator. As you can imagine, a couple of people don’t take too kindly to that.

Other News

Pelé’s son Joshua will not play in Santos’s U17 team yet. He is currently undergoing a process of re-adaptation to Brazilian football.

A Likely and An Unlikely Hero

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 21:54:36 -0400

When it comes to Santos winning games, the name Neymar popping up is as surprising as the sun rising. Against Oeste he was on the score sheet again after a four game hiatus. However, that goal was unable to secure a win. It took another source to give Santos all three points. The tale of the tape will show that Cicero scored the winner, but it was Durval who was the true hero. It was the centerback’s impromptu backheel from a corner that set up the goal. For a player whose time on the ball is wholly associated with hoofs down the field, it was quite extraordinary.

With Arouca and Edu out injured, Muricy sent out the following team.

Rafael; Bruno, Neto, Durval, Guilherme Santos; Alan Santos, Renê Jr.; Montillo, Cícero; Giva, Neymar

The game started out with Santos looking quite good due to Oeste’s openness at the back and in midfield. One or two chances were created as a result but no goal was forthcoming. When Oeste tightened the nuts and bolts, it was back to long balls up to Neymar and Giva as the disconnected nature of the midfield continued. Santos did look like providing some threat since Neymar was somewhat back to his old self. The home side hardly troubled Santos’s goal in the first half.

That changed slightly in the second half as Rafael has to shake off some of the dust off his gloves. However, the game spent quite a while being in a balanced state of tepidity as neither team threatened consistently. A rare appearance from Montillo gave Neymar the chance to change that, and he did so with a superb shot into the top corner. This propelled Santos to improve an iota, but that was more down to Oeste’s growing need for an equalizer leaving larger and larger spaces at the back to exploit.

Neymar almost took advantage of this as the game drew to a close. His one man counterattack was a defender’s block away from extending Santos’s lead. It was a miss he would rue as Oeste immediately went up the other end to equalize. However, before Oeste’s fans could start celebrating properly - and Santos’s could start cursing - the game changed again. A minute later Santos won a corner. It was Felipe Anderson to Durval to Cicero to the back of the net and a further three points added to Santos’s tally.

That’s all she wrote. Here are the highlights.

So I think player notes will be missing this week. I never really intended it to be a permanent match…analysis feature. (Not that it was to be honest. That would be offensive to the true spirit of analysis.)

Let’s start with the good notes. Santos actually had an observably defensive structure against Oeste. Without the ball the team fell back into a six man block with Alan and Renê as the guard dogs in front of the back four. It gave Oeste precious little options to try to break through to goal as both defensive midfielders would shuffle over to double up or protect space as required. As a result neither Bruno nor Guilherme was exposed too much, but the latter was still culpable on Oeste’s goal. Neto and Durval mainly carried out cleanup duty, but they were pretty good as well. Renê was alright in general, but Alan was truly superb. His skill at not only robbing the ball, but escaping the attentions of the opposition trying to win it back was impressive.

The downside of how Alan and Renê playing together was reflected in the team’s attack. Neither defensive midfielder was good at getting forward, and that’s where Arouca’s drive in the middle of the pitch was missed, especially in counterattacks. As a result, the disconnectedness of the midfield and attack was at an all-time high. Santos was a broken team in addition to being a static one. The front four looked like four islands in the Caribbean instead of four players on the same pitch. Cícero was visible now and again, but Montillo was completely anonymous except for his assist for the first goal. Again, it wasn’t entirely his fault. Once more Muricy had him out on the right primarily marking the forward runs of the opposing rightback. Neymar Island and Giva Island were actually pretty close to each other, and the expected good linkup play between them came in sparks. However, two men do not form a team’s attack, and Oeste’s numerical advantage at the back saw to it that nothing much came to fruition. Giva was quieter than usual and was eventually replaced. Neymar on the other hand looked more lively than he has been in weeks. Still, he wasn’t at the level that he was capable of.

I didn’t mention it before the highlights reel, but Bruno had to come off at halftime. He was replaced by Felipe Anderson who made his one hundredth appearance for the club. Felipe played as a kind of rightwing back as far as I could figure. He was average as best. The other subs didn’t do much. Pato came in almost at the end of the game and André is André.

Muricy? Nothing to add for the sake of avoiding repetitiveness, but I wish Leandrinho had played instead of Alan Santos. That would have been more interesting.

So, in conclusion: third place retained, eight game unbeaten run established, crappy football continued. Only three games left until the playoffs.

Looking Forward

São Caetano are up next on Thursday in round 17. Arouca, Léo, and Edu are out. Pato and Felipe are in after escaping lengthy bans for their red cards some time ago. Neymar is also in despite his callup to the Brazilian national team for their friendly against Bolivia on Saturday. The team on Thursday will likely be the same team that played against Oeste. I will be missing the game, so the next post will be more of a general recap.

Until Next Time

Here’s Neymar having some fun in the airport on the way to Bauru to play Oeste.

Turning a Win into a Draw

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 09:41:00 -0400

[Photo Credit: Lance!/Ivan Storti]

The sparse crowd present at the Vila Belmiro on Thursday night was treated to yet another spectacle outlining all that is wrong with Santos at the moment. The return of Neymar and Montillo helped Santos to score two goals, but defensive lapses gave Mogi the opportunity to snatch a draw. It was a deserved draw for the away side based on the pattern of play. Santos were abject yet again.

Muricy Ramalho sent out a full strength side as Giva started up front with Neymar.

Rafael; Bruno Peres, Edu, Durval, Léo; Renê Jr., Arouca; Montillo, Cícero; Giva, Neymar

Unlike most teams Santos face, Mogi Mirim looked to be proactive in their play which left room for counterattacks. It said a lot that not even this openness was enough for Santos to break the deadlock early on, such was the lack of understanding in midfield. At the other end, Mogi Mirim’s passing and movement gave the defense some problems, but they lacked the killer instinct to take advantage. The pattern of the game changed when Mogi’s weak defending of overlapping runs down the flanks was exposed. The early forays were unproductive since Bruno Peres couldn’t cross a ball to save his life. However, Arouca found himself on the wing once and his cross resulted in a goal just before the half.

The goal gave Santos some impetus which continued into the second period, but another tally was not forthcoming. It didn’t take long for that impetus to evaporate. Some comical defending at a free-kick allowed Henrique to head home an equalizer for Mogi. Four defenders failed to get a touch on the ball before it landed on his head. Four.

From there it was back to square one, but somehow the return to the previous game state produced another goal for Santos. Giva was the scorer as he brought his tally for the first team up to three. At this point the three points appeared to be somewhat secure given that Mogi’s attacks were lacking bite. However, an injury to Léo meant that Guilherme Santos had something to say about that. He came on and within ten minutes Mogi grabbed an equalizer from his side of the field. What a surprise.

That being said, a second viewing of the goal revealed that he wasn’t entirely to blame. After all, as you can see in the grainy photo below, four players are marking three Mogi attackers (left side of the picture - two players are standing very close together), and one centerback is picking up no one at all (center) which left Guilherme to cover two players on the left by himself (the right side of the picture - the body of goalscorer Waguininho is just visible). Another instance of crappy defensive organization. Still, he could have done better.

Yellow is the Santos back four
Blue is (part of) the Santos midfield
Red is for Mogi’s players

That’s how the game remained. Here are the highlights.

Player notes.

Rafael: A couple of good saves. He wasn’t at fault for the two goals.

Bruno Peres: Extremely poor.

Edu: Average.

Durval: See above.

Léo: Made some good runs and was solid defensively.

Renê Jr.: Played relatively well.

Arouca: See above.

Montillo: Back to his Houdini act. He did have a few good moments though.

Cícero: Scored and got an assist but I wasn’t impressed with his display as a whole.

Giva: Great movement all night without really affecting the game. Took his goal very well.

Neymar: Very underwhelming. Still had a hand in both goals.

There’s not much to add. The squad really needs a rightback. Bruno Peres’s somewhat promising 2012 looks to be an anomaly. Now I know why he was third choice at Guarani. Giva continues to impress. It’s a shame that the rest of the team’s malaise is affecting his impact on the game. His first time layoffs often go to waste. It’s important not to get over exciting given the level of competition in the Paulista, but Giva looks to be a special player. The continuation of Neymar and Montillo’s poor form is just another piece of evidence of the team’s current state.

And my final word on this game. Of all the instances where Santos was on the same level as a smaller team, this one was especially painful. Usually the opponents played a mirrored version of Muricy’s defensive counterattacking football. Mogi Mirim presented a visage of what Santos should be: a team confident on the ball, constantly moving, and full of ideas. Based on that, I’d rather have 31 year old Dado Cavalcanti as my coach than Muricy Ramalho. Who says there aren’t any better options out there?

Looking Forward

The Campeonato Paulista is drawing to its it end. Santos travel to Oeste on Sunday to contest the sixteenth game of the league portion of the competition. Guilherme Santos is going to start since Emerson is doing muscular work to prevent injuries and Léo is out injured. Heaven help us. Edu is also out.

The team didn’t train on Friday or today as Muricy wants to lessen fatigue. You know what else would help with that, Muricy? ROTATION.

Other News

Santos are reportedly interested in Jefferson Montero of Morelia. Other reports suggest that Wolfsburg want to sign Arouca.

The Circle of Torture

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 10:15:00 -0400

Sunday’s derby between Palmeiras and Santos showed two teams in a similar yet different type of limbo. Palmeiras have a defined way of playing which governs how they defend and go forward. Their only problem on Sunday was ineptitude in front of goal. Santos on the other hand had no defining characteristic, and continued to produce lethargic football in attack. The team’s defensive play was better but not by much. These factors combined produced a 0x0 draw that will not live long in the memory.

In a surprise move, Muricy sent out the team in a 4-3-3.

Rafael; B. Peres, Edu D., Durval, Léo; Arouca, Renê Jr., Cícero; Giva, André, Neilton

This dip into the tactical stream yielded nothing. The team was even more disjointed that before, and the limbo like midfield neither marked nor supplied the front three. Palmeiras’ four man midfield dominated the game in the first half, and only some saves from Rafael and profligacy in front of goal kept the scoreline untouched. Santos had one clear chance, but Cícero’s header was saved by Fernando Prass.

The second half saw Muricy go back to the usual 4-2-2-2 formation by subbing Neilton out for Alan Santos. How André stayed on the pitch, I have no idea.This move improved the defensive organization of the midfield, but still left the glaring lack of creativity As such, the second half proved to be a lesser version of the first as Palmeiras found it harder to create gilt-edged chances while Santos huffed and puffed at the other end. One of these huffs created an opportunity that André duly missed. Muricy kept subbing out attackers throughout the game without thinking to address the lack of creativity. Not that he could, since no-one suitable was on the bench was on the bench.

The referee’s final whistle came without much fuss to bring an end to another drab derby.

Here are the highlights.

And the player notes.

Rafael: Two moments of stupidity and two good saves.

Bruno Peres: A below average display.

Edu Dracena: A good showing from the captain.

Durval: Pretty good aside from one or two moments of weakness.

Léo: See Bruno Peres.

Arouca: Hardly noticeable.

Renê Jr.: Continued his downward spiral. Neither passed well or marked properly.

Cícero: He was given the reins to the midfield and did nothing with them. I noticed him more at leftback than I did of him trying to drive the team forward.

Giva: Another lively display. Suffered once again from a lack of players to associate with.

André: No comment.

Neilton: The weight of a derby showed. He lacked focus in both phases of play.

Subs: Alan Santos can in and played well. He secured the midfield and provided a conduit to get the ball forward. Miralles did nothing of note. Victor Andrade spent most of his cameo on the ground.

More of the same inedible slop with a little (flavorless) spice thrown in. Muricy’s use of the 4-3-3 was at least somewhat interesting. However, due to his general tactical ineptitude and poor team selection, he was unable to make the formation work. I’d much prefer Palmeiras’ coach, Gilson Kleina, to be in charge at Santos going from Sunday’s game.

On the other hand, at least he gave opportunities to three youngsters. Neilton didn’t play very well, but Alan Santos was superb, and Giva kept his record of being the best player in recent weeks. It should have been more given the number of unavailable players. I can’t believe Leandrinho wasn’t even on the bench.

The draw left Santos in third place with five games to go in the league phase of the Campeonato Paulista.

Looking Forward

Santos faces Mogi Mirim at the Vila Belmiro on Thursday. Neymar and Montillo will be back from international duty while Felipe Anderson and Patito will be back from suspension.

Givanildo Saves The Day

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 02:23:00 -0400

[Photo Credit: santosfc.com.br]

With Neymar on international duty, the big issue going into Thursday night’s game against Mirassol came down to who would fill his shoes. Patito, Felipe, and Miralles’s feet were smaller than was required. Fortunately, Giva’s were big enough on the night. He struck his first and second goal for the club to secure a come from behind win for Santos. As per usual. it was a win on the back of an apathetic performance.

Along with Neymar, Montillo, Cícero, Marcos Assuncão, and Emerson were unavailable for selection. This is the team Muricy Ramalho sent out as a result.

Rafael; Bruno Peres, Edu, Durval, Léo; Renê Jr., Arouca, Felipe, Patito; Giva, Miralles.

The script wasn’t much different from previous Santos games. One change was that Miralles was the one who missed an early chance, not André. The other was the even more disconnected nature of the midfield as Patito and Felipe failed to step up to the plate. Both of them failed to make a significant impact on the match. Felipe’s only real contribution was taking the corner that lead to Giva’s equalizer just before the half. Mirassol’s opener had come in a spell where the Santos defense was especially porous, particularly down the left. Former Santos youth product Tiago Luis made Durval look very ordinary a couple of times.

The second half didn’t offer much in terms of an improvement in the standard of play. Nothing much of note occurred until Giva put Santos ahead fifteen minutes before time. It’s hard to fault Mirassol for being livid that the goal was given. The linesman adjudged Patito to be affecting play from an offside position, but his raised flag was overruled by the referee. A safe drive to three points seemed to be on the cards after that, but a large roadblock popped up. Pato and Felipe both managed to get themselves sent off in quick succession to leave the team down to nine men in the dying embers of the game. Mirassol failed to take advantage of their good fortune and the score ended at 2x1.

Here are the highlights.

It’s time for player notes.

Rafael: Made the usual one or two good saves. Not at fault for the goal.

Bruno Peres: Anonymous.

Edu: The captain is slowly working his way back into form. Another good display.

Durval: Suffered a lot in the first half, but improved in the second.

Léo: An average show from the veteran

Renê Jr.:He’s a shadow of the impressive player from earlier this year.

Arouca: Anonymous for most of the game.

Felipe: Played like he was half-asleep until the tackle that got him sent off.

Patito: Ran a lot without doing much.

Giva: Lively and bright as usual, and grabbed two goals as well.

Miralles: Looked off the pace on his return from injury.

Despite the underwhelming showing from Patito and Felipe, I’m not going to be too harsh on them. This game was their first start of the year after all.

Santos’s temporary main sponsor had a promotion with the club’s Facebook page. After the game fans would vote for their Man of the Match, and the winner would receive a car. Guess who won.

[Photo Credit: Globoesporte/Marcelo Hazan]

Congrats, Giva!

Looking Forward

The list of unavailable players for today’s derby against Palmeiras grew. Neymar, Montillo, Marcos Assuncão, Felipe Anderson, and Patito is the full list as it stands. Cícero will be available after his suspension. It’ll be interesting to see who is given the creative burden in midfield with all the usual players out. Rumors point to Muricy going conservative, but hopefully someone like Leandrinho sees some playing time.

With six games to go in the league phase, Santos are in second while Palmeiras are three points behind in fourth.

Other News

According to France Football, Neymar is the fifth most highly paid player in the world with an annual income of 20 million Euros.

Santos is still paying transfer fee installments for Henrique, Ibson, Jonathan, and Falcão (futsal).

Pele’s son, Joshua, has come back to Santos after training with the club last year. This time he will play for the U17 team in the Campeonato Paulista at that leve

An Ode To Adriano

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 06:35:06 -0400

Like any title winning campaign, Santos’s road to a third Copa Libertadores title was decorated by memorable moments. Goals like Elano’s long range freekick, Danilo’s howitzer against Cerro Porteño, and Neymar’s opener in the final come to mind, as well as Rafael’s goalkeeping masterclass against Club América. Of course, in terms of overall displays, Neymar’s evolution from tropical depression into a hurricane that sent defenders flying was the greatest landmark built on the way to lifting the trophy. The fuel to fire Santos’s attack largely came from his boots alone. However, there is another name which deserves a large amount of recognition for the body of work he contributed to the cause. Just as important as Neymar’s explosiveness up top was the steel provided in midfield by Adriano. He was the team’s main bulwark on the way to the title.

It was a long, hard road for Adriano from his first days in Santos’s youth academy to proudly wearing a Copa Libertadores winner’s medal around his neck. It took him seven years from the first time he pulled on a Santos shirt to his getting a chance to make an impression on the first team. An injury to Jonathan was the catalyst that gave Adriano his opportunity as he took he empty spot in midfield left by Danilo’s moving to rightback. The then twenty-four year old grasped the position with both hands and established himself as a key member of the team for the rest of the campaign. He proved to be the perfect piece to fit into Muricy Ramalho’s counter-attack based system.

In a string of impressive performances, Adriano’s masterpiece came ovr both legs of the Libertadores final. While Neymar struggled in the first leg before returning to his usual decisive nature in the return game, Adriano was superb throughout the 180 minutes. His man marking on the dangerous Alejandro Martinuccio was ruthless in its completeness as the Peñarol playmaker found himself reduced to near insignificance in both games. The other Peñarol players suffered similar fates when they entered Adriano’s domain. This was just as important to Santos’s eventually triumph as any of the goals that were scored in the Pacaembu that night.

That proved to be Adriano’s zenith as a Santos player. His good form largely continued through the rest of 2011 before his season was cruelly cut short by an injury. Because of this knock, he was unable to play a part in the Club World Cup, the tournament that he played such a crucial part in booking Santos ticket to.

When Adriano returned from injury in 2012, Santos’ switch to a more proactive style of play placed neon signs on the defects in his toolbox that had been previously masked by the defensive tactics Ramalho had used. His inability to pass the ball well, and almost utter uselessness in attacking positions were the two major faults. In addition to this, his bread and butter was getting stale. His tackling, which had previously been very crisp, became wild, and the tightness of his marking slackened. No more did the area surrounding him carry the aura of a piece of No man’s land. Where Adriano had once been been a colossus, he was now more often comparable to a headless chicken running around causing more harm than damage.

As 2012 cycled through the seasons, it became clear that the old Adriano, the one who had been a champion of the team, was no more. He still had a place in the squad, but as his contract wound down, the situation grew complex. Negotiations stalled over the fact that a significant part of Adriano’s rights were owned by his former agent, a man Santos did not wish to deal with. Still, even with this inconvenience, both parties persisted in trying to reach an agreement. However, despite the fact that neither player nor club wanted to end the relationship, it became clearer and clearer that Adriano’s departure was inevitable. The last attempt at reaching a deal failed over a month ago. When his contract expired, Grêmio—and Copa Libertadores football—came calling, and Adriano answered.

He’s back in the arena where he shone brightly so briefly, but long enough to etch his name grandly into the history books of the club where he spent almost a decade.

More of the Same

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 21:04:23 -0400

Last Saturday evening saw the rematch between last year’s Campeonato Paulista finalists on the calendar for twelfth round. However, only one of the teams has a chance to return to the final as Guarani are languishing in the lower depths of the table. Predictably, the significant difference between Santos’ league position of that of the visitors was nowhere to be seen on the pitch. Santos took all three points, but not even Neymar’s return was able to stimulate a convincing win. It was a far cry from the absolute hammering Guarani suffered (twice) last year.

This is the team that Muricy Ramalho sent out at the Vila Belmiro.

Rafael; Bruno Peres, Edu, Durval, Emerson; Renê Jr, Arouca, Cícero, Montillo; Neymar, André

The game started off as per usual. Santos looked lively in the opening stages, snd even managed to create one or two chances. However, slowly and surely, the team regressed into the apathetic style of play that has characterized 2013. Guarani for their part had a couple of chances of their own, but failed to take advantage of the cracks in Santos’ defensive system. The deadlock was eventually broken by Santos in typical fashion. A counterattack, some defensive fragility from Guarani, and a great finish from Montillo combined to trouble the scoreboard. Another goal born of individual rather than collective brilliance. After the goal there was a visible rise in confidence in Santos’ play up to halftime. There weren’t many opportunities, but the increased quality in the associations between players was encouraging.

This continued into the second half, but the dividends were again attributable to individual brilliance. This time it was Neymar who did all the work before giving André the easiest of tap-ins. Instead of crumbling, Guarani rallied the troops to try to mount a comeback. At first the only result of this was more space for Santos to exploit. The score remained the same though, as Neymar uncharacteristically missed too gilt-edged opportunities. However, little by little, Guarani began to create chances of their own, and Santos went completely on the defensive. Sadly, even the tactic of two banks of four couldn’t compensate for the team’s poor organization at the back, and Guarani found space between the lines with ease. Guarani pulling a goal back only cemented this state of affairs.

When Santos did get the ball, it was booted up to Neymar and Giva (who had replaced André) who were stranded up front. More often than not, the ball immediately made it’s way back to Santos’ end of the pitch. The viscous cycle continued until the referee brought an end to another insipid win.

Here are the highlights.

Time for player notes.

Rafael: A couple of good saves, but he still looks out of sorts.

Bruno Peres: I only noticed him when he was being made a fool of in defense.

Edu: He’s improving each game. His trademark anticipation was on show and he covered adequately for Bruno Peres’ ineptitude.

Durval: An average display from Hoofval.

Emerson: Overall I think he did fairly well. He was defensively solid except for a couple incidents of very questionable positioning. However, the end product from his many forays forward was lacking.

Arouca: He only had a few good moments besides his assist for Montillo’s goal.

Renê Jr: A couple of good interceptions and passes, but he mostly ran around like a headless chicken.

Cícero: An average game once again. He didn’t help Montillo on the creative end, and provided no drive going forward.

Montillo: One of his better games. Looked bright and continually found pockets of space to operate in instead of standing around. Dropped off drastically in the second half.

André: He missed two sitters and almost screwed up the chance he did convert when the goal was only six inches away. On the more positive side, I did see him control a ball perfectly once.

Neymar: During the game I tweeted that he looked short of confidence due to several incidents of his hesitantly taking on defenders. He immediately embarrassed three just to put egg on my face. However, that moment and the assist for André aside, there was precious little to sit on the edge of your feet for when Neymar had the ball. Something is definitely wrong.

Subs: Giva looked more dangerous in his cameo than André did in his seventy minutes. Unfortunately, the partnership between he and Neymar didn’t get much screen time due to Santos’ defending for their lives.

There’s no point in rehashing what I’ve been saying over the past couple of weeks - I honestly find it difficult to distinguish between one pathetic display and the next. I’m just waiting on the day that the board finally realizes that Muricy Ramalho’s time is over. This is just sad.

Looking Forward

Fifteenth place Mirassol visit the Vila on Thursday night. There will be three absentees for Santos. Cícero is suspended and Neymar and Montillo will be on National Team duty.

Other News

Talks to extend Neymar’s contact until 2016 will start soon.

Chinese company Chery started a trial period as the team’s main sponsor against Guarani. Their logo will be on the shirt for the next two games.

Victor Andrade is currently injured.

The Aura of Defeat

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 05:56:13 -0400

[Photo Credit: santos.com.br]

No, Santos didn’t lose to Atlético Soracaba over the weekend. No, it wasn’t a draw. A goal from André was enough to clinch all three points after Montillo’s opener was rendered obsolete by Tiago Marques’s superb finish. It’s the way the victory was achieved that sticks in the craw. Atlético isn’t even in Serie D, and yet the uninformed viewer would have been hard-pressed to see a difference between the two sides. In fact, Santos came off worse for large portions of the game, often resorting to hunkering down and countering attack instead of imposing themselves. The encounter wasn’t as as excruciatingly painful to watch as previous matches, not because Santos were much better, but because Atlético were at a level that made Santos look decent. You can see how worrying that is.

Neymar’s suspension and the injuries to Miralles and Léo meant that Muricy sent out the following team.

Rafael; Bruno Peres, Edu, Durval, Emerson; Arouca; Renê Júnior; Montillo, Cícero; André, Giva

Emerson was making his first appearance this season.

It was the same old familiar story. Santos going forward were bereft of associations between players. There was no complexity. No passing triangles, very little runs off the ball, and slow labored buildup. Even when the team was playing on the counterattack, there was no serious break down the field when Atlético Soracaba lost the ball. A central part of this disorganized plan of attack stemmed from Montillo taking the Neymar role, i.e. having to do everything himself. Both Santos goals came from individual moments of quality that had little to do with a team structure.

There were two distinct characteristics to Santos’ defensive structure. One was the basic idea of the defense shifting over if one of the fullbacks was caught up the field. The other was defending through sheer numbers. That’s it. There was no method to regaining possession The complete lack of a defensive template was demonstrated most effectively by the inability to deal with the threat of Bruninho on the right flank.

After all that, Muricy had the audacity to say that the team’s tactics were perfect in his post match interview. He has clearly lost his mind.

I couldn’t find a good highlights video, so I decided to just include the best bit of play in the game.

Take a bow, Cícero.

Time for player notes.

Rafael: Same as usual. He made a couple of good saves.

Bruno Peres: He spent a long time being made a fool of by Bruninho. There were some good moments from him, but not enough for me to say he had a good game.

Edu and Durval: Besides the comedic offside trap that lead to Atletico’s goal, it was a decent shift from the centerback duo.

Emerson: Looked good when called on defensively and was always ready to support the attack.

Arouca: Came out of the gates flying before retreating back into the shell that the real Arouca has been holed up in for some time.

Renê Júnior: Nothing of note to say on either end.

Montillo: His best game in a Santos shirt to this point. Besides his goal he was finally moving around and trying to organize the midfield. Still far from satisfying, but I hope this bodes well for the future.

Cícero: He was fairly quiet outside of the spectacular work to create the winning goal. Not a bad display. just nothing to write home about.

André: Pathetic play back to goal, laughable attempts to test the goalkeeper, and a goal he couldn’t miss. *shrug*

Giva: Looked lively again, but there was little end product to match his fairly enterprising play. Suffered from a lack of players to associate with.

And just to squash all hope that the malaise surrounding the team brought on by Muricy’s ineptitude will not be disappearing anytime soon, here’s a quote from Santos’ vice president, Odilio Rodrigues.

We have seen the criticism, but the results are not expected to come early in the season, and we feel it is a matter of time before the team will gel. Just need more time and patience and the team will reach the desired point.

*sigh* Relegation-threatened Guarani are up next on Saturday.

Other News

Santos x Flamengo in the first round of the Brasileirão will be played at the new Mané Garrincha stadium in Brasilia. The stadium has a capacity of 70,000.

Santos fan and lead singer of the band Charlie Brown Jr.,Chorao, died earlier this week. As a homage to him, the club had the words “Dias de luta, dias de glória” printed on the club kit for this weekend’s game against Atlético Sorocaba. Chorão likeness was also given a “temporary” spot on the wall where Ganso’s image used to be.

Clássico of the Disinterested

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 14:34:00 -0500

[Photo Credit: santos.com.br]

The end of the first game of the year between Santos and Corinthians was marked by boos permeating the air from both sets of supporters. 0x0 draws need not be boring, but this time the scoreline was a succinct summary of the game’s action. The difference between either team’s apathy was stark. Corinthians clearly had both eyes on their midweek Libertadores game. Santos just had no idea what to do on the field.

Muricy Ramalho sent out the following team for the game.

Rafael; Galhardo, Edu Dracena, Durval, Léo; Arouca, Marcos Assunção, Cícero, Montillo; Neymar, André

There were a couple of chances littered throughout the game - mostly for Corinthians. Santos started out the stronger, and almost took the lead from two different set pieces. It was the only goal scoring avenue for Neymar and co. due to the side’s usual disjointed play and Corinthian’s highly effective defense. Santos’ poor football was further exacerbated by Muricy’s decision to have Montillo out wide to track Corinthians’ leftback leaving the middle of the team devoid of the tiniest creative presence. The usual Get Out of Jail Free card was missing as well. Neymar’s slump continued, and he spent most of the game being bullied by Gil. His response to this marginalization was to dive. A yellow card for a particularly obvious one earned him a suspension. On the other side of things, Renato Augusto was the Corinthian’s player who was most dangerous. He destroyed Galhardo so badly that the rightback was replaced by Bruno Peres at halftime. Surprisingly though, the duo of Pato and Guerrero didn’t give Edu and Durval as much trouble as expected. With both attacks not doing much, the first half ended on a drab note.

The second half was even more mind-numbing. Nothing really happened. There was a free kick from Marcos Assuncão that was pushed onto the bar but that was about it. Corinthians looked like an elder brother obviously not trying at a competitive activity against his younger sibling who, despite huffing and puffing, is clearly useless. That would be Santos, of course. The final whistle brought the non-spectacle to an end.

Highlights? Hahaha. Good one.

Here are some succinct bullet points for the player performances.

Rafael: Made a couple of good saves throughout the game.

Edu and Durval: Looked strangely conformable against Pato and Guerrero in a lot of their disputes - especially Edu.

Starting outfield players plus Bruno Peres: Nothing of note.

Felipe Anderson: Added some energy to the game, but had little real effect.

Giva: Looked energetic in his nine minute cameo but was let down by the lethargy of his teammates.

Basically the same old story of Santos’ year so far. I have nothing new to say about this continual debacle.

An away game against Atlético Sorocaba is next on the schedule. Neymar will not be available for selection because of the yellow card he received.

Other News

2013 marks the one hundredth year of games between Santos and Corinthians. To mark the occasion, a trophy will be presented to the team who garners the most points over the games between the two in the Brasileirão. The two tiebreakers will be away goals and number of cards.

Neymar’s callup to the Brazilian National Team means he will be unavailable for games against Mirassol and Palmeiras.

Pedro Castro, Leandrinho, and Alison have returned from holidays and have joined the professional squad for training.

LAOR is in the hospital due to medical problems. The blog wishes him a speedy recovery.

Lady Luck's Favor

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 15:39:10 -0500

[Photo Credit: santos.com.br]

Unsurprisingly, Santos showed no sign of emerging from the slump that the team has been in since the start of the year against XV de Piracicaba. This lack of drive and purpose somehow failed to result in another defeat as two goals from André were enough to secure a comeback victory against the team from the interior. It was an undeserved win on the balance on play, but no-one complains about good fortune.

With Neymar suspended and Miralles injured, Givanildo made his debut in the team Muricy Ramalho sent out to face XV de Piracicaba.

Rafael; B. Peres, Edu Dracena, Durval, Léo; Renê, Arouca, Cícero, Montillo; Giva, André

As you can see the 4-3-2-1 experiment from last time died pretty quickly. The return to a 4-2-2-2 seemed to breathe some live in Santos’ play as XV found themselves on the back foot early in the game. This air of dominance was a façade as just one gilt edged scoring opportunity was created. The away side soon came into their own and Santos’ players were left looking just as clueless as ever. That is, with one exception. The debutant, Giva, was lively and looked like the only one capable of producing a moment of magic. It was a straight swap with Neymar in that respect. Somehow, XV failed to open the scoring and the scoreboard read 0x0 at the half.

That state of affairs didn’t last too long as a well worked goal silenced the sparse home crowd (barely 5,000 fans if my memory serves me well) . Santos were behind and the track record predicted that there was no coming back. Patito’s introduction provided some spark as the Argentine found space down the left flank and finally gave XV’s backline a cause to worry. However, fire only appeared when Lady Luck decided to don a Santos kit.

A silly handball in the area gave Santos a penalty which André dispatched excellently. (To be frank, I was worried when I saw him step up to take it.) Only three minutes later, he found himself on the score sheet again. Giva’s excellent header may or may not have been destined for the back of the net, but André made sure it got there in any case.

The last fifteen minutes were a bit nervy, but the score held until the final whistle. The four game winless streak was avoided and the team remained in fourth place in the standings.

Here are the highlights.

There were some good points to take from the game. Givanildo was far from over-awed by his debut, and in a display that shamed the veterans on the team. He was a bit hesitant in front of goal, but his movement, link-up, and energy elsewhere was a good harbinger of things to come. If not for André’s profligacy he would have had three assists instead of one to his name. Léo was also a name that stood out. He was fairly non-existent in an attacking sense, but his defensive awareness was good. There were a couple of superb tackles that halted promising attacks from XV de Piracicaba. Patito’s lively cameo at the end was the last positive note.

The bad things outnumber the above significantly. Bruno Peres was once again ineffective at rightback. Renê and Arouca were subpar, and the attacking midfield duo of Cícero and Montillo seemed to fear going forward to associate with the forward players. In fact, most of the play involved passing without purpose. A lack of an idea of how to play was missing. That falls squarely on the back of Muricy Ramalho.

I left out Edu and Durval from above because they were pretty much lukewarm in terms of performance.

I think the point at which a lack of playing time together is a valid excuse is fast approaching. If the team continues to play like a half-dead rodent then something has to change. The most obvious element in the introduction of Patito to add some drive in midfield. He is the only one who seems to be able to find space and consistently trouble defenders in that zone of the field. The attack and defense could use some re-jigging as well. For example, I fully support the idea of playing Neymar and Givanildo up front against Corinthians.

Speaking of them…

Another Clàssico

On Sunday the Morumbi will play host to this year’s first encounter between Santos and Corinthians. This is a Santos home game, but, as you may remember, the coin throwing incident from the Sãn-Sao derby meant that the club was banned from using the Vila Belmiro for this game.

So, how do the prospects look? Well, Rene Junior is suspended and Miralles is still carrying an injury. The first fact means that old man Assuncão will be the defensive midfield to try to hold back Corinthians’ attacking arsenal. It’s not looking good.

On the flip side, Neymar is back from suspension and Corinthians may not take this game too seriously given that they’re coming off a midweek Libertadores game, with another one following next Wednesday. That means Tite will send out a weakened team on Sunday. That’ll help.

Pathetic

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 08:18:00 -0500

In early 2011 Adilson Batista was coach of Santos. The lethargic football the team produced soon saw him packing his bags. Two years later, his replacement, Muricy Ramalho, has Santos playing the same standard of football. The latest debacle this year was last Sunday’s lost to Ponte Preta. The use of a new 4-3-2-1 formation failed miserably as Ponte easily claimed a 3x1 victory. It’s early in the year, but the signs has been there for a long time. Santos is not going forward under Muricy Ramalho.

This was the team sent out to face Ponte.

Rafael; Bruno Peres, Edu, Durval, Léo; Marcos Assuncão, Renê Júnior, Arouca; Cícero, Montillo; Neymar

Ponte were the better team from the off. They set up an organized defensive front, and counter attacked well, taking advantage of Santos’ poorly protected wide areas. Santos on the other hand, used their advantage in the middle poorly as a lack of association between players meant the team’s attacking play was lackluster. As always, it was left up to Neymar to do it all himself, and he was largely ineffective. His (undeserved) red card near the end of the half signaled the end of any attacking force from Santos’ side of the field. Ponte’s Artur was also sent off in the same incident, but Bruno Silva’s early goal meant that the home side had nothing to worry about. In fact, only a couple of close offside calls preventing them from taking a larger lead in the half. (As per usual, Santos’ attempt at playing an offside line must have been quite funny for neutrals watching the game.)

Muricy in typical fashion was laughably conservative with his halftime changes.The out of sorts André came on for Renê Júnior and that was it. There was no attempt to add some verve to the team. As such, the second period was an exercise in torture. Ponte continued to dominate while Santos played the part of a half-dead rodent. A goal from former Santos youth player, Alemão, in the eighty-second minute put what looked to be the final nail in the coffin.

The introduction of Felipe Anderson and Patito minutes prior to this goal finally paid off as André managed to trouble Santos’ side of the scoreboard before the end of the game. It wasn’t much of a consolation. An egregious error by Rafael allowed Alemão to score his second of the game to restore Ponte’s two goal lead at the death just before the final whistle.

Here are the highlights.

The player thoughts section is only a sentence long this week. No-one played well. Thoughts on the manager? I’m tired of beating the same old drum. Until the board comes to its senses, the team is stuck with this coach. Whether that’s down to their actually liking his work, or if it has to do with a payoff or the unavailability of better candidates, I can’t say. I just know that I’ll have to find some way to deal with the product of his clearly poor training methods. Perhaps Santos’ games could be viewed as some sort of dark comedy from now on. I can tell you that no Santistas are laughing, though.

XV de Piracicaba come to the Vila Belmiro on Sunday. Let’s see how that goes.

Other News

The Fundão Santista is finally a go. It’s provides an easy path for other entities to invest money in the club and will go far towards increasing the club’s bounty.

The repercussions of the coin throwing at Ganso during the San-Sao derby have been revealed. Santos is banned from using the Vila Belmiro for the clássico against Corinthians on March third. Another venue has to be found. Botafogo-SP have offered their stadium as a possible place to hold the derby.

André is reportedly back in shape after losing 6 kg. A couple of good goals in training hint at such. We’ll have to see if he proves it on the field.

Pele’s son, Joshua Nascimento, has joined Santos’ U17 team. He is a striker who was previously with The Florida Rush.