More known as “Gabigol”, the Paulista attacker has been in brilliant form, of late. He endured a phase earlier in the year, where the coach at Santos did not show any belief in him. But after Robinho’s departure and Dorival JR’s arrival, the door was opened to the 18-year old who has taken advantage of the opportunities he was given, and has now imposed himself as a “titular indiscutível” in this front 4, which is one of the best in Brazil thanks to him, midfield maestro Lucas Lima, the very skillful Geuvânio and of course, the league’s top scorer Ricardo Oliveira.
Gabriel is not exactly the fastest player in the world, but he balances it with his impressive technique on the ball, his vision when he plays through balls, his versatility to play on both wings, behind the striker or even as the striker himself, which of course, makes him an all around polyvalent player.
Weaknesses?
Consistency: It is perhaps no surprise for an 18-year old to not offer excellent performances in every single game. Sometimes Gabriel plays like he was much older than his age, and in other times it seems like he is not ready. But that is something that he has highly worked on improving in the last few games.
Ball control: Gabriel fails to control some easy passes outside the box, especially when he is on the wing. This is mainly due to lack of concentration. Something we often in Neymar’s game as well.
Defensive contribution: While he is good at applying pressure, and while his favorite position is the striker’s role, right now Gabriel is playing as right winger at Santos. If he was to do it on a higher level, he would probably have to adjust to modern football and to improve tracking back, just like Neymar has done at Barça.
Talking of Neymar, another big similarity between the 2 is Gabriel’s ability to anticipate through balls and long passes. The best example can be his goal against Corinthians in the ‘Copa do Brasil’ in midweek game, where he read Lucas Lima’s ball and timed his run at the right time to break the offside trap by the most organized defense in Brazil.
To conclude, “Gabigol” has the potential to become world class, and to perhaps be important for Brazil’s National Team in the next few years. He is one of the most exciting young talents in the country.
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