FC Famalicão – Team Report

Note: this is based on the matches of Famalicão between August 2019 and March 2020.

Ratings

• A1 – Very good, could play higher
• A2 – Strong potential to play higher
• B1 – Good, strong player at level
• B2 – Potential to be strong player at level
• C – Average for the level, rewatch
• D – Below average, don’t follow up

Nehuén Pérez

Player profile:

• Nationality: Argentine
• Age: 19
• Date of birth: 24/06/2000
• Current Club: FC Famalicão (L)
• Career: Asociación Atlética Argentinos Juniors (Y), Atlético Madrid, Asociación Atlética Argentinos Juniors (L), FC Famalicão (L)
• Position: central defender
• Preferred foot: right

Here you can read a full player report on Nehuén Pérez.

Rating: A1

Nehuén Pérez is ready to play for an elite team in The Netherlands or Portugal or to play for a midtable team in the top 5 competitions. For his development, it would be wise to move to Benfica or Ajax if he gets the chance.

Patrick William

Player profile:

• Nationality: Brazilian
• Age: 22
• Date of birth: 03/06/1997
• Current Club: FC Famalicão
• Career: EC Cruzeiro Belo Horizonte B, Tupi Football Club (L), Ceará Sporting Club (L), Vila Nova Futebol Clube (L), FC Famalicão
• Position: central defender
• Secondary position: right-back
• Preferred foot: right

Patrick William signed for Famalicão this summer. He has played 20 matches this season. In these matches, he has played as both a right and left central defender. Occasionally, the Brazilian defender played as a right-back for João Pedro Sousa’s side. Patrick William did very well against the lesser-known opponents but made some mistakes against the bigger teams of Portugal which could get Famalicão in trouble.

Whenever he was forming a central duo with Nehuén Pérez, Patrick William had the stopper role and he stepped out of the defensive line quite often to attempt an aerial duel or ground duel. He worked well together with Nehuén and did well to play the offside trap at times. His body shape when he needed to defend with space in his back is good which prevents that he gets surprised by a running man in behind. Patrick William likes to use a slide tackle to try to block a cross and manages to do so quite often. On the ball, he feels comfortable but he can sometimes be overconfident and run too much with the ball.

Rating: B2

As a central defender, I think that he worked well together with Nehuén Pérez and it will be interesting to see how he will play next to a different defender. I have not seen him play enough as a right-back.

Riccieli

Player profile:

• Nationality: Brazilian
• Age: 21
• Date of birth: 17/09/1998
• Current Club: FC Famalicão
• Career: Resende Futebol Clube, Mirassol Futebol Clube, FC Famalicão
• Position: central defender
• Secondary position: right-back
• Preferred foot: right

The Brazilian defender signed for Famalicão this summer and has played 24 matches in the 2019/20 season. He mostly played as a central defender, but he sometimes played as a right-back for the Famalicenses because of suspension or injury problems. Riccieli is quite athletic and seems very disciplined whenever he is defending. Riccieli reads the game well and often anticipates well whenever a through ball is being played. In these situations, he likes to cut the passing lane towards the player that makes a run. He keeps looking at the ball in the 1v1 duel and times his interception well often. Riccieli cleares a lot of crosses and is a well-rounded defender in general. On the ball, he is very comfortable and able to play well using both feet.

Rating: A2

I definitely will keep track of his development in the next couple of months and plan to do more match reports on him.

Álex Centelles

Player profile:

• Nationality: Spanish
• Age: 20
• Date of birth: 30/08/1999
• Current Club: FC Famalicão (L)
• Career: Valencia CF (Y)
• Position: left-back
• Preferred foot: left

Álex Centelles moved to Famalicão this summer on loan from Valencia. He has played 21 matches for the Famalicenses and has been quite inconsistent. The left-back has decent passing ability, but lacks acceleration and does not make that many runs into space on the left side, even though he gets the space to do so as Fábio Martins likes to tuck inside. He has okay pace, but his acceleration is average and he is not that quick on the turn. His positioning in defence is decent and he often chooses the right moment to step out of the defensive line. However, against quick, agile wingers he can get into troubles as he is not the quickest on the turn.

Rating: B2

Needs to improve to become a strong player at the current level. If Valencia allow him to leave, he would be a good signing for Famalicão. Eventually, I think that Centelles will end up in a slightly below midtable team in one of the top 5 leagues.

Gustavo Assunção

Player profile:

• Nationality: Brazilian
• Age: 20
• Date of birth: 30/03/2000
• Current Club: FC Famalicão
• Career: FC Porto (Y), Atlético Madrid (Y), FC São Paulo (Y), Atlético Madrid (Y), Atlético Madrid, FC Famalicão
• Position: defensive midfielder
• Preferred foot: right

Here you can read a full report on Gustavo Assunção

Rating: A1

Ready to move to a team in the top 5 leagues. He has been linked with a move to OGC Nice, which I think would suit him well.

Uros Racic

Player profile:

• Nationality: Serbian
• Age: 22
• Date of birth: 17/03/1998
• Current Club: FC Famalicão (L)
• Career: OFK Beograd (Y), Red Star Belgrade (Y), Red Star Belgrade, Valencia CF, CD Tenerife (L), FC Famalicão (L)
• Position: central midfielder
• Preferred foot: both

Uros Racic moved to Famalicão on a one-year loan deal and played 29 matches for the Famalicenses. He mostly played as a right central midfielder. The Serbian midfielder can have moments of sheer brilliance, but he can be very quiet in matches as well, not showing anything besides accurate passes. Standing at 1,93m, Uros Racic is still quite athletic and even though he is definitely not the quickest on the turn, he is able to hold his own. He can hold off opponents very well when dribbling and likes to carry the ball. Racic likes to switch play but is not always that accurate when he plays a cross pass. Racic is quite creative and tries to show this whenever he can. This leads us back to what was mentioned above, he can change up sheer brilliance with rather quiet performances. His workrate is high and he can cover the whole pitch.

Rating: B1

He has been linked with FC Porto but I think he should permanently move to Famalicão. Will keep track of his development in the coming months.

Pedro Gonçalves

Player profile:

• Nationality: Portuguese
• Age: 21
• Date of birth: 28/06/1998
• Current Club: FC Famalicão
• Career: GD Chaves (Y), SC Braga (Y), Valencia CF, Wolves, Famalicão
• Position: attacking midfielder
• Secondary position: central midfielder
• Preferred foot: right

The Portuguese midfielder moved to Famalicão this summer on a free transfer and has played 31 matches in this season. He mainly played in the most attacking role in centre-mid. Pedro Gonçalves has a very good technique and he is able to control the ball very well when he is dribbling. He is agile and has good changes of directions. He keeps aware when he attempts a dribble and has good vision. Gonçalves has the passing ability to exploit his good vision. The Portuguese midfielder is aggressive in putting pressure on the opposition and suits the system of Famalicão very well.

Rating: A1

Pedro Gonçalves is ready to step up to a top 5 league.

Guga

Player profile:

• Nationality: Portuguese
• Age: 22
• Date of birth: 18/07/1997
• Current Club: FC Famalicão
• Career: SL Benfica (Y), Panetolikos GFS (L), FC Famalicão
• Position: central midfielder
• Preferred foot: right

Guga came to Famalicão this summer and even though he was a regular starter at first, he has not impressed that much and he lost his place in the starting line-up to Uros Racic. Still, he managed to play 1053 minutes this season. In the start of the season, Guga showed that he has decent passing ability, a good technique and good ball control. In possession, he showed that he often made the right choice and that he is a dynamic player who is able to play in a deeper role, but also in a role higher up the pitch as a central midfielder. Also, he has a good shot from distance.

Rating: B2

He has only been a starter once in the second half of the season and I have not seen him play that much recently. I definitely will keep an eye out for him next season.

Diogo Gonçalves

Player profile:

• Nationality: Portuguese
• Age: 23
• Date of birth: 06/02/1997
• Current Club: FC Famalicão (L)
• Career: SL Benfica (Y), Nottingham Forest (L), FC Famalicão (L)
• Position: right winger
• Secondary position: right back & left winger
• Preferred foot: right

The loanee from SL Benfica had a slow start of the season, but has fully adapted to playing at the highest level in Portugal now. In total, he played 25 matches. He played as a right winger mostly, but also sporadically played as a right-back. The winger likes to attempt dribbles and showed good changes of direction and good bursts of speed. He made sure that his opponent had a tough night in every match and it is hard to stop him. Diogo Gonçalves is a creative player and has given some good crosses which led to a big chance for Famalicão. He controls the ball well and has a decent technique. Gonçalves made some good runs into space as well and is able to play in both a team that plays direct and more on possession. He is very active in defence and putting pressure.

Rating: A2

It seems like Gonçalves will get a chance in the first team of Benfica, but I would like him to get more regular game time at a team like Famalicão. Would fit well as a right midfielder in a 4-4-2 formation.

Toni Martínez

Player profile:

• Nationality: Spanish
• Age: 22
• Date of birth: 30/06/1997
• Current Club: FC Famalicão
• Career: Real Murcia (Y), Valencia CF (Y), West Ham United (Y), Oxford United (L), Real Valladolid (Y), CF Rayo Majadahonda (L), CD Lugo (L), FC Famalicão
• Position: striker
• Preferred foot: right

Toni Martínez moved to Famalicão on a free transfer and played a total of 30 matches, in which he scored 12 times. He always played as a striker. The Spanish striker has blossomed at Famalicão and has proved that he is a quite reliable finisher, despite sporadically missing a big chance in the last minutes. Martínez holds play up very well and always stays calm and composed when he is in possession. He does not make many runs in behind and sporadically drops deeper to support the build-up. I think that he should drop deeper more often to either support the build-up and come into space or to create space for a teammate to dive in. In the duels he is quite strong and he is very active in putting pressure on the opponent.

Rating: A2

I think that he has proved that he has quite some talent and that he is able to play at a higher level soon. I would advise him to stay at Famalicão for one more season though.

Anderson Silva

Player profile:

• Nationality: Brazilian
• Age: 22
• Date of birth: 21/11/1997
• Current Club: FC Famalicão
• Career: Guarani, FC Famalicão
• Position: striker
• Preferred foot: right

Anderson Silva is one of the few players that played for Famalicão in the 2018/19 season, in which they promoted to the Liga NOS for the first time in 25 years. The striker played 23 matches and scored 7 goals. Anderson Silva mainly stood out because of his impact coming on as a sub. Most of his goals came from being subbed on. In the matches that he started, Anderson Silva was a frustrating player to watch, trying to dribble past too many players and being sloppy in his passing. The Brazilian striker has a good physique, is quick and has good acceleration. He can use this optimally when he is being subbed on and this makes him the perfect super sub for Famalicão.

Rating: B2

Anderson Silva could become a strong player for FC Famalicão at the very best. I don’t expect him to be a regular starter next season and maybe he will leave for Russia, as he is being tracked by Russian teams.

Lawrence Ofori and Nicolás Schiappacasse have not played enough minutes to be included.