Red Bull Bragantino beat Fluminese Piaui Under 20 1-0 in the last match of the Copinha 2022 group stages and progressed to the next round. They once again tried to put high pressure on the opponent, until the latter stages of the match in which they time-wasted quite a lot. Red Bull Bragantino only created a few chances in this match, but those were big chances and they weren’t effective in front of goal.
Youth Ratings
1 – Ready for the first team
2 – Good, potential to be first team
3 – Decent, could make first team squad
4 – Decent potential, unlikely to make it to first team
5 – Unlikely to make first team
Bruninho
Player profile:
- Nationality: Brazilian
- Age: 18
- Date of birth: 14/03/2003
- Current club: RB Bragantino
- Career: RB Bragantino
- Position: Striker
- Preferred foot: Right
Bruninho played as a sole striker in the match against Fluminense Piaui and once again showed that he has a very interesting profile, but he did not have a great match. The Brazilian youngster had quite some variation in his movement in the final third. He sometimes received the ball after dropping deep. Bruninho would then look to play a one-two to progress into the box but this did not often work out. He also made a lot of runs in behind, exploiting his good acceleration and pace over a long distance. Bruninho had a few shots but only one of them was a big chance. He made a good run, received a good through pass and was composed in front of goal, but his effort was saved by Fluminense Piaui’s goalkeeper.
Bruninho sometimes drifted wide and when he received the ball out wide he would try to get past his opponent close to the touchline. He managed to maintain possession quite often, but failed to really dribble past his opponent and he only once managed to get past several opponents before getting fouled on the edge of the box. He is good in the close combinations and his bounce passes are quite good. Bruninho sometimes was sloppy on the ball and got pushed off the ball too easily. However, he is good technically, tactically and possesses good pace and acceleration.
Rating – 2
I saw his match for the first team of Red Bull Bragantino against Internacional and he really impressed me there. He also impressed me for the under 20’s against Jaguariúna, but in this match he did not have a good performance. However, I am looking forward to see how he will do in the knockout stages.
Juliano
Player profile:
- Nationality: Brazilian
- Age: 19
- Date of birth: 05/08/2002
- Current club: RB Bragantino
- Career: RB Bragantino
- Position: Right-Back
- Preferred foot: Right
Juliano once again played as the right-back for Red Bull Bragantino Under 20. The youngster had a decent performance both in attack and defence, but can still improve in some areas. In attack, Juliano was involved with Red Bull Bragantino’s goal. The Brazilian right-back received a pass from a corner-kick on the edge of the box and had a shot from distance, which was saved by the goalkeeper. However, Whallyson scored the rebound. Juliano’s crosspassing technique needs to be improved. He failed to strike the ball well and was inaccurate. His first touch is sufficient and he sometimes does not control the ball well when dribbling. In the 1v1 he has some skills, but as mentioned in the previous sentence he sometimes struggles to control the ball well and ran the ball over the touchline once.
In defence, Juliano liked to put pressure on his opponent high up the pitch. He leaned into his opponent and did not give him any time on the ball. Juliano was tenacious in the duels high up the pitch, but in some duels on his own half he seemed naïve and lost the duel. When in the 1v1 defensive duels on the wing, he tried to block the passes or crosses by his opponent and did this successfully. He failed to block passing lanes when Fluminense Piaui had a numerical superiority on the wing. In these situations he should have scanned more and been more active in trying to block the passing lanes.
Rating – 4
My opinion on Juliano has not changed after watching this match. I think that Juliano will become a decent right-back in Brazil and he will have a career playing for lower table Serie A clubs and top clubs in the Serie B.
Gustavinho
Player profile:
- Nationality: Brazilian
- Age: 17
- Date of birth: 23/04/2004
- Current club: RB Bragantino
- Career: Goias, RB Bragantino
- Position: Left Winger
- Preferred foot: Right
Gustavinho started off playing as a right-winger, but switched between the left and right wing quite often. After scoring 1 and assisting 2 goals in the last match I watched, I expected a lot of him. He once again showed a lot of potential. The Brazilian youngster had a great touch, both without someone putting pressure on him and with someone putting pressure on him. It often happened that a physically stronger player pushed him in his back when he tried to control the ball, but Gustavinho still managed to control the ball well. After receiving the ball, Gustavinho also managed to protect the ball well.
Gustavinho has a low centre of gravity and is really quick on the first meters, which helped him to just get to the ball quicker than his opponent in tight spaces after playing a one-two. His balance is great. Gustavinho has great vision and composure in the final third and nearly always manages to find his teammates in space. Gustavinho’s technical ability is really good and his close control is excellent. The winger made a few runs in behind on the wing and came in the 1v1 duels with the opposition’s defender. He managed to dribble past him quite easily and created a 1v1 chance with the goalkeeper for himself. Gustavinho was composed, but Fluminense Piaui’s goalkeeper saved his effort.
Rating – 2
I think he will make his debut for the first team of Red Bull Bragantino in 2022 and I am sure that he will become a squad player for the Brazilian side quite soon. Clubs like Shakhtar Donetsk, FC Porto, Benfica, FC Zenit and Ajax should intensively scout him.
Nathan Camargo
Player profile:
- Nationality: Brazilian
- Age: 16
- Date of birth: 25/07/2005
- Current club: Red Bull Bragantino
- Career: Red Bull Bragantino
- Position: Defensive Midfielder
- Preferred foot: Right
I did not pay that much attention to Nathan Camargo’s performance against Jaguariúna under 20 and was not planning to do so in the game against Fluminense Piaui, but he really caught my eye. In possession, Camargo tried to find space between the lines but found it hard to really get into space. I think there is some room for improvement for Camargo there. When he got on the ball, he showed good ball control and ability to progress the ball further up the pitch by dribbling past his opponent using his good acceleration. He was quite a conservative passer and did not progress the ball much with his passes, but he often picked out the right pass and was quite accurate in his passing.
In defence, Nathan Camargo showed good determination and he was tenacious in the duels. He never gave up and kept going. His stamina was really good, especially for a 16-year-old. Camargo showed leadership skills when he was coaching his teammates and showed good anticipation at times, intercepting passes and then progressing the ball further up the pitch. He has a good leap in aerial duels and showed good pace over a long distance after he scanned well and saw that his opponent was in space. Sometimes he should stay back, but when Fluminense Piaui were in possession he looked really disciplined and determined to win back the ball.
Rating – 2
I think he has a lot of potential to grow and he can definitely become a future star for Red Bull Bragantino. He turned 16 not too long ago and is already one of the better players for Red Bull Bragantino Under 20. Like Gustavinho, I think he will make his debut in 2022 (esp. in the state championships).
Additional notes:
Chumbinho, Itaillan and Whallyson also had good matches.