Guarani FC comfortably beat Atletica Francana 4-1 on the first matchday of the 2023 Copinha. Guarani FC set up in a 4-3-3 with a single defensive midfielder. They had a patient build-up and often relied on Pedrinho and Titi to progress play. They scored early on through Theo but faced a scare early in the second half when Atletica Francana equalized after Lucas Soares (Luquinhas) had a great assist. One minute later the score was already 2-1 through Vitinho and Guarani managed to extend the gap to three as they went on to score two more goals.
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
Pedrinho
- Nationality: Brazilian
- Age: 19
- Date of birth: 11/06/2003
- Club: Guarani FC
- Career: Guarani FC
- Position: Defensive Midfield
- Preferred foot: Left
Pedrinho played as Guarani’s defensive midfielder against Atletica Francana and generally had a decent match. The Brazilian stands at approximately 1.82 meters and has a slim build. His somewhat tall frame, relative to his direct opponent, helped him to steal the ball from the opponent. The youngster steps up well and really asserts himself in defensive duels, making sure that he wins every duel in midfield. However, he sometimes did not position himself well in transition, allowing the opponent to get past him because his starting position was not good. Even though the youngster has decent speed, he did not have sufficient recovery speed to get back into the duel. Pedrinho also had moments in which his intensity was not that great, but considering the level of opponent he might up his intensity against stronger level opponents. The defensive mifdielder also did not do enough to block Luquinhas’ cross for the 1-1. He left too much space in between him and Luquinhas, allowing his opponent to look over the ball and cross the ball to his teammate who scored.
In possession, Pedrinho often dropped deep between the two central defenders. He also had moments where he moved to the right or left in a three at the back. From this position, Pedrinho failed to consistently progress play further up the pitch despite showing some positive signs. He occassionally had very good passing into the midfield or attack from the back three. The left-footed midfielder has a very good passing technique, being able to break lines with his passing but just not doing this consistently enough. Pedrinho also did not play long passes that often, mostly going for a short pass to one of the central defenders. When he played higher up the pitch in possession, Pedrinho sometimes received a pass in midfield. He did not show a lot of promise there, considering that his first touch bounced off his foot a few times. He got away with it in this match because there was a lot of space, but will not get away with this in senior football. I liked Pedrinho’s mentality though. He celebrated after winning a defensive duels and looked really determined and passionate.
Rating – 3
For now, I have to give this rating because of the lack of intensity and ball progression in midfield. However, I do think he has the potential to become a much better player. I am curious to see how he will perform against stronger sides.
Eliseu
- Nationality: Brazilian
- Age: 18
- Date of birth: 08/11/2004
- Club: Guarani FC
- Career: Grêmio, Guarani FC
- Position: Striker
- Preferred foot: Right
Eliseu joined Guarani FC from Grêmio in 2022 and played as the lone striker against Atletica Francana. Standing at around 1.85 meters with a normal build, Eliseu was a real handful for Francana’s defence. The Brazilian striker displayed his impressive physicality very often, leaning into his opponent before turning away from him in the duels. He did this a few times in this match, not only creating space for himself but also always offering his teammates a passing option. Eliseu had a very good first touch and was capable to get past his opponent on his first touch. The striker changed directions really well for someone of his frame and looked pretty agile. His mobility was very good. The Brazilian youngster was really effective with his runs in behind, also because his opponents could not win a single physical duel against him. He got in behind time after time. Eliseu mostly moved out wide when making runs. He did this at the right times, offering his teammates a passing option at the right time.
Because of the above-mentioned qualities, Eliseu displayed excellent hold-up play even if he was not used in this role that often in this match. The striker has the potential to become a really good targetman. Eliseu showed decent movement in the box but did not receive that many good balls from the wings, only having one decent chance from a cross. He struck the ball well but failed to direct his shot towards the corner. Eliseu looked really quick over both short and long distances. He played with flair, also pulling off a rabona pass. However, Eliseu also needs to work on a few aspects. First of all, he did not have good close control while dribbling at full speed, leading to possession loss or to the waste of a chance. He also displayed tunnel vision in the ifnal third, attempting a shot rather than passing it to a teammate in a 3v2 situation. Lastly, Eliseu did not have good timing in aerial duels, losing a few of his duels.
Rating – 4
Eliseu needs to improve his finishing and composure, but has all the minerals to become a really good targetman. He just needs the right coaching. I want to see more of him.
Vitinho
- Nationality: Brazilian
- Age: 18
- Date of birth: 04/02/2004
- Club: Guarani FC
- Career: São Paulo, Ponte Preta, Guarani FC
- Position: Centre Midfield
- Secondary position: Attacking Midfield
- Preferred foot: Left
Vitinho played as Guarani’s right central midfielder until the 58th minute, as he moved to the left-wing position before getting subbed off six minutes later after he cramped up. This could be a sign of not having good stamina. The left-footed midfielder made a good impact on the game, scoring and assisting one goal. Vitinho was not often involved in the build-up, mainly because Guarani’s defenders often went for the long pass to Eliseu. This meant that Vitinho had to cover a lot of ground in this match, trying to offer support for Eliseu but also tracking back after possession loss. The midfielder showed very good speed over long distances, which was somewhat surprising as he looks pretty small with a slim build. He did not look that athletic though, which was also surprising looking at his frame. Vitinho did not turn that quickly in the few moments he had to turn. However, I will keep an eye out for this in the next few matches.
Vitinho did not quite suit this direct approach to the game, considering that he seemingly is a player who likes to be involved in the build-up and be creative on the ball. He has a very elegant passing technique, hitting the ball nicely and being able to put a lot of curve on the ball, which he proved when he nearly scored from a free-kick from a very tight angle. Despite having this good long passing technique, Vitinho did not have an extensive passing range as he mostly went for the options nearby. He should switch play more often, especially against a defensive-minded opponent. Vitinho had an average touch under pressure before playing a great through pass to Theo for the 1-0, but there were not more moments in which the ball bounced off his foot. However, despite scoring with his right foot and putting in a good cross with his right foot, Vitinho only used his left foot while dribbling. The midfielder made a very effective run into the channels before putting in that cross.
Rating – 3
Vitinho has the potential to play for the first team, but I need to see more of him and have my full focus on his playing style to see if I missed something in this game.
Theo
- Nationality: Brazilian
- Age: 19
- Date of birth: 31/07/2003
- Club: Guarani FC
- Career: Rio Branco-SP, Guarani FC
- Position: Right Wing
- Preferred foot: Right
Theo played as a right-winger in the match against Francana and scored the opening goal. The winger is a relatively small player but looked strong on the ball, seemingly having good strength in his body and legs. He used his body really well to block the opponent and turn away from him. Theo preferred to receive the ball out wide in this match but almost always came inside on his first touch. He carried the ball inside and scored from this with his weaker left foot on one occasion, but furhter from the goal he was not really dangerous. Theo mostly went for a pass backwards or sideways from this area, not really progressing play. The Brazilian dribbles well with both feet, showing decent close control and getting past his markers. Despite not being very quick, he changed directions smoothly.
The attacker seemed pretty two-footed in this match. He scored with his left foot but mostly used his right foot for passes. Theo missed one big chance in the second half after positioning himself well in the final third, sneaking away from his opponent but getting to close to the goalkeeper because of a heavy touch. Defensively, Theo was really aggressive in defensive duels and sometimes just stepped slightly over the line, giving away fouls in dangerous areas and getting close to getting booked. However, he tracks back very well and showed the willingness to work hard for the team.
Rating – 4
Despite having a good game, I am not yet sure what his potential is. At 19, Theo seemingly is not yet ready for regular first-team football.
Other ratings for players:
- Titi (CB, 09/09/2002) – 2 (carried the ball into midfield very well, very commanding in defensive duels, strong interceptions and tackles, he is close to first-team level but maybe not the most talented player at the age of 20. I will cover him next game.)
- Felipe Zamboni (CB, 21/02/2005) – 4 (did not show good ball progression, but looked really strong defensively. He also looked very passionate. Interested to see him in the next games.)