A bit of a change from the leagues I usually cover but once I saw this player I just had to watch more. That player is Rodrigo Gomes, currently on loan as G.D Estoril Praia from S.C Braga in Liga Portugal. A right footed right winger that has seen many of his minutes come as a wingback during his loan spell, impressively he’s represented Portugal from U-16’s to the U-21’s where he’s scored 3 goals in 3 appearances after making his debut in September this year.
Gomes is a smaller profile standing at 1.75m and has rapid acceleration and the stamina to make real lung bursting runs from deeper positions, when he spots space ahead, he attacks it and shows real intensity in wanting to break forward and anticipate second balls, attacking the back post and following up on shots looking for rebounds and has scored and assisted from this type of situation.
His lower centre of gravity and quick feet accompanied with his acceleration allow him to shift effectively away from defenders and surge with the ball. Even from a standing start he can create separation to attack the byline before getting his head up quickly to spot and execute some impressive cutbacks or cut inside and shoot on his left.
Rodrigo doesn’t just rely on his physical qualities, he’s far from just a speed merchant. He understands timing, he’ll slow himself down when against a fullback, before disguising a pass inside and bursting to the line or inside again showing his instinct to want to score goals as well as showing how effective he could be against lower blocks with less space to attack. The way he positions himself plays a large part in how effective he is at creating situations to attack the box. He’ll scan to see where the defensive line is, notice the gap but importantly manoeuvres his body making small movements to position his back to the touchline, to open the angle of the pitch for the run in behind, rather than being stuck with his back to goal.
He’s capable of some incredible first touches, He’s aware of space for himself and teammates, he can drag the opposition wider or drop deeper to create space, before springing forward where there’s little chance of catching him.
Although playing as a wingback currently, I think his instinct to get into the box, following up on chances and a real lack of “want” in how he defends show he potentially has more of a future playing further forward. He can let runners off him despite having the pace to track, eager to press but not showing the awareness of when to hold his position, instead chasing the ball leaving space as well as lacking the physical strength needed to cope in defensive situations.
Going forward Rodrigo would need to improve on how he passes the ball from deeper positions, he tries to progress, but is often casual where forward passes are intercepted easily, and his longer passes aren’t as accurate as his short game or cutbacks either. If he’s to make a step up he’ll need to improve on his own strength levels and how he deals with more physical opposition, where his technical level can drop, and he does look lightweight.
Rodrigo Gomes could be a real asset from the right for many sides, his sheer speed, work rate, timing and want to attack the 6-yard box could be just some of the attributes that allow for his first senior national appearance in the near future.
5 comments