Michey
New Member
- May 4, 2004
- 7,888
- 1
perhaps not a start but definitely a place in the squad
Where is GDS?
- Thread starter djvapour
- Start date
I think the club has treated Gio badly.
He played in pretty much every game for Barca last season, and was clearly lured to Spurs by the promise of first team opportunities. Everybody was raving about him in pre-season, saying what a happy, engaging character he was and what fantastic ability he had.
Gio has ten times the pedigree of Taarabt. He was part of the Mexico team that won the U17 World Cup, winning the Silver Ball as second best player in the tournament. And in the 2007 U20 World Cup when he was only 18, Gio won the Bronze Ball as third best player behind Anderson (of manure) and Aguero (of Atletico Madrid). That's a far higher level of quality than any player we've ever had in our youth system - in terms of achievement on the international stage against the best young players in the world. (Hoddle & King may arguably be of that level but they didn't have the same success & recognition in international youth tournaments.)
But, to my amazement, having lured Gio away from Barca, Ramos seemed to have no idea where to play Dos Santos or how to integrate him into the team.
I think Gio's best position may be as a Number 10. When Gio scored that brilliant hattrick for Barca last season, he played as an attacking midfielder, and his passing and movement (playing with top class players) was absolutely outstanding. Unlike Taarabt who still doesn't know what teammates are for.
I understand why 'Arry left Gio out of the 18 last night, but if we don't start integrating him soon, Dos Santos will leave for sure. And we can give up hopes of signing his younger bro from Barca's academy as well...
He played in pretty much every game for Barca last season, and was clearly lured to Spurs by the promise of first team opportunities. Everybody was raving about him in pre-season, saying what a happy, engaging character he was and what fantastic ability he had.
Gio has ten times the pedigree of Taarabt. He was part of the Mexico team that won the U17 World Cup, winning the Silver Ball as second best player in the tournament. And in the 2007 U20 World Cup when he was only 18, Gio won the Bronze Ball as third best player behind Anderson (of manure) and Aguero (of Atletico Madrid). That's a far higher level of quality than any player we've ever had in our youth system - in terms of achievement on the international stage against the best young players in the world. (Hoddle & King may arguably be of that level but they didn't have the same success & recognition in international youth tournaments.)
But, to my amazement, having lured Gio away from Barca, Ramos seemed to have no idea where to play Dos Santos or how to integrate him into the team.
I think Gio's best position may be as a Number 10. When Gio scored that brilliant hattrick for Barca last season, he played as an attacking midfielder, and his passing and movement (playing with top class players) was absolutely outstanding. Unlike Taarabt who still doesn't know what teammates are for.
I understand why 'Arry left Gio out of the 18 last night, but if we don't start integrating him soon, Dos Santos will leave for sure. And we can give up hopes of signing his younger bro from Barca's academy as well...
spursgirls
SC Supporter
- Aug 13, 2008
- 19,287
- 39,766
I hope we hang onto him. I think he will be a huge star in a year or two. Obviously has skill, and still very young. (Looks about 14!) I think unless he gets some games soon, he'll go in January.
DEFchenkOE
Well-Known Member
- Feb 13, 2006
- 10,527
- 8,052
I want him to be eased in slowly, but I hope he starts getting some time on the bench at least and getting on the pitch with some sub appearences. I would prefer Gio on the bench than Campbell, nothing against Campbell, but Gio is our player. And it's not as if Campbell is a proven Premier League goalscorer. If we're playing 1 up front, then I think to have 1 other striker on the bench with Giovani is fine. Maybe he had a little injury yesterday.
I agree though Yanno that apart from maybe 1 or 2 games Ramos didn't seem to know where or how to play him. Which frankly, I find quite incredible. Maybe over time Ramos would have got the best out of him, it is hard to fully judge after 8 or 9 games but we can only really go on what happened during this time.
I agree though Yanno that apart from maybe 1 or 2 games Ramos didn't seem to know where or how to play him. Which frankly, I find quite incredible. Maybe over time Ramos would have got the best out of him, it is hard to fully judge after 8 or 9 games but we can only really go on what happened during this time.
WhiteStripe
Get out of my club you cretin!
- Aug 23, 2006
- 14,209
- 4,977
It's all very well saying that, but how can we start integrating him when Modric has been one of the best players on the pitch in the last two games in the very position you are suggesting GDS for.
In reference to your earlier point, GDS only started 10 games for Barca, so although he was involved in a lot of games, mostly it was from the bench. Also, his most common position was on the right hand side of a 3 pronged attack, similar to Messi. This is not a formation we have ben using, however I suppose it would transpose to our right wing looking at the current formation.One thing is clear to me. GDS does not work hard enough for the team. When being played on the wing, he does not track back and help out his fullback enough, which against most teams in the EPL, let alone Arsenal, is suicidal.
GDS has an abundance of talent, but we need to blood him in very gently. Other teams manage to do this effectively without losing their talented youngsters, so why can't we?
Sure Gio "only" started 10 games for Barca last season. He was 18 years old and as Terry Henry said "that is the definition of an amazing player".
Barca's formation is pretty much unique in world football, with three rotating front players. What I did see in his Barca performances is that Gio understands how to play pass and move football, making runs and creating space for his teammates, and playing little 1-2s before using his pace to explode past opposition defenders.
To clarify my comments on Gio as a Number 10, I think that is his long term position. I'm happy for him to be used as a wide player, especially if we're playing 4-5-1, to help him adapt to the EPL in the short term.
I agree that it's tricky to integrate Gio given the position we're in, but he's a very special talent and we will lose him if we don't even include him in the 18.
Barca's formation is pretty much unique in world football, with three rotating front players. What I did see in his Barca performances is that Gio understands how to play pass and move football, making runs and creating space for his teammates, and playing little 1-2s before using his pace to explode past opposition defenders.
To clarify my comments on Gio as a Number 10, I think that is his long term position. I'm happy for him to be used as a wide player, especially if we're playing 4-5-1, to help him adapt to the EPL in the short term.
I agree that it's tricky to integrate Gio given the position we're in, but he's a very special talent and we will lose him if we don't even include him in the 18.
