There’s a new wave of young Brazilians who get compared to some of the most distinguished and talented players in football history. There’s even more excitement seeing them coming from the same clubs with the hope that they are destined for greatness.
One of the players that have caught the interest of many of the biggest European clubs is the 19-year-old Santos forward Kaio Jorge. A talented young attacker who has had an interesting youth career so far that transitioned into professional football equally successfully.
Having roots in futsal where he gained his technical skills and being a runner-up with Brazil’s U17 squad in the Under-17 FIFA World Cup in 2019, he was able to show his abilities and earn a spot in Santos’ first team.
All of that brought him under the radar of the city rivals Arsenal and Chelsea as well as some of the Serie A top contenders.
While he’s been compared to Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino due to his successful performance as a No 10, Jorge is quite versatile and contributes well from different positions in the final third.
In this scout report in the form of tactical analysis, we will examine what makes him that special that forces the Londoners’ rivalry off the pitch too. Our analysis will show what are his main traits and what is his role.
Santos’ tactics and his role in their attack
Santos’ attacking performance was quite solid throughout the 2020 season, but their defensive vulnerability is what took a toll on their final results. Using a few different formations (4-2-3-1; 4-1-4-1 and 4-3-3) has been a successful strategy in terms of their forward ventures.
Their distinguished success in the attacking set-plays made them unpredictable for their opponents. They are proficient in using the opposition’s aggressiveness for earning penalty shots, which they have been successfully converting into goals. The team scored 11 goals from set-pieces and 11 penalties in the 2020 season.
Theyd include frequent crossing (14.94 crosses per game) in their tactics with a pretty high success rate of 36.3%. That’s where Jorge’s role becomes very important. Playing in different positions in the advanced areas has increased the team’s efficiency in front of the goal.
His natural position coming to the first team was a No. 10 but he was used in multiple positions since his arrival. Thanks to his versatility he was able to play in a centre-forward position, on the wings and even playing as a false nine. This allowed him to score nine goals in all competitions last term.
The team would often rely on creating chances from distance too, and Jorge himself is no stranger to shooting from outside the box, although his most successful efforts come from his positioning in the penalty area.
