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Santos struggle to replace Robinho
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Santos struggle to replace Robinho
By Mark Lowdon
Fifa.com (12 Oct 2005)
Replacing Robinho was always going to be a difficult task. Since his explosion onto the scene at the front end of 2002, the fleet-footed forward inspired Santos to two Brasileiro titles before a big money move to Spanish giants Real Madrid.
Fittingly, his final appearance in the Santos colours ended with the Vila Belmiro side winning 3-2 at Paysandu. It was a result that left the club second in the Brasileiro standings, level on points with leade rs Corinthians.
When they won their ensuing contest, 2-0 against Coritiba, to assume outright leadership of the competition, the supporters' post-Robinho blues quickly disappeared. As equally uplifting as the result was the performance of 21-year-old Geílson, who - while donning the number 7 shirt worn so memorably by the former 'King of the Dribble' - scored a brace to secure the points for Santos. The home crowd had been left convinced that a new star had emerged - one that could help fill the colossal void created by the exit of their talisman.
Six weeks and eight matches on from the Round 23 victory, the tide has well and truly turned. Santos have managed just two wins from those eight games and Geílson has looked a shadow of the player that destructed Coritiba.
Goodbye, Gallo
After unsatisfactory draws against Atlético-PR and Flamengo, pressure mounted on coach Gallo, a former Santos midfielder whose appointment back in March had drawn opposition from certain quarters. A 2-1 home success over state rivals Palmeiras did warrant a brief reprieve but when Santos lost 4-3 against Fluminense in Rio, the inevitable dismissal occured.
Nelsinho Baptista, a shrewd tactician who had coached in Colombia, Saudi Arabia, Chile and Japan, was made the club's chief target to replace Gallo. Having failed to reach an accord with Corinthians over assuming responsibility in the Parque São Jorge hot-seat, Nelsinho had no such problems striking a deal with Santos.
He wasn't the only new arrival at the Vila Belmiro. The playing staff he inherited was reinforced by the incomings of 2002 World Cup winner Luizão and former FC Porto ace Cláudio Pitbull. It was quite a welcome for the new man at the helm and, once again, the Santos supporters were filled with expectancy.
"Quarteto Santástico"
Much hype surrounded the offensive foursome Santos now boasted, comprising the two new arrivals along with current Brazilian international Ricardinho and former Barcelona and Olympiakos star Giovanni. Modelled on the Seleção's "Magic Quartet", it was expected that the "Quarteto Santástico" would wreak havoc upon opposition defences.
"It's great for a trainer to adopt a team with such quality. We have a very good attack, with Pitbull and Luizão, two midfielders with quality (Ricardinho and Giovanni), as well as two excellent wingbacks (Paulo César and Kléber)," Nelsinho enthused.
"I believe that, as the games and the training sessions pass by, this side will become stronger and stronger. Cláudio Pitbull and Luizão are excellent forwards. They are stylish and will complement each other very well," he added.
His debut in command saw Santos entertain Fortaleza, in a game from which they were overwhelming favourites to take three points. After announcing his starting lineup Nelsinho Baptista declared; "On paper, it's a very good team. Now we need to put it into practice."
The Santos tactician even has his Fortaleza counterpart convinced. "They will give a debut to a new attack, formed by players with quality. Besides this, they have Giovanni and Ricardinho, who are excellent," commented the visitors' coach Hélio dos Anjos.
But any suspicions that might have been held about the Santos frontline's new-found potency were swiftly dashed. With Ricardinho, Giovanni and in particular Luizão all ineffectual, the Peixe were forced to settle for a discouraging goalless draw.
Goal shy
Subsequent performances have hardly exuded confidence and alarmingly, the once-formidable attack that netted a record 103 goals en route to claiming the 2004 Brasileiro title, has looked decidedly impotent. In fact, Santos have managed just 8 goals in their last 7 matches. For fans of a club popularly recognised as neutral supporters' "second favourite team", it's an embarrassing statistic.
As Robinho attempts to realize a dream of becoming the world's greatest player, his former team's aspirations of winning a third Brasileiro title in four seasons, have all but vanished. The slump since the 21-year-old's departure has seen the reigning champions nosedive from the summit of the league table to seventh position in the standings, 11 points off the pace.
In March 2002, Robinho made his Santos debut helping them end a six-game winless run with victory against Guarani. For followers of the club, it's just a pity that a miserable sequence of results also came to occur after his departure.
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