The future of Gio dos Santos in Coapa is not clear and his statistics are not those of an outstanding player
MEXICO -- The outlook for Giovani dos Santos to continue with America for the Apertura 2021 tournament is more than complicated, even if he scored the winning goal against Necaxa, bringing the team closer to the super leader Cruz Azul by 2 points.
Giovani dos Santos' performance has not been good up to the 13th matchday of Guardianes 2021, but it hasn't been good in the three previous ones either. He has not improved as expected, especially considering that every player strives to stand out when a new coach arrives, like in this case, Argentine Santiago Solari.
Giovani dos Santos scored his first goal of the season this Saturday, which can't be criticized too much either, considering he has never been known as a goal scorer, although some goals will always count when it comes to keeping track.
What is being judged is his poor performance. The midfielder has played six matches, none of them complete and all spaced out; he returned to the Liga MX this Saturday after six matchdays. He has played a total of 262 minutes on the field, either because he hasn't been forgiven for his injuries or because he hasn't reached his best physical form yet and, most importantly, because his ups and downs on the field have not earned him the full trust of the coaching staff.
Out of those six appearances, the least number of minutes played by Giovani dos Santos was 7 against Queretaro and the most was 68 minutes against Rayos, where he also scored a goal, and he has been a starter three times. However, a splendid finish in the opponent's goal this Saturday doesn't seem to be enough for Santiago Solari to give him the opportunity to continue wearing yellow in the second half of the year.
According to Rafael Puente, ESPN analyst, Giovani dos Santos' lineup against Necaxa was mainly due to the absence of Sebastián Córdova and Henry Martin, and it is clear that one goal, no matter how important it is in matchday 13, does not guarantee him a contract with Las Águilas.
"I think Solari wouldn't have considered him from the start if this situation hadn't arisen," and he adds that perhaps starting was unexpected for the player, but in any case, he was able to respond by scoring the decisive 2-1 goal.
"He had the opportunity to capitalize on the goal in a somewhat strange way because he scored it after a set piece by Sánchez and he did it with his head; that must be recognized and valued. If someone aware of Giovani's conditions thought about how he could score a goal, they would hardly say, I dare to say, with his head."
Rafael Puente emphasizes that Gio's goal strengthens everything, "Solari's moment, América's moment, and Gio's presence. This player has skills and no one doubts it, but it is clear that he has fallen short on the team."
He adds that in some way, Giovani has a point in his favor for his performance, but it's unknown what implications it will have regarding the intention of the board to let him go or not renew his contract, "and this needs to be seen in the remaining matches of the tournament," although he is aware that "this goal cannot guarantee his retention either."
GRAY TOURNAMENTS AS AN AMERICANISTA
In important moments, statistics weigh heavily, especially now that Santiago Solari has shown no hesitation in choosing his starting eleven each weekend. With the Argentine, those in the best form play, regardless of their name, and it seems that injuries have prevented Gío from becoming a consistent player, something that has hindered him from getting regular playing time.
Giovani arrived at América for the Apertura 2019; expectations were high, but the results have not supported them from start to finish. The player, who was a U-17 World Cup champion with Mexico in 2005, has played 32 regular season matches out of 68 possible with four matchdays remaining. In that time, he has only contributed three goals, going scoreless in the Clausura 2020. He has played 1640 minutes out of a possible 6120.