Ganso can reinvent himself under Sampaoli

Paulo Henrique Ganso is on the cusp of a move to La Liga side Sevilla, to play under highly rated Argentinean boss Jorge Sampaoli for the current Europa League holders. Now aged 26, Ganso is one of those players that, all at once, seems to have been around forever and for no time at all. […]
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sambafoot_admin
2016-07-13 20:04:00

Paulo Henrique Ganso is on the cusp of a move to La Liga side Sevilla, to play under highly rated Argentinean boss Jorge Sampaoli for the current Europa League holders. Now aged 26, Ganso is one of those players that, all at once, seems to have been around forever and for no time at all. He is still regarded as an ‘emerging talent’ in the mind’s eye, largely because his talent has never properly ‘emerged.’

Ganso’s story invokes the well thumbed folk tale of the gifted yet work shy playmaker. Between 2010 – 2012, the world was perched at Ganso’s feet. At Santos, he formed a formidable partnership with impish teenager Neymar at Santos. Ganso, in his favoured ‘enganche’ role behind the striker, was the pallet to Neymar’s paint brush. Together, Ganso and Neymar painted beautiful pictures as Santos won the Copa do Brasil in 2010 and the Copa Libertadores in 2011.

Ganso and Neymar were considered the future of their national team too. Ganso left for São Paulo in 2012 and Neymar for Barcelona in 2013. Neymar, Brazil captain and now the most highly paid player in the world at Barcelona, has left his old sparring partner behind. During his time at São Paulo, Ganso has been beset by inconsistency. At Santos, he invited comparison with Brazilian playmakers of yore with his elegant touch and his infra red eye for a pass.

Yet across the state at São Paulo, robbed of his fellow malandro Neymar, Ganso often cut a disinterested figure, sauntering through games at half speed. Alexandre Pato would join him at the club for 2014 and 2015 and both men proved to be kindred spirits. At their best, they were insatiable. But bursts of peerless form were too often interspersed with extended spells of indifference.

Periods of good form proved to be little more than mirages in the desert. When Kaká joined São Paulo on loan at the end of 2014, Ganso and Pato looked briefly rejuvenated as Tricolor finished the season strongly and climbed into second place. Kaká is the player that Ganso could and should have been. But his temporary mentor left for Orlando City in January 2015 and Ganso once again drifted back into lethargy. He was linked with a move to the MLS during the 2015 season, so fitful was his form.

In 2016, something seems to have lit the fire under Ganso. Whether it was São Paulo’s appointment of experienced Argentine boss Edgardo Bauza, or whether he was just experiencing another of his brief uplifts in form, Ganso has enjoyed an impressive year to date, with São Paulo competing at the semi-final stage of the Copa Libertadores. He was even called into Brazil’s Copa América squad, albeit without making it off the bench in the USA. Another Argentine, Jonathan Calleri, has undoubtedly helped Ganso out of a rut and into a groove. The livewire striker has given Ganso a canvas upon which to paint once more.

At time of writing, his form has almost certainly earned him a move to Sevilla, who have just appointed Jorge Sampaoli as manager. Sampaoli was at the helm for Chile’s stunning 2015 Copa América victory, the first major silverware in the country’s history. He is one of the score of Marcelo Bielsa disciples that have emanated from Argentina. He favours an organised, hard working, high pressing game. However, as the likes of Charles Aránguiz and Valdivía will attest, Sampaoli gives creative players freedom to thrive.

Sampaoli is the perfect manager at the perfect time for Ganso. The Brazilian has often been accused of laziness. We’re not talking about the languid gait of the playmaker, which often sees talents such as Mesut Özil miscast as mere drifters. Ganso has been bone idol for large periods of his career, both on the pitch and, by all accounts, on the training field too. Sampaoli will not indulge Ganso the liberty of laziness.

But if Ganso meets him half way- and he is perfectly capable of doing so, as his current form suggests- then Sampaoli will liberate him. He will be permitted to apply the gloss to Sevilla’s midfield. Sampaoli’s teams subscribe to the Bielsan doctrine of winning the ball back high up the pitch and pouncing before opposition defences can reorganise themselves. If Ganso is willing to become part of the hunting pack off the ball, he is the perfect player to capitalise on its recapture with his quick thinking, velveteen touch and eye for a pass.

Profile wise, Sevilla seems like a perfect fit too. Serial Europa League winners, they will compete in the Champions League next season. However, they live in the cool shadow of Barcelona, Real Madrid and even Atletico Madrid. The setup is favourable, the squad is strong and the manager is considered one of the hot coaching properties of South American football.

However, the scrutiny is not as severe as it is for the big three. Culturally, Seville ought to offer a favourable template for a Brazilian moving to Europe for the first time. Assimilation in that respect, whilst still not straightforward, ought to be easier compared to other potential destinations in mainland Europe.

The conditions at Sevilla are ideal for Ganso to thrive. He will be 27 in October, so he ought to be mature enough to make such a move. Despite his occasional bouts of idleness, Ganso is an impressive physical specimen; he is nicknamed ‘Goose’ due to his tall, slim frame (and, probably, his slightly beaky nose). Ganso’s issues with dynamism are not physical, but mental.

Approaching his prime, Ganso has been given a chance to rewrite his own legend- to recast himself from the role of wasted talent to late developer. Sampaoli and Sevilla have taken a step towards this gifted playmaker and Ganso must now meet them half way. He is certainly capable; the question is whether he is willing. If he isn’t, he will forever be considered damaged goods. 

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