Andre Santos

[Henry14Legend]

Hi guys,

What are all your thoughts on Santos now? Played a few games and to me it seems like he is finally getting to grips with the team and the league..

If we go back to when he played against Blackburn earlier on in the season, like most of the defence he had a shocker! I was left thinking, Arsene has done it again, can't buy defenders.. but in recent times he has started to prove me wrong!

The chelsea game would have done his confidence the world of good.. first half he was all over the place, and everytime they attacked down our left side, they looked like scoring.. But 2nd half he looked a different player! Nothing was getting past him and his tackling looked top notch! Do you finally think he has made himself are 1st choice left back? or has Gibbs still got a chance of taking that spot?

Thoughts?

 

[afcftw]

I think it's good we have two options who are fighting for the spot as it encourages them both to work hard to get into the team.

Santos looks fantastic going forward (better than Clichy was without a doubt). And he has a great tackle but his positioning has been a little off. I think he will develop a good understanding with our wingers though and the positional problems will dissappear. He looks a very good player and i love his brazilian style - little flicks, quick passes, fancy footwork - he's a great player to watch and i'm pleased we have him at the club.

Gibbs i have high hopes for and i really hope he becomes a top notch defender as i believe has the potential to be our first choice in the future but is maybe not quite there yet. If he stops getting injured and works hard in training he may turn out to be a great player for club and country.

At the moment though i go with Santos.

 

[Grizzly]

He's like any other foreign import who's never played in the league, it takes time to adjust but when they do their quality shines through.
It may take half a season but I expect him and Sagna to form a full back pairing on a par with the best around - Santos is more physical than Gibbs though I still question his pace...

 

[afcftw]

I'd like to hear what others think about Santos. He came in for some early stik from our fans and it'd be nice to know if he has changed peoples minds.

I love his style of football it's great to watch.

 

[TheBear]

He's soo attacking that he will leave us exposed at times.


On the plus side Clichy and Gibbs never offered as anywhere near as much going forward. Santos's attacking play is really excellent.

 

[enigma]

I am a bit worried about him bombing forward at every opportunity, and wish that he would pick his moments to go forward a bit more carefully. In the big games, one mistake or poor positioning could cost us the game, against the smaller teams we may get away with it. It probably suits him at the moment with someone like cos at RB because his natural tendency is to defend, but when we have sagna back, it could backfire if they both go bombing forward at the same time, it's not as tho our midfielders are that good at covering, so it could be a problem.

 

[afcftw]

Sagna is amazing at getting back into position and onto his man though so don't see that being a problem.

I also think Santos will develop a better understanding with our wingers which will close up the gaps. Hopefuly he will also gain a little pace. His positioning has been getting better each game and for me he is starting to look the real deal. I hope he continues his form and continues to improve.

Imo he is an improvement on Clichy so glad with AW for this move

 

[Murray]

I wonder who else has noticed he has lost some weight and is looking leaner...

Haven't been looking mate, I don't lean that way.

 

[Drudeboy]

i like gibbs better. santos just is just too naive defensively and still not up to the fitness levels required.

 

[PeterRICK]

Not a huge fan of either though I do admit Santos is slowly improving. As it stands I think we can currently do better than both options at the club. However, it's by no means fair to judge Santos whilst he's still finding his feet at the club. I fear Gibbs will never get a long enough run to prove himself such is his injury record.

 

[PINKIE]

I wonder who else has noticed he has lost some weight and is looking leaner...

Yes I have, he definitely needed to trim up and his stamina looks much better too.

He is a solid player, very good at defending the ball and really good going forward. I think he's starting to iron out the silly mistakes too.

Gets the nod ahead of Gibbs for me.

 

[CanarySpurs]

Other: Assou Ekotto

 

[ALTBOULI]

He's better than Gibbs and offers far more going forward. The way Gibbs has been in terms of injury suggests he will never be able to play an extended length of games without picking up some sort of Injury so at best he would be a sub.

 

[cjuliennech1]

Still dives in far too much and lacks concentration at certain points. He basically isn't very good defensively and when gibbs is fit i would have him straight in the team. Obviously santos is still getting used to the english game but if it was between him and gibbs, gibbs would have my vote.

 

[theHotHead]

I can see him being very good when he gets used to the pace and power of English football. No doubt he offers something offensively, not sure about him defensively. As said already I do feel less anxious when he is n the pitch compared to Clichy during his last couple of seasons, you just knew Clichy would do something typically dumbass trying to be clever and concede a goal or penalty.

Gibbs hasn't looked good when he has played and with all his injuries .. makes you wonder what the future holds for him, shame really. If Wenger is giving Santos license to bomb on, then Wenger should be instilling defensive discipline to the players around him. This is something the likes of Winterburn and Dixon did automatically, fill in for players out of position. One of the midfielders should "be aware" of the space if either of our full backs bomb on. Nobody is saying they need to get to the full back's position .. but simply be aware of the space if we lose possession.

 

[ALTBOULI]

I can see him being very good when he gets used to the pace and power of English football. No doubt he offers something offensively, not sure about him defensively. As said already I do feel less anxious when he is n the pitch compared to Clichy during his last couple of seasons, you just knew Clichy would do something typically dumbass trying to be clever and concede a goal or penalty.

Gibbs hasn't looked good when he has played and with all his injuries .. makes you wonder what the future holds for him, shame really. If Wenger is giving Santos license to bomb on, then Wenger should be instilling defensive discipline to the players around him. This is something the likes of Winterburn and Dixon did automatically, fill in for players out of position. One of the midfielders should "be aware" of the space if either of our full backs bomb on. Nobody is saying they need to get to the full back's position .. but simply be aware of the space if we lose possession.

It's interesting that you should mention this, I don’t know if anyone else has seen this but on a number of occasions when Santos goes forward Song, Arteta and Vermaelen fill in for him also Gervinho tracks back and works hard defensively so I believe that he already has a pretty good understanding with the players around him. This is especially noticeable with Vermaelen who covers for him quite a bit and you often see them communicating with one another. I don’t remember seeing much of this when Clichy was around.

 

[PINKIE]

It's interesting that you should mention this, I don’t know if anyone else has seen this but on a number of occasions when Santos goes forward Song, Arteta and Vermaelen fill in for him also Gervinho tracks back and works hard defensively so I believe that he already has a pretty good understanding with the players around him. This is especially noticeable with Vermaelen who covers for him quite a bit and you often see them communicating with one another. I don’t remember seeing much of this when Clichy was around.

This

I think there's a really good dynamic on the left side of MF with Santos and Gervinho - It's been a welcome addition to our game. You're right to explain how Song and Arteta support it defensively. Having Vermaelen back has really made a difference too.