Football Season Guide

Last season was a poor one for Santos, but perhaps not as poor as the fans feared it would be after many problems surrounding the team, both on and off the pitch. Led by Marinho, Santos managed to keep a mid-table performance for most season, and in the final third they managed to put out some collective strength (Marinho was injured) for a very nice final run. There hasn’t been promise for improvement, this year, as 2022 saw Santos having an early exit from Campeonato Paulista, as ‘Peixe’ ended 3rd (!) in their group, behind Bragantino and very modest team Santo André. Fábio Carrile was sacked after 15 terrible days ahead of Santos, in February, and now it’s Argentinean Fabian Bustos who is sitting in dugout ot for the start of League season. The Argentinean seems to be setting up a 4-2-3-1 formation with Goulart on the no.10 role. In goal, Santos won’t have any problems, as John and João Paulo have proved to be safe options in the last couple of seasons. João Paulo seems to be the first option, for now. 33-years old Maicon is a big name signing for the back. Eduardo Bauermann arrived earlier, this year, and has been pairing up with the excellent talent Kaiky. At just 18, the centre-back is one of the names to keep an eye on for 2022 in Série A. New signing Auro arrived from Canada to be the owner of the right side. Zanocello and Camacho have been the men for the middle. At 38, Carlos Sanchez won’t be much of an option. Club has been reported to be on the market for a definite name for the position. In front of the duo, Ricardo Goulart will be the absolute reference for the season. He was brought from China to be the star of the team. 18-years old Marcos Leonardo will be the main man in attack, while Leo Baptistão doesn’t seem to have the energy to put a proper contest to the kid. Lucas Braga is the main agitator on the wings. Santos seems better organized than last season. Goulart is a definite improvement, even if Marinho is now gone. With Kaiky and Marcos Leonardo more experienced, the team may be aiming for a better year than 2021, despite the poor early months of 2022.