Copinha 2022 – Grêmio Under 20 Team Report by Jeroen
Grêmio has a rich history of youth players that broke through to the first team. Arthur, Tetê, Éverton, Pepê and Ferreira are a few of those examples. There are a few players in the current under 20 squad who could also make it to the first team. I will discuss the four most talented players of Grêmio under 20 in this article.
Cuiabano
- Nationality: Brazilian
- Age: 18
- Date of birth: 16/02/2003
- Current club: Grêmio
- Career: Grêmio
- Position: Left-Back
- Preferred foot: Left
Player profile:
Cuiabano is a left-back playing for the under 20’s of Grêmio. The Brazilian left-back has good technical ability. He has good short passing and likes to play strong, powerful passes into the midfield. Cuiabano often does well to keep those passes on the ground. The Brazilian has a good first touch. He controls the ball well when receiving powerful passes, but also when receiving passes through the air. Cuiabano’s crossing is inconsistent. His technique is not perfect, but apart from the first match, his crosses were quite accurate. He either puts in crosses from the byline or from a deeper area. His crosses from the byline are mostly being played towards the penalty box, while his crosses from a different area are mainly being played between the defensive line and goalkeeper. Cuiabano’s dribbling is quite good. He can change directions well when sprinting and shows good close control. Only sporadically Cuiabano failed to control the ball well when dribbling.
In possession, Cuiabano sometimes played as the third central defender, but in other situations he moved higher up the pitch. When pushing higher up the pitch, he switched between sticking close to the sideline and playing in the half-space. Cuiabano often shows good tactical intelligence. He is always in a good position to link up with his teammates and to help Grêmio progress further up the pitch. He makes some good overlapping runs. Cuiabano also is capable of playing good smart passes with the outside of the boot before continuing his run. In other words, Cuiabano helps Grêmio to progress the ball further up the pitch and is consistent in doing so.
Cuiabano has a strong build, but this does not mean that he is not agile. Especially for his build, Cuiabano is quick on the first meters, he has good pace over long distances and he is relatively agile. He can change directions when sprinting well and is a dynamic left-back. Cuiabano has good stamina and is also physically strong in the duels. He sometimes pushes his opponent slightly which helps him win the duel, as his opponent lost his balance without Cuiabano giving away a foul. He is positively aggressive in loose ball duels and 1v1 duels. Against Santa Cruz, he pushed high up the pitch, put pressure on his opponent and won back the ball. This led to the 1-0. Cuiabano often uses his long legs to recover possession.
I think Cuiabano is ready for more first-team football and it would not surprise me if he made his debut for Grêmio in 2022. He should get minutes in the state championships.
Kauan Kelvin
Player profile:
Kauan Kelvin has been the most important player for Grêmio under 20 in the Copinha tournament. In the three matches he started for Grêmio under 20, he scored three and assisted one goal. Kauan Kelvin started off nervous in the first match, but after scoring he gained confidence and he played better and better. The Brazilian youngster has a good first touch under pressure, but sometimes he is sloppy and seems to have lapses of concentration. He can control powerful passes through the air well, but sometimes he fails to make a good first touch when receiving a slow pass. Kauan Kelvin’s crosspassing technique is very good. He is very accurate in his long passing. His long shots are good, he strikes the ball well and manages to create a lot of danger from his long shots.
Tactically, the Brazilian seemed a bit uncomfortable in his first match. I am not sure if he is used to playing as a left striker in a 4-1-3-2. However, as he got more experience in that position he did a lot better as he stayed in his position more. Kauan Kelvin likes to start centrally and makes a run out wide from there. He times this run very well and often receives a through pass. In these situations, he showed his good first touch when receiving over the top through passes. He often ended up in possession on the left in the box. Kauan Kelvin likes to open up his body and carries the ball towards the byline. He waits for his moment to play the cross and even though he times this well, his final pass can do with some improvement. Kauan Kelvin sometimes picks out the wrong pass.
It is remarkable how calm and composed Kauan Kelvin stays in the opposition’s box. He always remains calm and looks up before playing a pass. His spatial awareness is also great. Kauan Kelvin is capable of arriving in the box at the right time or sneaking away from his opponent to get into space. Physically, Kauan Kelvin is very quick on the first meters, agile and pacey over a long distance. He can turn away from his opponent quickly but should use this more in matches. He is not that strong in the duels.
I think Kauan Kelvin will play for the under 23’s of Grêmio next season and that he will continue to develop there. He could make his debut late in 2022 or early in 2023 if he continues to develop like this.
Rubens
- Nationality: Brazilian
- Age: 18
- Date of birth: 28/03/2003
- Current club: Grêmio
- Career: Grêmio
- Position: Right Winger
- Preferred foot: Left
Player profile:
Rubens played in three out of four matches for Grêmio under 20. He provided one assist in those matches but could have scored a few goals. Rubens has great technical ability. His first touch under pressure is great and he shows good close control when dribbling. He sometimes is close to losing possession, but then he shows good perseverance and determination to keep on the ball. By doing this, he created a few chances for himself. Rubens stays composed in the final third but failed to finish one of his many chances in his first three matches.
The Brazilian right-winger has shown that he has great spatial awareness. Rubens sometimes drops deep when Grêmio is in possession. He sticks close to the sideline and drags his opponent with him. This opens up space for Lucas Kawan (RB) to dive into. Especially in the first match of the Copinha he used this well. Sometimes Rubens moves inside to open up space for Lucas Kawan too, either on the ball or out of possession. This was very effective in the first match, but not so much in other matches in which Lucas Kawan had less impact on the match.
Rubens does not often make runs in behind, but when he does he times this well and creates danger for Grêmio. He is quick on the first meters and shows a good pace over long distances. He often gets into good areas and creates chances.
Overall, I think that Rubens is a very intelligent player who can already make an impact on the first team. It will be hard to compete with Douglas Costa, but he could already get some minutes for the first team of Grêmio in the state championships. But, if that does not happen, I think he could be an interesting target for a club like AZ in the future.
Gabriel Silva
- Nationality: Brazilian
- Age: 19
- Date of birth: 03/07/2002
- Current club: Grêmio
- Career: São Caetano, Grêmio
- Position: Attacking Midfielder
- Preferred foot: Right
Player profile:
Gabriel Silva started in three out of four matches for Grêmio under 20. The Brazilian youngster is a very elegant player who is good tactically and technically, but less so physically. He is yet to register a goal or assist for Grêmio under 20 this tournament, but has created a few chances and was unlucky not to have an assist. Gabriel Silva is an elegant midfielder when on the ball, but he also puts in a lot of work out of pressure. The young midfielder is good at carrying the ball, Gabriel Silva has good bursts of speed, has good changes of directions and has good close control. The attacking midfielder sees a lot of the ball throughout the match and looks dominant on the ball. Gabriel Silva often makes football look very easy. His technical ability is great, his first touch is very good and he even controls the ball well when he gets put under pressure.
When Gabriel Silva gets into the duels, his weakness comes into play. Gabriel Silva is not a strong player on the ball and loses his balance quite quickly. Generally, the 19-year-old does well to stay out of the duels often. However, in most duels he contests he loses the ball or gets a free-kick. Gabriel Silva is a progressive player, both with his passing and runs. He manages to play strong, powerful passes into attack a lot and helps Grêmio to progress the ball further up the pitch. The young midfielder drops deep a lot, but also moves between the lines really well higher up the pitch. Gabriel Silva is a very creative midfielder and he is capable of creating many chances throughout the match. Against Santa Cruz, he created two big chances for Grêmio under 20 putting in a cross from deep with great accuracy. Also, Gabriel Silva has great crosspassing technique.
Defensively, Gabriel Silva works really hard to recover possession and is found everywhere on the pitch. Especially against Santa Cruz he was one of the main players who was aggressive out of possession which helped Grêmio to win back the ball early and create chances early in the match.
Gabriel Silva is a very interesting player both technically and tactically, but he can improve on his strength and he can be even more decisive in the final third. I think he could get some minutes in the state championships, but he will not be a squad player for Grêmio yet. He will most likely play in the U23’s.