Feyenoord´s last season title race wouldn't be understood without taking a look at individual performances, standing out, among many other outstanding players, the output of his main reference man, Santiago Giménez. Born 18/04/2001 in Buenos Aires, Santiago is a Mexican nationalized attacker who has created amazing hype around top clubs after his first season in European football. The Mexican Cruz Azul academy product finished fourth in Eredivisie´s goal scoring table in his first season for Feyenoord, contributing in a total of 17 goals, and has started this season in the same outrageous form, with 18 goal contributions in all competitions to date.
The 22 years old Mexican attacker is the classical center forward goal scorer profile, who loves to operate near the penalty area, where he becomes most dangerous. Giménez stands out for his great positioning and off the ball movements, superb finishing and innate killer instinct.
Playing for Feyenoord, his function does not make him an active player in the build up or on the ball, averaging just around 15 passes per 90 minutes. Despite that fact, he possesses great ability to link up and associates with teammates, and vision to be incisive with his passing. Where he makes a great contribution for his squad is by his active offering and mobility in the attacking phase. He possesses a huge range of movements in his off the ball skillset. Apart from coming deeper to receive and play easily to keep on progressing, he knows how to attack space by diagonal runs, can place with ease himself behind the opposition defensive line and reads the game well to drop wide, create overloads and build the attack. Not being him most of the time the receptor of passes with his moves, the work he does is essential, opening up spaces for teammates and enlarging the pitch/pushing the rival defense back. Being his mobile contribution his main strength in Feyenoord´s high tempo style of play, it's not usual to see him acting as the hold-up player, but his size, physicality and ball protecting allows him to adopt that role if necessary.
Despite being an interesting help for his mates with his tactical intelligence when trying to create and initiate plays, he becomes amazingly determinant and decisive when operating near the penalty area. Santiago is a clear example of a striker who has the goal in mind every time, ambitioning to score in every match. He averages almost 4 shots per match, being half of them on target. Those stats show his good ball striking ability, having quick preparation to set up the shot, and accuracy in his finishing, being able to superbly finish the plays even with his weaker foot or headers. If he is clever off the ball during build up phases, he possesses the same clarity inside the penalty area (being percentile 99 in touches inside the penalty area), knowing how to lose markers, and where to explode space with perfect timing, obtaining dangerous spots. In fact, it is really common to see his trademark runs inside the area, attacking the nearest post from the defenders blind side. He is not just a play finisher, as he has great ability to create goal scoring opportunities for himself. Operating inside the penalty area he possesses a great repertory of body feints and great ball dominance/manipulation, able to play in tight spaces and create own shooting angles, being a clear menace for every defender. He also possesses great dribbling skills, being able to surpass rivals on conduction when receiving the ball, loving to verticalize the game trying to get fastly and enter the rival penalty area.
Off the ball he is the starting piece off the high pressure proposed by Feyenoord, being his aggressiveness a key factor in his defensive commitment. Active in avoiding progressive passing lines and being fast and strong to harass rivals in possession of the ball, his pressure makes it difficult for the rival team's progression, allowing his teammates from the second line to regain many possessions in advanced areas to project into attack. When rivals surpass the initial pressing, he tends to track back and help the midfield, being a key element to win death balls and duels from defenders clearances and try to maintain possession. In those situations, his aerial game should be improved, as he possesses characteristics to be dominant in aerial game but struggles to win most of the duels, having a ratio of 35,7% this season.
Santiago Gimenez is the kind of striker every manager would love to have. Committed in the defensive phase, a team player tireless of providing alternatives to his mates with his movements and incredibly accurate in his finishing, with a prolific goal scoring instinct, he has catched attention of many top european clubs, who would surely be monitoring his performances thinking of the next transfer windows.
Click here to see full scouting report
The 22 years old Mexican attacker is the classical center forward goal scorer profile, who loves to operate near the penalty area, where he becomes most dangerous. Giménez stands out for his great positioning and off the ball movements, superb finishing and innate killer instinct.
Playing for Feyenoord, his function does not make him an active player in the build up or on the ball, averaging just around 15 passes per 90 minutes. Despite that fact, he possesses great ability to link up and associates with teammates, and vision to be incisive with his passing. Where he makes a great contribution for his squad is by his active offering and mobility in the attacking phase. He possesses a huge range of movements in his off the ball skillset. Apart from coming deeper to receive and play easily to keep on progressing, he knows how to attack space by diagonal runs, can place with ease himself behind the opposition defensive line and reads the game well to drop wide, create overloads and build the attack. Not being him most of the time the receptor of passes with his moves, the work he does is essential, opening up spaces for teammates and enlarging the pitch/pushing the rival defense back. Being his mobile contribution his main strength in Feyenoord´s high tempo style of play, it's not usual to see him acting as the hold-up player, but his size, physicality and ball protecting allows him to adopt that role if necessary.
Despite being an interesting help for his mates with his tactical intelligence when trying to create and initiate plays, he becomes amazingly determinant and decisive when operating near the penalty area. Santiago is a clear example of a striker who has the goal in mind every time, ambitioning to score in every match. He averages almost 4 shots per match, being half of them on target. Those stats show his good ball striking ability, having quick preparation to set up the shot, and accuracy in his finishing, being able to superbly finish the plays even with his weaker foot or headers. If he is clever off the ball during build up phases, he possesses the same clarity inside the penalty area (being percentile 99 in touches inside the penalty area), knowing how to lose markers, and where to explode space with perfect timing, obtaining dangerous spots. In fact, it is really common to see his trademark runs inside the area, attacking the nearest post from the defenders blind side. He is not just a play finisher, as he has great ability to create goal scoring opportunities for himself. Operating inside the penalty area he possesses a great repertory of body feints and great ball dominance/manipulation, able to play in tight spaces and create own shooting angles, being a clear menace for every defender. He also possesses great dribbling skills, being able to surpass rivals on conduction when receiving the ball, loving to verticalize the game trying to get fastly and enter the rival penalty area.
Off the ball he is the starting piece off the high pressure proposed by Feyenoord, being his aggressiveness a key factor in his defensive commitment. Active in avoiding progressive passing lines and being fast and strong to harass rivals in possession of the ball, his pressure makes it difficult for the rival team's progression, allowing his teammates from the second line to regain many possessions in advanced areas to project into attack. When rivals surpass the initial pressing, he tends to track back and help the midfield, being a key element to win death balls and duels from defenders clearances and try to maintain possession. In those situations, his aerial game should be improved, as he possesses characteristics to be dominant in aerial game but struggles to win most of the duels, having a ratio of 35,7% this season.
Santiago Gimenez is the kind of striker every manager would love to have. Committed in the defensive phase, a team player tireless of providing alternatives to his mates with his movements and incredibly accurate in his finishing, with a prolific goal scoring instinct, he has catched attention of many top european clubs, who would surely be monitoring his performances thinking of the next transfer windows.
Click here to see full scouting report