Esjayo passes his certificate to Katamu in the right lane (but with obstacles)

Esjayo passes his certificate to Katamu in the right lane (but with obstacles)

geny Catamo has been one of Ruben Amorim's biggest bets this season. The Mozambican international is playing his first season with the main team of the Lions, after a few seasons between two loans (Maritimo and Vitoria) and in the second team. He became on the lips of the sports world after the wonderful goal he scored against Arauca. Sunday afternoon.

sum Four assists and four goals This season he played as a right winger. Goals were scored against Arauca, Casa Pia, Boavista, Olivaes and Moscafedi. At first glance, smaller teams than Sporting.

However, Catamo has been increasingly used against the big boys, demonstrating the trust placed in him by Ruben Amorim – he has started against Atalanta, Benfica, SP Braga or FC Porto. This is after he started the season as a substitute, as Ricardo Esgayo was the starter at the time. Since his arrival from CAN, he has been the preferred starter.

Ricardo Esgayo, the chronic “ugly duckling” of sports fans

The name Esgaio has not been agreed upon for a long time among Sporting fans. This season, he has been linked with a defeat to SP Braga, in the semi-finals of the League Cup, whether fair or unfair. Therefore, it is important to evaluate each athlete's performance during this season.

They are two players with different qualities (Katamu is a left-footed winger from birth, usually moving from the wing to the centre), but the Mozambican has directly contributed to eight goals. Esgaio did not score and provided only three assistsAnd he even had more competitive minutes than Katamu (2036 compared to 1931).

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By reviewing the statistics provided by the specialized website SofScoreIt should be noted that in the tournament, Katamo achieved, for example, More expected goals than Esgayo (1.39 to 0.56)But the number of expected assists is lower (1.23 to 1.93). Katamu created more great scoring chances (5) More than Esgayo (2), and recovered more balls (4, on average, per match, compared to 2.5).

but, Esjayo wins in number of tackles per match (1.5 vs. 0.8) and has fewer loose balls than the Mozambican (Amounts 8.8, less than Katamu 9.4). Finally, the Mozambican has an average rating of 6.94 in the matches he has played, while Naciri has 6.83. There are, of course, details that escape quantification in football, but it is clear that the young full-back is more useful in attack than Esgayo, although the Portuguese is much less of a risk.

It remains to be seen whether Gini Katamu will remain a long-term bet for Sporting's right winger, or a backup option. With Esgaio entering the downward phase of his career and Ivan Fresenda's gradual recovery after several physical problems, Amorim entrusts the sprint to the young man from Maputo.

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By Melody Gross

"Writer. Communicator. Award-winning food junkie. Internet ninja. Incurable bacon fanatic."