It was around 9:30 p.m., Friday evening, at the time of the tragedy. A counter-attack with two attackers against a late defender led by Ousmane Dembélé throwing the ball into the Nice camp. It goes quickly, too quickly, for Dembouz’s brain which disconnects and causes his right foot to open exaggeratedly. The ball lands on the ring road and kills three pigeons in the process, Bulka wasn’t asking for that much. To his right, Gonçalo Ramos had done his job as number 9 by accompanying Dembélé in the naive hope of receiving the ball from his teammate’s feet.
It must have happened in another multiverse, where the Portuguese left the Parc des Princes in the 88th minute to the cheers of the public after having equalized and then helped Paris take the advantage over the Gym thanks to his decisive pass for… Ousmane Dembélé. The Team will title its Saturday edition on “the trigger” by Gonçalo Ramos, architect of Parisian success.
In our reality, the former Benfica striker is stuck at zero points in four games after coming out, head down, on the hour mark in a match logically lost by PSG. Worse, he lost points in his race against Randal Kolo Muani, decisive passer for Kylian Mbappé at the end of the match and is already announced on the bench for the Parisians’ first Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund. But he doesn’t panic. “I think I have to stay the same player, but work every day. The chances, the goals, they will come. » Like ketchup, we know the song.
Too early to leave Benfica?
The Portuguese, who arrived as a fallback solution after the failure of the Harry Kane track – in which no one ever really believed – is obviously not on the same planet as the Englishman, despite obvious finishing qualities. . He nevertheless carries the weight of a transfer of major caliber (loan with compulsory purchase option at 65 million euros + bonus), of those who are forgiven very little and not for long. “Gonçalo was used to everything at Benfica and now he is changing country, language, city, culture, points out João Tralhão, former historic youth coach at Benfica and short-lived assistant to Thierry Henry in Monaco… He is going to need a time of adaptation. The difficulty is that nowadays, this adaptation time is less and less tolerated by the clubs, the supporters who want everything very quickly. » The example of his compatriot Vitinha in Marseille, however, seems to prove the most patient right.
Despite all the goodwill that can be given to him, did Gonçalo Ramos really help himself by agreeing to take the plunge into a club of the size of PSG, especially in the chaotic context that the we know ? Did he choose the right time to cut the cord with his training club, while he remained in a half-season much less successful than his great start in 2022-2023, including the hat-trick against Switzerland in the World Cup will remain the apotheosis? Shouldn’t we have to wait one more year, time to confirm what had been glimpsed during the first 106 matches with Benfica (41 goals scored)?
In an inaccurate premonition dated 2021the former coach of Aguias, Jorge Jesus bet on the wisdom of the young striker in the management of his career, as opposed to the talents wasted by an early start. “Often, young people don’t want to wait long. Certain economic factors may interfere with their decisions. Sometimes they are lucky enough to earn five times as much abroad. But I think Gonçalo will know how to wait for the right moment. »
Like Renato Sanches and other João Félix before him, he ultimately hardly hung around Lisbon. “It’s difficult to talk about a good time to leave,” tempers Tralhão. There are transfer opportunities… Both Benfica and Gonçalo and PSG thought it was the right time. There’s not much to say about that. If Gonçalo Ramos was looking for a new challenge, this is the right timing. He will have to get out of his comfort zone and work to progress. I am sure he will overcome the obstacles. »
“Getting to know” his comrades in attack better
There are so many obstacles in this team that it would have been better to think about recruiting a 110m hurdler. For the moment, Gonçalo Ramos has the difficult mission of converting breadcrumbs into goals. Against OGC Nice, he only touched 17 balls, for only one clear opportunity (a narrowly missed header) and his famous almost-pass for Dembélé.
Without a reading of the game inherited from its box-to-box past and a certain generosity in the effort, the numbers would probably be even worse. “I think we need a little more time to get to know each other better,” analyzed the Portuguese international this weekend. We need to learn how others move, learn to communicate better. » Tralhão agrees. “Before thinking about progressing in other areas of the game, that must be Gonçalo’s number one concern at the moment. When this collective coordination is established, Gonçalo will be able to display all his talent, I am sure of it. »Better, the former Monegasque assistant coach is convinced of the complementarity of the Portuguese with Mbappé.
Gonçalo is an intelligent player who seeks to create space for his teammates so that they can create dangerous situations which he can then conclude. He is the opposite of Mbappé, who is an extremely strong player in one-on-one situations, almost unbeatable when he has space. Gonçalo is capable of favoring this type of situation by freeing up space. And on the other hand, when Mbappé finds himself in the finishing areas after making the difference, Gonçalo will always be available for Mbappé. In addition to hitting, he can choose to serve Ramos. »
On condition of becoming friends with the great general of the squad, whose affinities with Kolo Muani and Dembélé could well become the biggest nightmare of a player who, barely arrived, already seems boycotted. Recruited by Luis Campos and a pure pivot, he nevertheless has everything to be appreciated by his captain. But the latter would not be at the first inconsistency.