Santi Rodríguez wants more playing time. Fair enough. There is, however, one awkward detail: given what the Uruguayan has delivered, the request sounds a little selfish. Perhaps putting the team first means embracing the role that has helped Botafogo the most lately: playing less. Wanting something does not make it happen, as Mom used to say. In football, being available to come on does not always mean it is a good idea either.

Not even in the squad

The midfielder was left out of the squad for the derby against Fluminense for technical reasons, in a decision made by Franclim Carvalho. According to ge, Santi Rodríguez trained with the starters during the buildup but was cut from the final list. His absence shows how much ground he has lost, but it is not part of the performance review because he did not play. The player had already shown his frustration with his limited minutes. In July, during the win over Cruzeiro, he initially pushed back when the coaching staff called him and questioned why he was being sent on with ten minutes left. He eventually entered in the 37th minute of the second half. Perhaps it was his smartest reading of a game at Botafogo. If the team was already doing nothing down the stretch, bringing on Santi Rodríguez would simply preserve the plan: keep doing nothing, now with his participation. For the first time, the Uruguayan seemed to understand his role perfectly. His representatives considered a loan move, an option rejected by Botafogo, which views the roughly R$85 million invested in his signing as too significant. It is an old discovery in modern football: the receipt may be enormous, but it still cannot claim a place on the pitch.

The repertoire that explains the bench

When given opportunities, Santi Rodríguez has shown an attacking repertoire that combines trouble controlling the ball, a pretty but misplaced pass, and a cross delivered with no particular address. The Uruguayan receives the ball and, before thinking about the next move, sometimes has to negotiate with it just to bring it under control. When he wins that first battle, he gives the supporter one brief second of hope. He then sends the ball into the box like someone shipping a parcel without checking the address. This is not criticism based on the derby he missed. It is a reading of what he has produced when given opportunities. Santi Rodríguez knows how to treat the ball. The problem is convincing it to move toward goal and produce something that troubles the opposition.