In a 5-3 win over Palermo last season, the defender came on at half-time with his side 4-0 up, only to see the match finish much closer than expected as he was unable to gel with his team-mates at the back. Mourinho spent the match shouting across the pitch at Santon to maintain his position as he got drawn in and exposed far too often.
His last performance against Palermo at San Siro signed his exit papers just before being shipped off to Cesena. The Sicilians once again tormented Santon as his errors were responsible for the visitors' 2-0 lead before he was removed at half-time and the Nerazzurri stormed back to claim a 3-2 win thanks to Giampaolo Pazzini. Error-prone performances have been plaguing Santon season-by-season and he has dwindled from the limelight into mediocrity.
His move to the Stadio Dino Manuzzi offered some stability; he regained his place on the Italian national team under Cesare Prandelli even if his selection owed more to his promise and reputation more than his quality. However, even at Cesena, faults and miscalculations have crept into his game from time to time and in the previous match he was stationed on the bench in favour of Luca Ceccearelli.
The reason for Santon's lack of improvement, other than his troublesome knee injuries, would be a lack of defensive awareness. The full-back definitely has quality, both with the ball at his feet and in his ability to make tackles. However, he is often caught out of position or allows an opposition player in behind too easily.
