Unrecognisable Palmeiras struggle, Brasileirão title slipping away | OneFootball

Palmeiras was once again unrecognizable compared to what it has shown in the Brazilian Championship and lost precious points against Vitória, in the Brazilian Championship, at Allianz Parque. The 0-0 draw reflected what the game was.

Despite the pressure from the start of the match, Abel Ferreira's team did not translate ball possession into volume and productivity. Naturally, the plays did not flow smoothly, and the players started to get confused.

Now it's three games without a win and only one point earned out of nine contested – the team was coming off defeats against Mirassol and Santos.

Bitter

The fear of losing more points in a game influenced by the November FIFA Date was confirmed for Palmeiras, but in a more bitter way – with the selected players entering in the second half.

Against Santos, the team did not have six players who were available to their national teams. Against Vitória, the players returned but stayed on the bench after playing on Tuesday.

If in the first half with the alternative team things didn't work, not even the usual changes in the team and the players' morale during the break proposed by Abel Ferreira had an effect. Vitor Roque came in at halftime and did not perform well.

Palmeiras returned for the second half as lost as in the initial stage and started to rely heavily on crosses into the area.

Indeed, they posed more danger even with Roque's bicycle kick and Allan's individual plays. After one of them, Veiga missed a rebound goal that he shouldn't have. Goalkeeper Thiago Couto began to become the protagonist of the game in that play.

But it was little. Very little for those who want to be champions. There were excessive long balls and crosses and a poor level of football, insufficient to overcome one of the worst defenses in the championship. In the final push, they still created three chances. Roque and Facundo missed, and Felipe Anderson was stopped by an impressive save from Thiago Couto.

And now?

The draw leaves Palmeiras in a complicated situation on the table. Verdão reaches 69 points, two behind Flamengo, which has 71, but still plays this round.

With four rounds remaining until the end of the Brazilian Championship, the team returns to the field next Saturday (22) against Fluminense, at Allianz Parque, at 9:30 PM (Brasília time), in a match valid for the 35th round.

Upcoming Palmeiras matches

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.