Vojvoda plays down pressure at Santos: "I’m staying strong" | OneFootball

After the goalless draw with Red Bull Bragantino, in the fifth round of the Campeonato Paulista, this Sunday, coach Juan Pablo Vojvoda downplayed the pressure for good results at Peixe. The coach acknowledged the poor start to the year, but reaffirmed that “there will always be pressure“.

“I am working with my players on the pressure (from the fans). And I am mentally strong and know that there will always be pressure. We had the pressure of relegation in the Brasileirão (in 2025) which was strong, so we are prepared for this,” he said.

The coach also recalled the pressure from last season and how Santos needs to stay active in the upcoming games in both competitions.

“We have matches to play. You talk to me about relegation since last season, we fought and secured a spot in the Copa Sudamericana – it was tough, it's true. This year, we have to look forward to the matches,” he continued.

“Now, we have São Paulo and we need to pay attention in each Championship. Both in the Paulistão, which is ending the first phase, and in the Brasileirão, which is starting now,” he concluded.

Vojvoda will rotate the squad at Santos

Vojvoda also analyzed the changes in the team and the squad rotation at Santos. The Argentine criticized the schedule and stated that all teams will have to rotate.

“We have to rotate players. Our last match was 72 hours ago and there was a lot of physical wear. Therefore, there are players who stayed in the medical department, not for something very serious, but due to discomforts in the match against Corinthians. We are 72 hours away from the Brasileirão as well and we will need all the players. Therefore, the rotation will not be only with Santos, but with all teams, as the schedule is very tight.”

Three midfielders scheme approved

Finally, the Santos coach praised the trio Willian Arão, Gabriel Menino, and Zé Rafael, who started in today's match. Vojvoda liked the ball recoveries by the trio of midfielders, but acknowledged that there was a lack of creation of effective chances for Peixe.

“We had three midfielders with high intensity, with Menino, Zé Rafael, and Arão. We recovered balls in the opponent's field, but failed to create goal chances. We suffered high pressure from Bragantino and left a lot of space for them. In the first half, we bothered them a few times, and I did not imagine that the second half would be the way it was, with them pressing,” he concluded.

Standings situation

With the result, Santos reached six points but remains in ninth position in the Campeonato Paulista. The top eight advance to the second phase of the State Championship. The bottom two are relegated.

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