Analysis: Roger gets it right, São Paulo regain confidence after rout | OneFootball

Coach Roger Machado answered São Paulo fans by getting his decisions right and leading Tricolor to a 4-1 thrashing of Cruzeiro last Saturday at Morumbis, in the 10th round of the Brazilian Championship. The coach, who had been questioned over his decisions before the match, found important alternatives to the problems the team had faced in recent games and gained new options by betting on a formation with two out-and-out wingers.

Roger had already said, in the press conference after the draw against Inter, that he liked the team playing with two natural wingers in the second half. The coach chose to stick with that setup this Saturday, and São Paulo thrashed a Cruzeiro side coming off an impressive win. Tricolor therefore gains confidence for the rest of the season.

How did the match go?

Coach Roger Machado seemed to trust the home advantage and went with a very attacking lineup against Cruzeiro. Bobadilla returned from the FIFA international break and took Danielzinho’s spot, forming a partnership with Marcos Antônio. The coach also gambled on an attack made up of an offensive quartet, with Artur and Ferreira on the wings, Luciano as the No. 10, and Calleri as the main focal point.

Even playing at home, São Paulo was surprised by Cruzeiro’s intense approach and high pressing, with the visitors seeing more of the ball in the opening minutes. Tricolor started out making some dangerous passing mistakes in defense, but still managed to threaten going forward. In an early pressing move started by Ferreira, the team got a shot away through Calleri. In the next play, after a good pass from Marcos Antônio, Artur received the ball and was brought down inside the box. Calleri took the penalty and made no mistake, giving the hosts an important lead.

The fact is that, in the opening minutes, the two-winger setup chosen by coach Roger Machado worked. And the decision looked even better on the second goal, in a very well-worked move by São Paulo. Lucas Ramon took a throw-in, Calleri flicked it on, and the ball fell to Artur. The winger took advantage of the space and drove forward at speed before setting up Ferreira. William failed to cut it out, and the No. 11 finished past Cunha to score Tricolor’s second.

After going two goals ahead, São Paulo handed possession to Cruzeiro, tightened its defensive lines, and waited for the rival’s attempts. It was a risky strategy, since Raposa had players with plenty of technical quality. However, the first-half performances of the main stars of the Minas Gerais side were below par.

Given that scenario, the home side controlled the result, winning duels in defense and especially in midfield. Cruzeiro did get into Tricolor’s box, but truly threatened Rafael’s goal on only one occasion. Meanwhile, São Paulo took advantage of counterattacks and almost scored a third in a move involving Luciano, Artur, and Marcos Antônio, whose shot went wide. In short, Tricolor settled the game quickly and did not suffer, taking a hugely important lead into the second half.

São Paulo suffers, but turns the win into a rout

São Paulo came back for the second half with only one forced change. Sabino felt pain and Dória came on in his place. But in the very first minute, Tricolor became disorganized defensively on a long ball from Fabrício Bruno to Arroyo. The forward dribbled past Dória, who tried to close him down, and squared it across. No one picked up Christian, who arrived at the far post and tapped it in. It was a terrible start to the half for the team.

It was expected that, after conceding, São Paulo would regain control of the match to avoid further suffering. Tricolor did try, but Cruzeiro kept dictating play in attack and almost found an equalizer, with Rafael making the intervention. The home side seemed shaken by Raposa’s goal, became disorganized, and failed to recover possession, leaving the crowd at Morumbis worried.

Roger’s reading of the game in that scenario was to bring on Cauly for Luciano, introducing a player capable of holding possession better. Although the team did not improve in the match, São Paulo found a third goal from a set piece. After Dória hit the post, the ball fell to Ferreira, who smashed it into goalkeeper Matheus Cunha’s net and eased the pressure on Tricolor in the match.

From the third goal on, the game became much calmer for São Paulo, which lifted the pressure off its shoulders and restored its two-goal cushion. Just like in the first half, Tricolor gave the ball to Cruzeiro and, despite being put under pressure, not only held on but extended the scoreline with an individual play by Ferreira, the standout player of the night. The São Paulo side left the field with a hugely important rout, especially to ease the pressure on coach Roger Machado, who got his choices right this Saturday and gained momentum going forward.

League table situation

With the result, São Paulo returned to winning ways after three rounds, having come in on the back of two defeats and a draw. The São Paulo Tricolor also moved up to 20 points and will end the day in second place in the Brasileirão after Fluminense’s stumble against Coritiba. São Paulo now hopes for Bahia to slip up, as they host Palmeiras this Sunday.

São Paulo’s next matches

Boston River-URU x São Paulo (first round of the Copa Sudamericana) Date and time: 04/07 (Tuesday), at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time) Venue: Estádio Centenário, in Montevideo (Uruguay)

Vitória x São Paulo (11th round of the Brasileirão) Date and time: 04/11 (Saturday), at 4:30 p.m. (Brasília time) Venue: Barradão, in Salvador (BA)

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