Chasing balance, Renato Gaúcho tries out three holding midfielders at Vasco | OneFootball

The first week of training under coach Renato Gaúcho, with an eye on the upcoming Vasco vs. Palmeiras match, was considered intense behind the scenes. After exchanging a lot of information with the permanent coaching staff, holding direct conversations with the players, and giving instructions via video, the coach marked Saturday (07) with his first full-squad training session since returning to the Cruz-Maltino.

+ With Renato Gaúcho’s return, Vasco aims to break a historic taboo against Palmeiras

The search for defensive balance

One of the main tests conducted during the session involved the tactical structure of the cruzmaltina squad. The coach and his staff believe the team needs to show greater defensive balance in upcoming matches. To achieve this, the immediate solution was to test a new midfield formation, using three natural defensive midfielders.

The report released by journalist Lucas Pedrosa detailed the players chosen for this change. Midfielders Hugo Moura and Tchê Tchê were immediately integrated into the starting lineup. On the other hand, the young Barros was taken out during a specific part of the training, while Thiago Mendes remained among the starters.

The base lineup tested on the field included the following names:

Léo Jardim; Paulo Henrique, Saldívia, Robert Renan, and Lucas Piton; Hugo Moura, Thiago Mendes, Tchê Tchê, and Nuno; David and Andrés Gomez.

Despite this setup, it is still considered too early to define the definitive starting lineup and tactical scheme, which may alternate between a 4-3-3 and a 4-4-2.

The Vasco team will have four more training sessions before the match on March 12, scheduled at the São Januário stadium, in a game valid for the Brazilian Championship. The initial experiments indicate a considerably more cautious approach with the implementation of the trio in the holding midfield.

Renato Gaúcho continues training in search of the best team for his re-debut at the club – Photo: Matheus Lima/Vasco

Vasco may have a new starter

Upon completing his fourth day of training at the club, Portaluppi identified one of his favorite players in the squad. Journalist Lucas Moret revealed that David was the player who most impressed the coach during this short period of daily evaluations. The coach was very pleased with the striker’s characteristics, highlighting his high physical intensity and clear commitment in training—qualities that immediately caught the boss’s eye.

The current situation is that the coach has practically “taken the player under his wing” at this early stage of the season. The internal assessment by the coaching staff is that the striker deserves—and must necessarily receive—more opportunities on the field. This recognition was immediately reflected in the lineup, with the striker already being tested among the starters in this first tactical sketch of the current era.

David earns credit with Vasco’s new coaching staff – Photo: André Fabiano/Código19/Gazeta Press

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