Crespo backs São Paulo, eyes Libertadores spot: “Don’t doubt us” | OneFootball

Coach Hernán Crespo came to the defense of the São Paulo squad after the 2-0 victory over Bahia this Saturday at Morumbis, in the 30th round of the Brazilian Championship.

The Argentine manager made a point of praising his players after harsh criticism received during a negative streak of seven losses in eight games, which ended with the triumph over the Bahia team.

“The game was different, the focus from the first minute to the end. I’m very happy, because this is a group that deserves joy, they are working hard, sacrificing a lot. It’s been a complicated season because of everything that has happened and is happening. But this group always shows up. We already know the result, anything can happen, but no one should doubt this group’s sacrifice, professionalism, commitment, and desire. When these things happen, once again we play with authority, respecting our identity, I’m happy,” said Crespo.

With the win, São Paulo reached 41 points, temporarily reclaiming eighth place in the Brazilian Championship. The Tricolor put themselves back in the fight for at least a spot in the pre-Libertadores, a difficult but achievable goal in this final stretch of the season.

“In December we’ll talk about many issues we need to fix. This season was very difficult in many aspects. We have to learn from all the mistakes, because we did good things, very good things. We also made mistakes. We need to learn so we don’t repeat them,” he continued.

“Now is not the time, right now we have important goals to reach, like the pre-Libertadores. If we do very well in the final rounds, we can dream of reaching the Libertadores. I think these three points maybe freed us from a nightmare [of relegation]. 41 points is not enough to guarantee safety from relegation, but it’s the first step. Start walking again, then running, and then flying,” he concluded.

Indeed, São Paulo has a lot to fix, especially regarding injury prevention after a year deeply affected by the squad’s physical problems. But, at least for now, the focus is on the pre-Libertadores spot. The question remains whether Crespo and his players will be able to shield themselves from all external factors to achieve their ultimate goal in 2025.

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