Crespo falters, São Paulo crash out feeling they could do more | OneFootball

São Paulo was eliminated from the Campeonato Paulista on Sunday night after losing 2-1 to Palmeiras at Arena Barueri in the State Championship semifinal. The Tricolor, whose eight-game unbeaten streak came to an end, played well below their recent standards and ended up being harmed by questionable decisions made by coach Hernán Crespo.

The coach started by changing the lineup that had been working: the midfield trio of Marcos Antônio, Danielzinho, and Bobadilla had become one of São Paulo’s strengths at the start of the year. For the derby, however, Crespo decided to start Luan, who had only played three games this year, in place of Danielzinho, who was not 100% fit, according to him. The Argentine also took too long to make substitutions, even though the team needed to chase the result. Cauly, for example, only came on at the 30th minute of the second half.

The elimination, of course, is not only Crespo’s responsibility. Some players performed well below par technically, such as Luciano, Lucas, and even Marcos Antônio, who is usually the engine of this São Paulo team. Even so, the coach’s decisions can—and should—be questioned by the fans, as this is not the first time he has gambled on tactical changes in decisive matches.

How was the match?

Crespo rested most of his starters midweek and fielded the best he had available. Even so, the Argentine surprised everyone by making an unexpected change in midfield. Danielzinho was expected to start, but the coach opted for Luan to provide more protection in the sector, which later proved to be a mistake. Lucas, who was doubtful due to the artificial turf, started the match as usual.

São Paulo didn’t have a bad start, but left possession mostly at the feet of Palmeiras and struggled to build out from the back without Danielzinho. The worst-case scenario materialized in the opening minutes. Tricolor succumbed to the rival’s early pressure and conceded a goal amid a general defensive disorganization. Arboleda was poor, Lucas Ramon cleared badly, and Mauricio pounced on the rebound to score.

After conceding, São Paulo couldn’t reorganize and kept succumbing to Palmeiras’ pressure, stringing together few passes and getting stopped by the Alviverde defense. The Tricolor side had very little control of the game. Every attack from the rival felt like a ‘God help us’, with an imminent sense of danger in defense, and the team was unable to close down spaces, especially on the right side of defense.

Towards the end of the first half, São Paulo finally seemed to find themselves on the pitch as Palmeiras’ tempo dropped and they eased up on the pressing. The players managed to get further up the field and even reached the opponent’s box on a few occasions, but failed to create any real scoring chances, forcing play too much through the middle and neglecting the flanks. Despite the improvement in the final minutes, it was a very poor first half from Crespo’s team.

Second half

Crespo made no changes for the second half, which was clearly a mistake. The gamble on Luan in place of Danielzinho, which had previously paid off, did not work. Around the ninth minute, São Paulo could have been awarded a penalty after the ball struck Gustavo Gómez’s hand in the box, but referee Daiane Muniz let play continue.

After 10 minutes, Crespo finally made the change São Paulo fans were waiting for, with Danielzinho coming on for Luan. However, the substitution was quickly overshadowed by Palmeiras’ second goal. Tricolor fell for a set-piece routine and, after a marking error, Flaco López had time to control the ball alone and blast it past Rafael. São Paulo’s situation became even more complicated in Barueri.

Even so, São Paulo didn’t give up and, after a reckless play by the Palmeiras defense, were awarded a penalty. Marlon Freitas hit Bobadilla in the face and Tricolor, even without deserving it, got back into the game. Despite the difficult situation, the team kept trying to find spaces or solutions, but Crespo didn’t help either, taking too long to make changes. Cauly, for example, only came on at the 30th minute.

In the final stretch of the derby, São Paulo went all out with the important return of André Silva, who came back after recovering from a serious right knee injury. However, the team remained quite disorganized. Crespo’s traditional motto “where the legs can’t reach, the heart will” wasn’t enough. Tricolor didn’t do enough to reach the Paulistão final.

In the end, São Paulo crashed out of the Paulista semifinal with a bitter taste and the feeling that they could have done more to reach the big final. The poor first-half performance proved costly, as did Crespo’s decisions in the derby.

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