Cuca reveals São Paulo surprise before Santos fightback in Brasileirão | OneFootball

Santos had to change their strategy to beat São Paulo 2-1 this Friday, the 2nd, at Morumbi. Their fifth straight win in the Brazilian Championship had Cuca’s direct influence, as he identified the first-half problems and fixed the team during the break.

Cuca expected São Paulo to line up with three center-backs, but Dorival Júnior started Pablo Maia alongside Robert Arboleda and Rafael Tolói. The change gave the full-backs more freedom and created an advantage in midfield, making it harder for Santos to defend.

With Luciano drifting between areas, São Paulo controlled much of the first half, while Santos struggled to close down spaces and lost duels in midfield. The home side opened the scoring with Luciano’s penalty, but Gabigol equalized two minutes later.

Halftime change alters the derby

Cuca decided to make changes at halftime. Gustavinho and Philippe Coutinho came on for Lima and Álvaro Barreal, and Santos began to occupy the central area more effectively. The change also marked Coutinho’s debut for the club.

“The start was very complicated, it even surprised me. We had a lot of problems, especially on our right side. Four men in midfield, Luciano floating around. They had control of the game,” the coach said before continuing:

“We couldn’t close down spaces and we kept losing duels. We tried to change the system, and we did, but it didn’t solve it. At halftime, we changed radically and got a positive response,” the manager explained.

Cuca highlights balance after the comeback

The Alvinegro Praiano improved in the second half and found the winning goal again through Gabigol. From that point on, São Paulo pushed forward in search of an equalizer, but came up against a better-organized Santos side.

“We were losing the attacking midfielder and the flank, so if I can’t press high up, I have to crowd the midfield. (Philippe Coutinho) was at the base of the diamond. In the goal move, the holding midfielder found the playmaker, the playmaker found the speedster, and the speedster found the finisher,” he concluded.

The assessment also includes Diógenes’ performance, as he replaced Gabriel Brazão and made important interventions during São Paulo’s pressure. For Cuca, the team’s ability to reorganize was crucial for Santos to protect their lead.

Santos confirms resurgence in the Brasileirão

With 41 points, Santos moved up to seventh place and claimed their fifth consecutive win in the Brasileirão. The team is also tied with Flamengo at the top of the second-half table, a goal set by Cuca for the remainder of the competition.

The next challenge will be against Flamengo on Thursday at Vila Belmiro. After overcoming a difficult first half at Morumbi, Cuca will face another test to keep the team on the rise and cement Santos’ resurgence in the league.

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