Diogo Alves sees second-half improvement after defeat in Bragança

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·5 February 2026

Diogo Alves sees second-half improvement after defeat in Bragança

After Atlético's 1-0 defeat to Red Bull Bragantino on Wednesday night (04) in Bragança Paulista, assistant coach Diogo Alves held a press conference and analyzed the team's performance. With Jorge Sampaoli suspended after being sent off in the Brazilian Championship debut, it was Diogo who led Galo from the sidelines at the Cícero de Souza Marques Stadium.

One of the main topics discussed was the fact that Atlético once again fell behind on the scoreboard — a situation that has already repeated six times in eight matches this season. According to the assistant, the problem is not related to the team's posture but to specific game circumstances.

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“I think it has no relation to a postural issue, but rather something quite occasional. However, I prefer to see the other side of the action; in recent games, we have managed to come back in matches. I believe that today the team had a very different posture in the second half compared to the first. I believe we deserved a bit more luck, perhaps a draw, a result that would have kept us with a very important unbeaten record”, he stated.

Diogo Alves also explained Atlético's choice to use more direct play in the first half, avoiding short passes with the midfielders, something that caught attention during the match.

Knowing Red Bull, we know they have a network of clubs that play this way, regardless of the coach. It's a very aggressive style that individualizes. They end up scoring by stealing the ball in the opponent's field. So, the long ball strategy, at a certain point, was part of what we envisioned as a strategy, purely for numerical reasons. If they press with six or seven players, their last line will be exposed.

Another point addressed in the press conference was the current situation of Ângelo Preciado, one of the players most criticized by the fans after the defeat. The assistant defended the full-back and highlighted the player's adaptation process: “I believe that Ângelo needs to recover his natural level, as he had been inactive for some time. He arrived in a country where he faces opponents of very high quality. So, surely it's not easy to adapt to his natural rhythm. Rest assured, the fans can be calm regarding this specific player, because he is someone who will bring, especially due to his physical attributes, very positive things to Clube Atlético Mineiro”, he assured.

Finally, Diogo Alves spoke about Atlético's main challenge at the start of the season, highlighting the club's ongoing reconstruction phase.

The big challenge is to rise, to elevate the level, in games that are much more complicated than those we face regionally. All clubs are still struggling at this point in the season, with a few exceptions, and I include Red Bull, which maintains a structural line, organization, and methodology for a long time. As for the teams that are in a process of change, of reconstruction, which is what we are experiencing today, they will surely need more time to respond.

Atlético returns to the field next Saturday (07), when they host Athletic at Arena MRV at 6:00 PM, for the 7th round of the Campeonato Mineiro. In the Brazilian Championship, the next match will be on Wednesday (11), also at home, against Remo, at 8:00 PM.

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