Dorival owns another São Paulo slip-up: “We fell short again” | OneFootball

São Paulo reached the mark of nine consecutive matches without a win in the Brazilian Championship after drawing 1-1 with Coritiba in a match played at Morumbi this Saturday (15). The result sparked strong protests and boos from the fans at the final whistle. In the press conference after the match, head coach Dorival Júnior did not hide his frustration with the negative run and publicly took responsibility for the troubled moment the team is going through in the national competition.

When assessing the mood in the stands and the pressure directed at the squad, the coach was emphatic about the need for answers on the pitch.

“The fans did their part, and did it very well. We fell short once again. We have to take full responsibility for this; there’s no point sugarcoating it. The responsibility is ours. Our goalkeeper practically didn’t have to make a save in the match. We had the obligation to try something different so we could see the game out. That’s the reality. Once again, we are letting our fans down,” he said.

“I am indebted to the fans and I’m fully aware of that, but we are working very hard to turn this around. And the fans know there is someone here who is very concerned about the situation, but also very confident that this can change at any moment,” he added.

Analyzing the tactical aspects of the match — in which São Paulo took the lead through Pablo Maia but allowed Tiago Cóser to equalize from a set piece early in the second half — Dorival highlighted the recurring defensive mistakes in that area and lamented the lack of efficiency despite the volume of chances created.

“Once again we leave frustrated, because in one play we lost the chance of a victory. It’s incredible that this keeps happening. It has been repeating itself. It has happened in several matches. It’s what we’ve worked on the most. Set pieces have taken away a real chance for us to be in a much better position in the league,” he said.

“There were many positive things in the match. Calmness, passing combinations. Coritiba is a team that defends very well, positions itself very well. Two defensive lines, with quick plays and transitions, which few teams have managed to neutralize the way we did. But unfortunately, our drop-off ended up punishing us once again. And that has been happening frequently,” he pointed out.

“That’s why we cannot accept a situation like this. A team that plays the way we played, with that passing, necessarily should have had a somewhat different outcome,” he reinforced.

Asked about the outlook for the rest of the year and his level of confidence in the work being done, the coach said he remains calm and projected a push for positive results:

“I’m very calm. I’m aware of what is being done and carried out. I’m sure we will still have good things this year. Things haven’t happened the way we would have liked, but that doesn’t mean the team has stopped trying. I don’t think we are far from getting it right, but that doesn’t matter. What we want is a positive result,” he said.

Drawing a comparison between São Paulo’s current spell and his first stint in charge of the club in 2017, Dorival pointed to the context of a squad overhaul during the course of the competitions.

“They are different situations. At that time, I think we were second from bottom. And we had a second half of the season that, if we had held on to the last result against Bahia at Morumbi, that result would have given São Paulo the best record in the second half of the Brazilian Championship. It was a season of recovery. A recovery that few believed would happen. It was a very difficult moment, with six or seven players arriving, six or seven players leaving. The coach himself arriving. Until we got to know the whole group and had more contact, it also took time. Just like here. We started a rebuild in the middle of the competition. That is the reality. We took out 12 players who were here and five arrived. We are going through a rebuild in the middle of a competition of such responsibility and importance. We are aware of that and we are sure we are on the right path. We have shown some positive signs. And we need much more. So that everything can come down to one fundamental and important aspect: victories, which have been lacking for us. Maybe if two or three had come along this path, the confidence would be greater and, by merit, for having played good matches, we would be in a different situation now,” he concluded.

The draw kept Tricolor in 12th place in the Brasileirão standings. With no time to pause, the São Paulo side now turns its attention to the Copa Sudamericana. Next Tuesday (18), São Paulo hosts Bolívar at Morumbi at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time) for the second leg of the round of 16 in the continental competition. After a 1-1 draw in the first leg, only a win will send the team through directly.

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