Dorival plays down Boca clash: “Our focus must be on the Brasileiro” | OneFootball

São Paulo secured its place in the Copa Sudamericana quarterfinals by beating Bolívar 3-1 on Tuesday night (18) at Morumbi. With the result, Tricolor moved on in the competition and will face Argentina’s Boca Juniors, who booked their spot by eliminating Paraguay’s Recoleta.

In his post-match press conference, coach Dorival Júnior assessed the significance of the upcoming clash and highlighted the growing level of competitiveness in the continental tournament, putting it on par with the Copa Libertadores, the continent’s top competition.

“At another time, we would have seen a match like this in the Libertadores. Today, we’re seeing several of these teams, some of which have even been champions, in this competition. It’s a tournament that has become more complicated, tougher, and tighter every year. There are many teams that alternate, sometimes in the Libertadores, sometimes in the Sudamericana,” the coach said.

Shifting focus to the Brazilian Championship

With the tentative dates for the matches against Boca Juniors scheduled for September 8 to 10 (first leg) and September 15 to 17 (second leg), Dorival emphasized the need to turn attention back to the Brazilian Championship.

The São Paulo manager looked ahead to the match against Chapecoense next Sunday (23) and stressed the urgency of climbing back up the national league table, where the winless streak has now reached nine matches.

“But the most important thing is that, starting today, we begin thinking about Chapecoense. That match (against Boca) will only happen, I believe, in 25 or 30 days. So our concern has to be the Brazilian Championship, the situation we’re in, and going through a recovery process,” he concluded.

Time to turn things around?

Dorival also stressed the importance of reconnecting the squad with the fans in the stands.

“I found this moment the team has been going through strange, not giving a response, and our fans also being a little distant from the group. When that chemistry and closeness exist, it’s what we saw in La Paz, the effort they made to be there. It shows us what São Paulo fans are like, the reality of what I’ve always seen: they make the effort, they seek, they demand, but they are embracing the team again. Forty thousand people at a time like this that we’re going through is not easy. I can only thank them for the support and hope we can repay it with better things ahead,” the coach said.

The win over the Bolivian side ended an uncomfortable run of six matches without a victory, which had stretched on since before the World Cup break. Despite the relief brought by advancing in the continental tournament, Dorival kept his feet on the ground and admitted concern over the club’s performances and points total in the Brasileirão.

“We had been pushing hard, and there was never any lack of work or determination. It was an important game, but it was only one match. Our situation in the Brazilian league is still problematic. We are aware that today’s result was important. Against Coritiba, we gave away few chances and came away with that frustrating feeling because of the draw. What I want is for the team to keep giving everything as it has been, understanding what is being asked. I trust that we are on the right path and looking for better conditions in a short space of time,” he concluded.

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