‘How long will Abel Ferreira’s credit last at Palmeiras?’ | OneFootball

The discussion about Palmeiras changing coaches has been pointless since Leila Pereira arrived as club president, and that is not the focus of the following text, since the decision on Abel Ferreira staying has always been and will continue to be backed by the president until the end of 2027.

After the loss to Fortaleza a little over a week ago, in the first of three consecutive winless matches this season, Abel answered a question in Cuiabá about the importance of Jhon Arias to the squad and said that the analysis is based on the players’ body of work, not on a snapshot of recent performances.

Applying that idea to the manager’s situation, the goal here is to make a broad and fair analysis of the body of work built over nearly six years on the job. Between November 2020, when he arrived, and December 2023, the year of the back-to-back national title, there were nine trophies. An impressive number for someone who had just arrived in Brazilian football.

That body of work from earlier years has been essential in sustaining what came afterward. Since 2024, there have been two state titles, eliminations, losses of titles to rivals in national competitions, and three runner-up finishes last season, something treated as a victory by him and Leila Pereira.

You, Palmeiras fan, can you remember any point in these last 32 months when Palmeiras looked anything close to the exemplary team from Abel’s early days? I would venture to say the closest thing was the semifinal against LDU in 2025. Very little.

From an outside perspective, is it unfair to put an entire model envied by rivals in Brazilian football into question because of the coach? Maybe it is for those looking at the standings of the competitions still being played, in a current snapshot that does not take into account the team’s performances over the last two and a half years.

On the other hand, Palmeiras fans see a scenario very similar to last year, when the team fought on several fronts and ended with nothing. Palmeiras’ attitude, especially at home, is worrying. Even more worrying are the excuses for the failures, such as the “lack of inspiration” repeatedly mentioned after the stumble against Internacional and the “lack of efficiency” after the third match this year without beating Cerro Porteño, a modest South American team that does not share the same level of ambitions.

In the same interview this Wednesday (12), Abel said he is still pursuing titles on all three fronts still in play. That is a positive point for someone who gave up on last season’s Brasileirão, even while still having a chance, to go all in on the Libertadores, only to see the team fail to hit the opponent’s target in 90 minutes plus stoppage time.

A different end to the season is expected and, for that, improved performances are necessary. But the question remains: how long will Abel Ferreira’s body of work at Palmeiras continue to carry weight?

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