Played well, lost again: São Paulo errors hand Palmeiras win | OneFootball

For 20 minutes, São Paulo fans could believe that their team was going to turn things around and end the winless streak against Palmeiras.

For 20 minutes, São Paulo delivered perhaps its best collective and tactical performance of the year, with a well-established game plan, a strategy tailored to face their rival, which earned them the lead in ALL game statistics.

But perhaps the problem is as described by the famous terrace saying: played like never before, lost like always. This seems to have become a trend for São Paulo since last year.

On a night when things on the field were finally starting to go their way – and there was reason for hope – the defensive system threw it all away. And Tricolor reached its tenth consecutive match without beating the green rival: 3-1 for them, in Barueri (SP).

São Paulo managed to play only 20 minutes against Palmeiras. At first, they even showed some ability to react, since they conceded the first goal just seven minutes in and equalized right on the next play.

But after conceding the second goal, in a scenario where they were performing better than their rival, it was too much. With no reaction, the team became apathetic, dismantling what had been working. And they still conceded a third goal.

The villain is clear: the defensive system, which messed up in every play. But let’s break it down…

It was a match where Crespo literally seemed to have worked the whole week for it, perhaps self-explanatory by the lineup used in the loss to Portuguesa. And it worked. Expecting Abel Ferreira’s traditional habit of pushing his lines up to press São Paulo’s build-up, Tricolor bet on using Lucca as an escape valve when regaining possession for a direct transition.

Tactically, it was a compact team, with the defensive midfielders holding back and making heavy use of the fullbacks’ stamina. Good plan, but it depended on total focus to work.

Just seven minutes in, during one of the Portuguese manager’s high presses, Bobadilla seemed not to pay attention, lost the ball to Flaco López, and Maurício took advantage of the open midfield to finish. Some will say Rafael was at fault.

Fortunately, after the blackout, the Paraguayan made up for it. In a rehearsed corner kick, Arboleda flicked it on and number 16 took the chance to equalize.

The scenario seemed set for a comeback. But let’s remember that the reference man up front was Tapia (Calleri stayed on the bench). And the Chilean managed to miss three consecutive chances created precisely by the quick transition.

As the saying goes, if you don’t score, you concede, and defensive recovery is one of São Paulo’s biggest problems—Palmeiras took advantage. Andreas Pereira, completely unmarked, received a well-placed pass in midfield and had time to find López, who got past the defense at will to put them back in front.

That was practically the final whistle for São Paulo, who felt the blow. Emotionally, the team couldn’t get the system right anymore; they stopped attacking. And defending. Something was expected after halftime. But just five minutes in, Palmeiras did as they pleased with one of their trademark plays down the flank and Khellven finished it off, guess how, after a López flick.

In a short tournament, with only eight rounds, São Paulo has just one win in the five rounds played so far. Stuck at four points, they are in 14th place, the first spot outside the relegation zone of the State Championship. YES, THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP.

And if you think the tough games are over, they’re just beginning: the next Paulistão fixture is against Santos, on Sunday (2/1), the only derby to be played at Morumbi. But before that, on Wednesday (28), there’s Flamengo in the first round of the Brazilian Championship. The warning light is more than on.

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