Renato restores veterans on Grêmio return as outcasts regain roles | OneFootball

Renato Portaluppi moved quickly to restore senior figures frozen out under Luís Castro, starting Balbuena and João Pedro then sending on Marcos Rocha in his Grêmio return against Palmeiras. The match finished level on Sunday.

According to Globo.com, none of the trio had surpassed 15 outings this season. Balbuena’s appearance was his 15th of 2026 and his first start in 133 days, the last coming in a 1-0 home defeat by Flamengo on 10 May.

Three days later he had come on at Confiança in the Copa do Brasil, only to depart minutes later with a muscle injury. Called up by Paraguay for the World Cup, he played twice for 46 minutes in total. Back at Grêmio he did not feature and was sometimes left out under the previous staff.

Renato used three centre-backs to address Palmeiras’ aerial threat, with Kannemann sidelined by muscular discomfort and the foreign-player limit excluding midfielder Nardoni, a signing this year. The coach said Balbuena, 35, was exhausted at half-time but wanted to continue, and he kept him on. The defender’s contract runs to June next year.

João Pedro started because Diego Caito sustained a grade one collateral knee ligament injury. He had been allowed to seek another club by Luís Castro, who improvised Pavon earlier in the year, and had played only once after the World Cup break, in the second half against Chapecoense. The 29-year-old is under contract until the end of 2027.

Marcos Rocha replaced João Pedro at 35 minutes of the second half. The former Palmeiras full-back arrived mid last year and became one of the squad’s leaders, but also lost prominence under Luís Castro. Aged 37, he is contracted only until December and is not expected to renew.

With Grêmio in the Brasileirão relegation zone, Renato wants greater unity and a stronger blend of youth and experience, reinforcing Kannemann’s leadership. He argued that experience counts in demanding games and that youngsters, including the centre-back pairing of Wallace and Carioca, Gustavo Martins, and also Pedrinho, can feel more secure alongside veterans.

Source: Globo.com

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