Roger explains full-strength call and reveals plan: “One game at a time” | OneFootball

Coach Roger Machado explained how he has been managing player rotation at this stage and why he chose to field a full-strength lineup in São Paulo’s 2-0 win over O’Higgins this Tuesday (14) at Morumbi, a result that left the team alone at the top of Group C in the Copa Sudamericana.

“It’s one game at a time. Today we had players like Bobadilla, Luciano, and Calleri returning. In the match against Vitória, Enzo (Díaz) came off and had his workload reduced. We keep track of games, travel demands, and the scoreline often influences whether we give a player more minutes or let a certain player rest,” he explained.

“That’s how it will be, one game at a time, just like it was in Uruguay. The decision on playing time isn’t made just with the competition in mind, but also as part of a medium- and long-term strategy for players with physical issues, like Marcos, who has a heavy workload, to avoid problems. But we are going to have problems, so we need to manage the players carefully,” he said.

Tonight’s match was marked by the loss of two players. Ferreirinha ended up being ruled out before the game, and still in the first half, Marcos Antônio had to be substituted.

According to Roger, the coaching staff is aware of the workload assessment and is trying to strike a balance with the demands.

“This was my ninth game of the year. We’re talking about nine matches in the span of a month. There was a break for the FIFA international window, which made things even more packed afterward. Naturally, because of the schedule in a World Cup year, everything became very condensed. We don’t plan for these losses, but we do need to understand them by measuring workloads and taking players out to minimize them. We managed to hold Luciano back for one or two games, and Sabino is also being held back and should already be available this weekend. Even with all the experience and equipment, you’re still going to have minor issues — there’s no way around that,” he said.

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