Santos fans reject sticking with three at the back against Fortaleza | OneFootball

Last Sunday, Santos drew 2-2 with Botafogo at Nilton Santos Stadium, in the 30th round of the Brazilian Championship. Coach Juan Pablo Vojvoda made a change to the tactical setup and used a formation with three center-backs. Alexis Duarte, Luan Peres, and Adonis Frías formed the defensive system for Peixe.

The Santos fans, however, seemed not to like the choice very much. In a poll conducted by Gazeta Esportiva, supporters believe that the three center-back formation should not be maintained for the important match against Fortaleza, scheduled for this Saturday.

According to the poll results, 80.19% of fans believe that Santos should not use three center-backs against Fortaleza. The other 19.81%, on the other hand, think that Peixe could keep the formation.

(Photo: Reproduction/Gazeta Esportiva)

Santos showed some difficulties with the three center-back system. With just 22 seconds into the game, Joaquín Correa took advantage of a mistake by Frías and Igor Vinícius to open the scoring. The second goal, at 25 minutes, also came from the right side of Santos’ defensive sector.

Amid these difficulties, Vojvoda switched back to a four-man defense in the second half. He took off the yellow-carded Alexis Duarte to bring on Guilherme. Now, the coach will assess whether to stick with the three center-back setup for the remainder of the season.

“They are three good center-backs. It’s a possibility. I don’t know if for the next game. It’s a possibility, but it’s good for the coach to be able to count on three center-backs, for different reasons. There are games that require this formation,” analyzed the manager.

Santos’ position in the standings

With the draw against Botafogo, Santos remains in 16th place, now with 32 points, one more than Vitória, who lost to Corinthians and is the first team in the relegation zone. This Saturday, Peixe faces Fortaleza at home, who are in 18th place, looking for some breathing room in the fight against the drop.

Upcoming Santos matches

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