São Paulo worry after FIFA break, signs of a frustrating year end | OneFootball

São Paulo was defeated by Grêmio this Thursday, 2–0, in Porto Alegre, in the Brazilian Championship, and caused concern for its performance over the 90 minutes even after 11 days to rest and train due to the pause for October’s FIFA dates.

It was expected that the long period without matches would benefit São Paulo, which was coming off a negative run in the season, worsened by elimination in the Libertadores quarterfinals, but what was seen on the field was a disjointed, spread-out team with no creativity.

It’s true that the first 30 minutes of the game were completely dominated by São Paulo. Gonzalo Tapia was the main offensive threat for the team led by Hernán Crespo, but they lacked the final touch to finish plays better and open the scoring.

As the saying goes, if you don’t score, you concede: Grêmio took the lead in the final stretch of the first half and from there grew into the game, posing danger to São Paulo’s goal much more frequently and forcing goalkeeper Rafael to make great saves to avoid a heavier defeat.

São Paulo’s ups and downs throughout Thursday’s match are worrying. Not even the presence of Lucas Moura, brought on in the second half, was able to lift the team’s spirits, which struggled greatly to create any dangerous plays after the break.

Lucas, by the way, is still far from his ideal physical condition. The number 7 lacks match fitness and agility, and if he’s in good shape, he will be crucial for the team to achieve the final goal of the year, which is to qualify for the 2026 Libertadores.

The recent performances were already concerning, but the display in Porto Alegre, even after 11 days off, suggests that São Paulo’s end to the season will be frustrating. The fans, who even dreamed of a fourth Libertadores title, may have to deal with the prospect of their team missing the next edition of the tournament. If they maintain the level shown against Grêmio, it will only be a matter of time before that is confirmed.

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