Schmidt: Facing Fortaleza key, pressure always part of the game | OneFootball

João Schmidt emphasized the importance of the direct clash between Santos and Fortaleza in the fight against relegation in the Brazilian Championship. In a press conference on Friday afternoon, shortly before Peixe’s training session, the midfielder also commented on the situation of refereeing in national football, which has been the target of much criticism after recurring mistakes.

Santos and Fortaleza face off in a direct relegation battle this Saturday, at Vila Belmiro, at 4 p.m. (Brasília time). Peixe occupies 16th place in the table, with 32 points—one more than Vitória, which opens the relegation zone. On the other side, Leão do Pici is in 18th place, with 27 points.

“The expectation is high. We know the importance of this game, we approach it as a final. It might be the most important game of the year, just like the one against Vitória. We couldn’t leave that game happy, and tomorrow we have another opportunity to play a great match and win, that’s our goal. That’s our focus, because in the situation we’re in, we need to win at home, especially against Fortaleza, who are a direct rival,” said João Schmidt.

The midfielder was signed by Santos at the start of 2024 to compete in the Série B of the Brazilian Championship. This is the player’s second season wearing the Peixe shirt, and he highlighted the discomfort of fighting against relegation in his first experience with the team in Série A.

(Photo: Thais Bueno/Gazeta Press)

“Honestly, I haven’t experienced many calm moments since I arrived here. It’s been a turbulent year, it hasn’t been easy. Our goal was always to secure the title in Série A. We expected it to be a different year, and it wasn’t, we’re in an uncomfortable situation. We don’t want this for our careers, we always aim for big things. But we have to face our reality, and today this is it. We have to work, focus on these next games, to get Santos out of this uncomfortable situation and keep Santos in Série A for next year,” he said.

Schmidt also commented on the pressure involving Santos’ position in the standings, but pointed to hard work as a way to get back to winning ways. Peixe hasn’t won in two rounds in the league, coming off a defeat to Vitória and a draw against Botafogo.

“What brings peace of mind is victory. We work so that in the next game we can win. There’s no way around it, there will be pressure. We have to face it, we’re a group of men. The pressure will always exist when it comes to a club like Santos, regardless of the situation in the table. The best way to deal with it is to work so that we can achieve victory,” he concluded.

Schmidt analyzes refereeing

Recently, the president of Santos, Marcelo Teixeira, and the football director Alexandre Mattos made complaints about the refereeing in the 2-2 draw against Botafogo last weekend. João Schmidt was then asked about the subject.

The midfielder cited a statement by goalkeeper Cássio, who said that all clubs, sooner or later, are harmed by refereeing. The keeper also stated that clubs need to unite to solve the situation. Schmidt agreed, but also mentioned a matter of “survival” in a brief analysis.

“It’s a delicate topic. I even saw an interview with Cássio, and it was cool that he said just pointing fingers doesn’t work. The referee is also under pressure and I believe he wants to do his best. But it’s also a bit about survival, everyone is defending their club, it’s their profession. I think on the field some situations are almost unbelievable. It’s a bit about survival,” he assessed.

Sometimes, it’s hard to try to see the referee’s side, we have our own pressure too, we defend our own. This has to come a bit more from the top to solve this problem. You can’t just point fingers at everyone, but to improve Brazilian football, something has to come from above so the same mistakes don’t keep happening,” the player finished.

João Schmidt’s numbers this season

Upcoming Santos matches

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