Tite admits dip in form, physical fatigue seen as key factor

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·12 February 2026

Tite admits dip in form, physical fatigue seen as key factor

Cruzeiro drew 2-2 with Mirassol away from home in the third round of the Brazilian Championship, extending the period of instability at the start of the competition. After the match, coach Tite held a press conference alongside physical trainer Fábio Mahseredjian, admitted the team's technical performance drop, commented on the pressure for results, and highlighted physical exhaustion as a determining factor for the irregular performance.

In the initial analysis, Tite explained the presence of the physical trainer at the press conference and pointed to the intense sequence of games as a central element to understand the team's performance.

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“That's why I brought Fábio, he is a specialist and speaks with more authority. The game was fast-paced, competitive, and we are coming from a sequence of games, without adequate recovery time, which drains the energy from the game. I knew and gave the lecture saying I would make the five substitutions because it was necessary. We all knew that. The opponent also knew and I would do the same thing, he kept speeding up the game, during the course and with the substitutions. Even so, we had the strength for a comeback, the players who came in did well precisely to provide that condition. Regrettably, Kenji got injured, anyway... we wanted to win, but at least it gives us a sequence of results with a bit more time to develop the work.”

Following that, Fábio Mahseredjian reinforced the coach's analysis and detailed the physical impact of the recent sequence:

“We faced a Mirassol that hasn't lost at home if I'm not mistaken. A strong team that rested this weekend. And we had a game, a classic, on a heavy field,” he explained. The physical trainer emphasized that the technical staff had already anticipated the drop in performance. “We knew we would have these problems today, due to the accumulation of high metrics and this happened in a way, in quotes, we didn't have injured athletes but we had a drop in physical performance today.”

When asked if the repetition of the main team in sequence, due to the Campeonato Mineiro being played concurrently, could be considered a planning error, Tite was direct and attributed the situation to the results in the state championship.

“The results determined this sequence. If we had better results at the beginning, we wouldn't be doing this. The necessity and the greatness of Cruzeiro demand that you perform well in both championships.”

With one of the worst defenses in Serie A at the moment, Tite was questioned at the press conference and emphasized that the responsibility is not exclusive to the defensive line.

“It's one of the aspects of seeking this balanced team that I present to you, always as an idea. But it's a system that defends, a team, it's not just the defense. This whole stage of the team, a whole context. We had taken this in the game against América, here it was fast-paced. I don't like to make excuses, but it's a very atypical game, if you analyze. Playing this sequence and playing against a rested team, which has this training quality for a long time together, it was difficult.”

With only one point in three rounds, Cruzeiro is experiencing a start to the Brasileirão below expectations. Tite acknowledged the scenario and classified the campaign as insufficient.

“There is no ease in the Brazilian Championship. The need to score and perform is the same way. What we need now is the necessity and discernment to lead, work, so that we can have the best work, develop on the field, translate into results. It's three rounds, right? Everyone makes their own analysis. Insufficient for Cruzeiro and our ambitions? Yes. But it's three rounds.”

The coach also commented on the fans' pressure and asked for persistence in the process.

“It's a manifestation of the fans whom I respect and the club's greatest passion is its fans. But there are also fans who can have patience for all the work to be developed. I won't answer the same thing all the time. It's work and persistence. Perform and get results. This will generate a shift in attention, recognition... that's the way.”

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