Vojvoda: Draw with Botafogo positive, explains three at the back | OneFootball

Coach Juan Pablo Vojvoda valued the 2-2 draw between Santos and Botafogo this Sunday, away from home, in the 30th round of the Brazilian Championship. The Argentine regretted the lack of focus at the start, but highlighted the squad's balance to stay alive in the match.

“We started the game in a very complicated way. I don't know if it was a tactical mistake. It's very difficult to analyze the match in 30 seconds. We made mistakes, of course. We have to stay alert. Starting a match like that, away from home, on artificial turf, in Santos' situation… I value the team's emotional balance to stay in the game,” he said.

“I said during the technical break and at halftime that we had to stay alive in the match. I think the team responded. We suffered, it's true. I value the point, but I'm not happy with just one point. In the last match we lost three, I wanted something else,” he added.

“Getting points away from home is always positive, but we should have gotten points at home in the previous round as well. For working during the week, one point helps, but we have to keep going. It's game by game,” he concluded.

Tactical Choices

Vojvoda set up Santos with three center-backs for the match at Nilton Santos. In addition, he started Souza and left Guilherme on the bench. After halftime, he changed the formation, with Alexis Duarte coming off.

“These were tactical and strategic decisions for this match. When I plan the game, I analyze the week, the previous match, the opponent, and I talk to the players. Then I make decisions. I considered Souza an important player, and he was. Escobar also responded well, holding down the sector when he came in. These are decisions the coach has to make,” he analyzed.

The coach also justified the substitutions of Souza and Barreal in the second half. The left-back scored a goal and won the penalty that led to the second, converted by the Argentine midfielder.

“Souza and Barreal did very well. But physically, they were at their limit, they had cramps. In this kind of game, you need all players at 100%. The changes were to refresh the team. They were doing well, but were dropping physically,” Vojvoda concluded.

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Standings Situation

With the draw against Botafogo, Santos remains in 16th place, now with 32 points, one more than Vitória, who lost to Corinthians and is at the top of the relegation zone.

Santos' Next Match

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