Vojvoda relieved to stay, admits: "Santos need Neymar" | OneFootball

Coach Juan Pablo Vojvoda said he felt relieved that Santos remained in the Série A of the Brazilian Championship. The Peixe defeated Cruzeiro 3-0 this Sunday at Vila Belmiro, in the 38th round.

“The easiest thing would be to say that I feel happy. But I don't know if that's it. I feel relieved. This is not the kind of fight Santos should have. But this year, it had to be this way. We have players who are used to fighting for the title. Relegation is a different kind of fight. This will make them grow. That's life. It happens to everyone. You get to know people in difficult times. They were close. The halftime against Inter was tough, it was a difficult conversation and they responded well,” he said.

“A year of growth. I want to grow personally, but alongside the club I am working with. Santos has grown a lot, but it needs to keep going. History needs to be validated continuously,” he added.

Neymar’s Situation

The coach spoke about Neymar’s importance to the Alvinegro Praiano. Even with a knee injury, the attacking midfielder stood out in the final rounds of the tournament and ended the year as a hero.

“To be honest, I talk a lot with Neymar, but about the games. I felt Neymar’s commitment. All our conversations were short-term. Of course, we need Neymar. The club needs him. Let’s let him rest now. Santos needs players of his caliber,” he analyzed.

Eyes on the Future

Now, Vojvoda is already thinking about 2026. The coach revealed what he intends to take from this season into the next.

“We must keep the players’ commitment in difficult times. I hold on to that commitment from the players. We also have to praise the organization, from top to bottom. Thank the board, everyone who was close in the tough moments. It’s a big club, and the bad moments are much bigger. We keep these commitments and organization,” he declared.

“That’s what I take away. If we want to plan for the future, we need to think with a foundation. This is the foundation. A foundation with humility. It was a tough year. We managed to avoid relegation. Santos has everything to keep evolving. Santos went through a difficult time, but since I arrived, I found people concerned and committed to improving the situation. When I say committed, I mean I was getting calls from the board all the time, we debated football. The urgent matter was this year. I didn’t want to waste my energy on next year when I still had this year to resolve,” he continued.

Finally, the coach called for humility.

“Humility is needed. This is a big club. You need humility to listen, to see what others think as well. You need to listen to every area, be professional. Santos has a president, a director, an organization. Now, more and more will be demanded. We have a lot to improve, yes, we made mistakes. And we will make more. But always with the intention to improve. We must respect history,” he concluded.

Position in the Table

The Alvinegro Praiano finished the 2025 Brasileirão in 12th place, with 47 points. The team, which entered the final round still at risk of relegation, secured a spot in the 2026 Copa Sudamericana.

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