Vojvoda wary of Santos' cutting edge, urges response against Inter | OneFootball

The coach Juan Pablo Vojvoda was not pleased with the 1-1 draw between Santos and Mirassol this Wednesday, during the 34th round of the Brazilian Championship. The Argentine believes that the Peixe created enough opportunities to leave Vila Belmiro with a better result, but faltered in finishing.

“The team played a good first half. In the second half, we had a clear chance and from there, Mirassol had volume, but without posing a threat. We felt the physical issue with some players. Then, in the last minutes, with the changes, we started creating situations again. It was a bad draw. We had chances to deserve a bit more. We need to get points. Three is much better,” he analyzed.

“I'm concerned about effectiveness. The team produces a lot, but we need to find effectiveness, with work and calm, choosing the right moment to find finesse in the last shot. We had good productivity in the first half. I'm worried about the situation, I don't hide that, but I would be much more worried if the team wasn't producing, if it didn't have the tools to get out of this situation. Brazão had only one action I think,” he added.

Neymar's Performance

Neymar was the main name of the match. The attacking midfielder scored the goal for Alvinegro Praiano early on, but committed the penalty that resulted in the visitors' draw. When asked about the performance of the number 10, Vojvoda chose not to go into details.

“Neymar plays for Santos. I will speak as a team. The team played a good first half. Neymar scored the goal and was doing very well,” he stated.

Knife in the Teeth

Now, the coach's focus is on the match against Internacional, which is also near the relegation zone. The manager demanded a response from the squad at Beira-Rio.

“We are going to Porto Alegre knowing our situation. We will wait for their game tomorrow. We have to plan well. Everyone will have to respond. It's a moment where we have to be strong,” he said.

See other responses from Vojvoda

Lineup with Lautaro Díaz

“The strategy was to think about the opponent. Our high block pressure was good, especially in the first half. Lautaro physically helps a lot in the pressure. Neymar closing, intelligently, their defender. Barreal also helps with that. That was the strategy. We stole balls and forced errors. That's why I chose these players.”

Fight against relegation

“I can guarantee commitment and dedication. The result, we are in a sport with many variables. I guarantee commitment and dedication. I will demand improvement in our effectiveness too, to be closer to the result.”

What to maintain and what to improve?

“We need to continue with what we are doing well, such as production. We are creating goal situations. We cannot leave that aside. That is working. We are creating. Now, we need to improve effectiveness. How do we improve? Shielding confidence, being a bit more precise. This is trained. We have to give confidence. Insist, continue, have ambition. It's about continuing, insisting, and trusting.”

Situation in the standings

With the draw, Santos remains on the edge of the relegation zone. The team is in 16th place, with 37 points, one more than Vitória, which secured a draw against Palmeiras tonight, at Allianz Parque.

Next match for Santos

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