Zubeldía: Bahia now sign players far better than São Paulo | OneFootball

Argentinian coach in his last match in charge of Tricolor: defeat to Vasco (Miguel Schincariol/Getty Images)

RAFAEL EMILIANO@rafaelemilianoo

Kicked out of São Paulo, where he resigned due to heavy pressure from the fans, dissatisfied with the string of poor results, Luis Zubeldía broke his silence more than three months after leaving Morumbi, being interviewed by the neighboring country’s 'ESPN'. And, spoiler alert, the former coach did not make a point of leaving a good impression of Tricolor. But don’t blame him, he was just being honest.

Asked about the greatness of São Paulo, Zubeldía showed how shocked he was by the club’s inability to strengthen its squad. And, while praising Rogério Ceni, the team’s greatest idol where he worked, he used Bahia as an example.

“Within the (Brazilian football) market, there are teams that are now privatized. For example, Bahia. Historically, Bahia did not have the same sporting success as the others (big clubs), but today Bahia belongs to City. So, you go up against Bahia and there’s Rogério Ceni (as coach). Bahia today can reinforce itself five times better than São Paulo. They bought two of our players, because City (Football Group) is behind them,” said Zubeldía, referring to midfielders Nestor and Michel Araujo.

Still according to Zubeldía, playing against Bahia is similar to facing Manchester City, since the teams follow the same offensive playing model designated by the group based in the United Arab Emirates.

“When you face Bahia, it’s like facing a (Pep) Guardiola team, because Ceni is behind it,” he emphasized.

About his time at Morumbi, the coach highlighted that he was ‘enchanted’ by the experience, praising the players, especially the leaders of the squad.

“It was a very beautiful surprise for me to have players like Lucas Moura, Luiz Gustavo, Oscar, and Rafinha. They were players with a humility that surprised me,” he said.

“And when I brought in the youth players, the boys were also very humble and receptive. They have a lot of potential, because they have not only technical ability, which we all know, but also physical condition far above average. They are players that the whole world goes there to look for,” he added.

“Brazil is a powerhouse in every aspect, whether it’s the youth system or the league (Brasileirão). It’s true that some clubs have a lot of financial problems, many issues end up in court, so not everything is as clean as it seems. But it’s a very good league,” he concluded.

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