Alarm bells! Vasco defence comes under fire after thrashing in South | OneFootball

Vasco are dealing with alarming numbers in their defensive system during this first half of the Brazilian Championship. After the 4-1 defeat to Internacional, the club reached the mark of 25 goals conceded in just 16 matches played in the national competition. The performance puts the team coached by Renato Gaúcho on a statistical level similar to clubs in the relegation zone, such as Chapecoense, who have conceded 30 goals, and Remo, breached 27 times this season.

An average of 1.5 goals conceded per match has set off alarm bells within the board ahead of the next transfer window. Vasco have shown fragility after conceding in 15 of the 16 rounds played so far, managing to keep a clean sheet only in the 1-0 win over Athletico-PR. Recent individual mistakes by players such as Carlos Cuesta, who made an error and was sent off in Porto Alegre, and Alan Saldivia, whose technical level has dropped, reinforce the urgency for structural changes in the department.

+ Vasco scout Joaquim to strengthen defense

Vasco board target center-back with physical presence

Internally, the football department sees the current options as having very similar characteristics, prioritizing playing out from the back over physical defending. Vasco are now looking for a right-footed defender whose main attributes are dominance in the air and the ability to clear danger, a profile considered scarce in the current squad. The desire to strengthen this gap already existed in the previous window, but former coach Fernando Diniz’s insistence on signing Saldivia changed the board’s plans at the time.

The technical assessment points out that the R$100 million investment made at the start of the year has still not brought the necessary security to the back line. Because of this, Vasco are avoiding excessive haste and are looking for a “sure bet” in the international market so as not to further compromise the budget. Some names have already been mapped out by the intelligence department, but the absolute priority is to find a profile that offers clearances and protection in the box, balancing the technical qualities of the defenders currently available.

Comparison with relegation-threatened teams creates internal pressure

The statistical proximity to Corinthians and Mirassol, who have conceded 18 and 23 goals respectively, bothers executives who had planned for a more stable defensive campaign. Vasco understand that correcting positioning and bringing in a defensive leader for the back line are vital measures to prevent the team from remaining stuck in the middle of the table. Coach Renato Gaúcho has demanded more focus on set pieces and individual duels, areas in which the defense has systematically failed in recent matches.

The current scenario forces the team to seek immediate solutions within the squad itself while the July window does not officially open. Vasco need to drastically reduce the number of shots conceded per game in order to climb the standings and distance themselves from the goals-conceded average of the teams in the bottom four. The pressure for results is directly tied to improved efficiency in tackles and a reduction in the individual errors that have cost precious points in direct clashes away from home.

The defense has been a difficult problem to fix – Photo: Matheus Lima/Vasco

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