Crespo hails São Paulo win, hopes political crisis ends soon | OneFootball

Coach Hernán Crespo approved of São Paulo’s attitude in the 1-0 victory over São Bernardo last Thursday, in the second round of the Campeonato Paulista. The coach celebrated the returns of Calleri and Wendell to the pitch—both hadn’t played since 2025—and highlighted the fighting spirit of Tricolor, who managed a hard-fought win under heavy rain at Morumbis.

“I’m very happy to be able to return to Morumbis after three months. That makes a difference. Second, I’m very happy for Calleri, for Wendell, for Luciano for the goal. It’s a delicate moment in the sense that we have to stay focused during this pre-season with official matches. Right now, we have 24, 25 outfield players. Of those, six are coming back from serious injuries, two are new, Danielzinho and Dória. Besides that, we play every three days. We have to make sure they get minutes and at the same time try to win. But the ultimate goal in this Paulista is to get the car on the track. What does that mean? To reach the quarterfinals,” said Crespo, who explained the changes compared to the team’s debut.

“In the middle, we have to try to balance the squad we have. These are the things we can plan for. Then, a match like this happens, with the rain, where it’s hard to have any game ideas, because it totally conditions things, but the most important thing was the spirit. Rain or shine, at night or in the afternoon, we play with this spirit, this will, this pride in wearing the São Paulo shirt in a difficult moment. We started ten days ago and have already played two matches. We have to focus on this here. We have the plan and the idea is to try to balance the squad in this Paulista, get the car on the track and reach the quarterfinals,” he explained.

Even under torrential rain, the positive result allowed São Paulo to breathe a sigh of relief after the tough defeat in their debut. The Tricolor team finally claimed their first win in the Campeonato Paulista and moved up to tenth place in the standings, earning their first three points in the state championship.

“It’s positive because it’s the first step. Then, Sunday will come, it’s a totally different test [Majestoso]. Calmly, the idea is to keep going comfortably. The most important thing is them [the players]. If you play without fighting, without intensity, even if Guardiola or Klopp comes, there’s no way. Today we showed that this group is united and aligned. They will fight the whole time. What I did is to show what we’ve done, with all the difficulties we’ve faced day to day. The team is there, always present,” praised the Argentine.

Crespo hopes for a “quick” end to political crisis

Off the pitch, São Paulo is experiencing a political crisis that could reach a new chapter this Friday. The club’s Deliberative Council will vote on the impeachment of president Julio Casares, whose name has been linked to police scandals in recent weeks. Crespo admitted that this instability could be reflected on the field, but hopes for a quick resolution to the situation.

“We have to stay out of political situations, but it does have an effect, of course it does. The market, whether people stay or leave. Everyone needs São Paulo to be clear in order to build, with a solid foundation to make the club even bigger. As I said the other day, São Paulo is bigger than all of us together. The most important thing is this: to be united, to work, and whatever has to happen, let it happen. We’re focused here, on what we can control, and we’re doing that, which is the game, coaching. Whatever happens, I hope it’s resolved quickly, for the good of São Paulo,” commented the coach.

Crespo was also asked about Luciano’s goal celebration and highlighted the unity of the squad. The number 10 found the net and immediately ran to the bench, hugging the coach and his teammates.

"“We are united and we have to show here the fighting spirit that we want in São Paulo. There are a lot of good people here. We know we are united and aligned with the same goal and we know what we’re fighting against. We have to stay together and try to change the little things we can control, but it’s hard, it’s really hard. But we’re all here together. We’re going to do good things, bad things, but the will to fight and to do is here. You don’t know the greatness of this group. The group deserves peace,” he said.São Paulo returns to the field this Sunday, when they face Corinthians in the third round of the Paulista. The match kicks off at 4pm (Brasília time), at Neo Química Arena. Tricolor still doesn’t know if they’ll have their full squad available.“Day by day. Every day something happens at São Paulo. It’s about being prepared and seeing what comes. Every day is a different choice, every match is a different choice. The priority is the players’ health. Try to respect each one’s recovery time. Not everyone ended up playing, six came back from serious injuries. We’ll see what happens,” Crespo concluded.Upcoming São Paulo matchesCorinthians vs São Paulo (third round of the Campeonato Paulista)Date and time: 01/18 (Sunday), at 4pm (Brasília time)Location: Neo Química Arena, São Paulo (SP)São Paulo vs Portuguesa (fourth round of the Campeonato Paulista)Date and time: 01/21 (Wednesday), at 7:30pm (Brasília time)Location: Morumbis, São Paulo (SP)

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