Crespo on Danielzinho benching, hails Paulista run: "Positive journey" | OneFootball

Coach Hernán Crespo had to explain to the São Paulo fans after the elimination by Palmeiras last Sunday night, by 2-1, in the semifinals of the Campeonato Paulista. The coach chose to leave Danielzinho on the bench and gave Luan a chance in the starting lineup. In a press conference, he justified the decision based on physical condition.

“Danielzinho was not 100%. Physically, he has pains. We had to take him out of the game against Bragantino, he was out against Coritiba, he was still not 100%. So, the choice was for Luan, also because of the characteristics of the rival, because they play a lot with long balls and we needed, physically, a player like him. Personally, I think it worked, they had difficulties, but then the game changes. The idea was to change, to risk Daniel physically, because the game needed something else,” explained the coach.

The number 94 was substituted in the match against Red Bull Bragantino, on February 22nd. The midfielder did not travel with the team for the game against Coritiba midweek due to high fatigue. Thus, Crespo opted for Luan's starting position against Palmeiras. In the second half, he was replaced by Danielzinho around the 10th minute.

“That's what I said before. I have to be very attentive to the physical conditions of the players, and we need the players 100%. I didn't want to risk him, he was coming from a very important sequence. Then, the game changes, it was much more open. He came in very well. The fact is that he finished the game well, without pain and without problems,” he analyzed.

Crespo regrets elimination but values campaign

Despite the bitter taste of the elimination in the Paulista, Crespo valued the long path traveled by São Paulo to reach the semifinals. The Tricolor was once fighting against relegation in the State Championship but recovered and was very close to reaching the final. Besides the campaign, the coach also mentioned the importance of giving playing time to players returning from injury, like Lucas and Calleri.

“It's not easy to come and play here, against a Palmeiras that has great qualities, players of hierarchy. Upfront, we didn't have the quality we intended, finding Lucas or Luciano. We tried in every way, we controlled them very well. I think we started to have a game pattern in the second part of the first half, but they went to the break with a 1-0 lead. Their characteristics are these, they know how to take advantage of the small details we missed, which we couldn't make, but for me, it's essential to value the journey made so far,” said the coach.

“Clearly we are sad, nobody likes to lose, but this competition gave me a very united group. We recovered players, Lucas, Calleri, André who returned today. We are sad, but at the same time, the path is very positive. Everyone knows that São Paulo will fight. Nobody likes the result, but I think the journey made was very cool,” he added.

São Paulo fell behind on the scoreboard just seven minutes into the game. Already in the second half, after complaining about a possible penalty, the Tricolor ended up conceding the second goal. Calleri still scored from a penalty, but Crespo's team couldn't find the result to take the decision to penalties.

“I think we lacked a bit more precision. In these types of games, details make the difference. They took advantage of the first goal. We had a throw-in in our favor, lost the ball, a rebound, and Maurício scored. The second goal is a set piece to see if it was a foul or not, but we had seven in the area and didn't mark as we should have. And they have category, hierarchy, and this kind of thing costs dearly. These are situations to learn from. This is the way here. It's a group that knows, is united, and will continue working this way, trying to be competitive until the end.”

Now, São Paulo will need to pick up the pieces. The São Paulo team will have just over a week to recover from the State Championship exit and prepare for the return of the Brazilian Championship, when they will face Chapecoense. The match will take place on March 12th, at Canindé.

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