Santos' defence improves, hits positive mark before stern test | OneFootball

A 2-0 win over Remo last Thursday at Vila Belmiro gave Santos a positive milestone. For the second straight game this season, the previously fragile Peixe defense managed to keep a clean sheet.

This is the first time the feat has been achieved this year. As a result, the team has yet to concede under coach Cuca. In the previous match, the black-and-white side drew 0-0 with Cruzeiro at Mineirão.

Veríssimo effect?

Curiously, Santos reached the mark after center back Lucas Veríssimo made his debut. The team’s new signing debuted against Cruzeiro and has not been beaten yet.

The achievement is a reason to celebrate for coach Cuca. In a press conference after the clash with Remo, the manager praised the two games without conceding: “It’s two matches without allowing a goal, and we didn’t have any major scares. It’s a good start.”

The team will now face a real test to gauge the defense. On Sunday, Peixe take on Flamengo at the Maracanã in the 10th round of the Brasileirão.

What about the attack?

While the defense has improved, the attacking unit still leaves a lot to be desired. Against Remo, Santos had a lot of trouble creating chances and only managed to score twice thanks to Neymar’s brilliance. Cuca explained Peixe’s low output and promised the team “will play better.”

“To create, you need to have the ideal number of players in midfield. We had Gustavinho, Oliva, Neymar and Barreal coming on, that’s four players. But we lacked depth. If you don’t have that, you won’t threaten the opponent. When Neymar creates the move and you have Thaciano making the diagonal run in behind, we score. It’s that off-the-ball movement to attack space. When we attacked, Neymar intelligently left Thaciano in position to score,” he analyzed.

“We’re still in the process of building the work. We can play better, we will play better, but the work will come,” he added.

Confidence in the squad

Cuca also showed confidence in the Santos squad. The coach was evasive about the possible arrival of reinforcements in the mid-year transfer window and said he will work with what he has on hand, giving special attention to the youth academy players.

“I work with what I have. In 2020, I didn’t bring in any players. We recovered and promoted youngsters, and we had that wonderful campaign. I work with what I have here; the academy here has always been very productive, and I’ll keep working that way. We’ve been closely watching the academy players so we can turn to them when needed. We’ll work with this group until mid-year. I’m happy with the commitment and professionalism the group has shown these days,” he concluded.

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Standings situation

With the win, Santos ended a four-match winless streak and climbed to 13th place in the Brasileirão table with 10 points. In addition, Peixe earned their first win under coach Cuca.

Santos’ next match

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