Vojvoda plays down pressure at Santos: "I’m staying strong" | OneFootball

After the goalless draw with Red Bull Bragantino, in the fifth round of the Campeonato Paulista this Sunday, coach Juan Pablo Vojvoda played down the pressure for good results at Peixe. The coach acknowledged the poor start to the year, but reaffirmed that “there will always be pressure.”

“I am working with my players regarding the pressure (from the fans). And I have a strong mindset and I know there will always be pressure. We had the pressure of relegation in the Brasileirão (in 2025) which was intense, so we are prepared for that,” he said.

The coach also recalled the pressure from last season and how Santos needs to stay active in the upcoming matches in both competitions.

“We have matches to play. You’ve been talking to me about relegation since last season, we fought and managed to secure a spot in the Sudamericana – hard-fought, it’s true. This year, we have to look ahead to the upcoming matches,” he continued.

“Now, we have São Paulo and we need to pay attention in each competition. Both in the Paulistão, which is ending its first phase, and in the Brasileirão, which is just starting now,” he concluded.

Vojvoda will rotate the Santos squad

Vojvoda also analyzed the changes in the team and the squad rotation at Santos. The Argentine criticized the calendar and stated that all teams will have to rotate their squads.

“We have to rotate players. Our last match was 72 hours ago and there was a lot of physical wear. That’s why there are players in the medical department, not for anything too serious, but due to discomfort in the match against Corinthians. We are also 72 hours away from the Brasileirão and we will need all the players. That’s why the rotation won’t be just with Santos, but with all teams, because the calendar is very tight.”

Three-midfielder system approved

Finally, the Santos coach praised the trio Willian Arão, Gabriel Menino, and Zé Rafael, who started today’s match. Vojvoda liked the ball recoveries by the trio of midfielders, but acknowledged that Peixe lacked the creation of effective chances.

“We had three midfielders with high intensity, with Menino, Zé Rafael, and Arão. We won balls in the opponent’s half, but failed to create goal-scoring chances. We suffered high pressure from Bragantino and gave them too much space. In the first half, we bothered them a few times, and I didn’t expect the second half to go the way it did, with them pressing us,” he concluded.

Standings situation

With the result, Santos reached six points, but remains in ninth place in the Campeonato Paulista. The top eight advance to the second phase of the State Championship. The bottom two are relegated.

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Santos’ next match

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