Crespo hails hard-fought São Paulo win, slams schedule: "It's madness" | OneFootball

Hernán Crespo breathed a sigh of relief with São Paulo’s come-from-behind victory over Primavera this Saturday at Morumbis, for the Campeonato Paulista. The coach celebrated the win and explained the six changes in the starting lineup.

“The team behaved well, created chances in the first half. At the end of the first half, we had trouble winning the ball back. In the second half, we changed things to put more people in attack. The choice of lineup was due to the fatigue from the games, the idea was to try not to risk Luciano, but that’s how it is,” explained the Argentine in a press conference.

“They found a goal, the game was very difficult, we could have lost. That’s how games are, you create a lot, playing at Morumbis you try to press and leave spaces at the back. If we had scored first, it could have been different. We still managed to turn it around, we have to be happy,” he added.

Asked if the hydration break hurt the team, Crespo said he needs to respect the protocol created by the Paulista Football Federation. He described the win as “beautiful, but hard-fought” and praised Luciano. He said the number 10’s entrance “changed the game.”

“I think it’s part of the rules. Hydration with rain? It’s complicated, but it’s part of the protocol, we have to accept it. We were doing well, creating a lot with Lucas and Ferreirinha. They played a very good half hour, then started to feel the fatigue. When they felt it, we started to have defensive difficulties. They gained a bit of courage, we tried to control it, but nothing happened. It’s normal,” he assessed.

“We changed for the second half, we needed more creativity. They found a goal and everything became epic. The fans were happy, it was a beautiful but hard-fought show. We can do things well or badly, but with this desire, the fans are happy. At other times, there could have been negative thoughts, but we believed. Lucas Ramon came in very well, I’m also very happy for Lucas and Calleri. Luciano came in and changed the game,” he concluded.

Criticism of the schedule

Crespo did not hold back criticism of the schedule. The São Paulo coach sees the sequence of games as “madness” and admits he has difficulties managing the squad’s energy in the midst of the Paulistão and the Campeonato Brasileiro.

“The Federation chose this schedule, we have to adapt. For me it’s madness, we have important games without preparation, without anything. It affects the work of the coach and the players, we run a high risk of injuries. We have to think about reviewing the schedule, the Paulista Federation needs to talk to the CBF. It’s bigger than us. We’re in a good moment, but it’s madness,” he fired.

“This is the issue we have to take to the Paulista Federation and the CBF. We have to adapt and try to do the best we can, but it’s difficult. The pitch was heavy, it’s not easy to recover. Total madness. We’ll try to do our best, but it’s not easy at all,” he concluded.

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Standings situation

São Paulo now occupies eighth place in the standings, with ten points. However, Hernán Crespo’s team can still be overtaken by Mirassol, who visit Capivariano this Sunday. The Tricolor is rooting for a slip by Leão to depend only on themselves in the last round for a spot in the quarterfinals of the State Championship.

Next São Paulo match

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