Early on, Cuca aims to restore Santos' defensive solidity | OneFootball

Back at Santos after five years, coach Cuca made his debut last Sunday in a 0-0 draw against Cruzeiro in the Brasileirão. The team’s standout in the match was the defense, which was not breached. The coach is looking to maintain the defensive solidity shown in the first game, since Peixe has conceded 13 goals in eight matches in the league.

Improvements

Under Vojvoda, Santos played seven matches in the Brazilian Championship and conceded 13 goals, resulting in an average of 1.62 goals allowed per game. In the Campeonato Paulista, across another eight matches, the team conceded seven goals.

Adding up all of Cuca’s spells with Peixe, the coach has managed 93 matches, with 32 wins, 29 draws, and 32 losses. During that entire span, the team scored 117 goals and conceded 114 (an average of 1.22 per game), which is an improvement of approximately 25% over what the team has shown at the start of this league campaign.

In his most recent job, with Atlético-MG, Cuca’s team conceded just 42 goals in 45 matches, fewer than one per game. The coach left the position in August 2025 after a 2-0 loss to Cruzeiro in the quarterfinals of the Copa do Brasil.

Alexi Stival will also have reinforcements in the area, as Peixe has secured the return of center-back Lucas Veríssimo and the signing of Uruguayan defensive midfielder Christian Oliva.

Situation in the Brasileirão

After drawing with Cruzeiro, Santos reached seven points and moved out of the relegation zone. The Alvinegro Praiano is in 16th place in the competition.

Santos’ next match

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