Shining: Danielzinho and Marcos Antônio lift São Paulo’s hopes | OneFootball

São Paulo has formed a phenomenal duo at the start of this season, with Marcos Antônio, who has been a standout for the team for some time now, and Danielzinho, a new addition to the midfield who arrived at the beginning of the year and fit perfectly into coach Hernán Crespo’s lineup.

The duo’s quick chemistry has been surprising. Danielzinho came from Mirassol and it seems like he’s been defending Tricolor for years. They have formed a great partnership, with Danielzinho providing support to Marcos, and both alternating between the roles of midfielder and defensive midfielder on the team.

Some of the players’ stats place them as the best in their position during this first phase of the Paulistão. Danielzinho is the midfielder with the most assists (two) and the one who has created the most clear goal-scoring chances (four) so far in the state competition, according to numbers from the Detetive Tricolor page.

Meanwhile, Marcos Antônio is the midfielder with the most accurate passes distributed per match, with 51, and leads his position in completed dribbles (0.9 per game) in this Campeonato Paulista.

The number 8 for Tricolor is the club’s biggest standout this year. An undisputed starter, he has played ten matches, with one assist provided. But he has been shining on the field with stellar performances. He is the one who makes the team tick and is one of Crespo’s main playmakers.

For 2026, he has gained the excellent company of Danielzinho, already bringing the experience of his 31 years. He has also played in ten games this season, already scoring his first goal for São Paulo, in addition to two more assists. He is the perfect partner to complement Marcos Antônio in midfield.

Now, Tricolor faces its first major decision of the year, a single-elimination quarterfinal against Bragantino, away from home, this Saturday (21). And it is in this well-synced duo that São Paulo finds one of its greatest strengths to seek a spot in the Paulista semifinal.

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