Vojvoda highlights positives in defeat, sees Santos fired up to avoid drop | OneFootball

Coach Juan Pablo Vojvoda found positive points in Santos' defeat to Palmeiras this Thursday at Allianz Parque. The Argentine understands the difficult moment Peixe is going through, currently in the relegation zone of the Brazilian Championship, but sees the squad as motivated to avoid another relegation to Serie B.

Vojvoda approved of the team's defensive behavior in the first half of the derby and also praised the team's attitude with the ball. He believes that the quality of Palmeiras' forwards, Flaco López and Vitor Roque, made the difference for the rival.

“We were under pressure in the first half, which is normal. We controlled it well. It would have been complicated to be losing before the 15th minute. We had a good first half defensively, we had some important transitions that we didn't finish. I liked the team with the ball at certain moments. In the second half, we were doing well. Their forwards decided the game, there is a significant difference,” analyzed Vojvoda.

“A group of men”

The coach also praised the Santos squad and sees the players as motivated to get out of the uncomfortable position in the standings.

“I see an experienced group that understands the situation. It's a group of men who want to get out of this situation and will fight for every point. They know the club they represent and understand the uncomfortable situation. This is a moment to face the situation head on, not look to the side. When things are bad, there are players who don't want to participate. This group is the opposite. Even Neymar, against Fortaleza, was the first to raise his hand and say he wanted to help,” he declared.

Tactical changes

Vojvoda made changes to Santos for the derby. The main one was the three-man defensive line, with Willian Arão, Alexis Duarte, and Zé Ivaldo. In addition, the young forward Robinho Jr. started among the starters for the first time.

“The changes were strategic. I wanted a back three, with two natural center-backs and a defensive midfielder as a center-back, like Arão. I chose Duarte and Zé Ivaldo, we had Luan out. Between Frías and him [Duarte], I decided today. I chose Robinho because I thought he could bring something,” explained the coach, who is already thinking about preparing the team for the next match, against Flamengo.

“Preparation will be about player recovery. There isn’t much time. Today we stay in São Paulo, tomorrow we already travel and have only a few hours to do a tactical training session. Training will be recovery, match analysis, and talking to the players. On Saturday we’ll have one session to compress all of this, planning for the match against Flamengo,” he concluded.

Next Santos match

Standings situation

With the defeat to Palmeiras, Santos remains in the relegation zone of the Brasileirão. Peixe is in 17th place in the standings, with 33 points, one less than Vitória, the first team outside the relegation zone. In addition, Alvinegro Praiano has now gone four matches without a win in the tournament.

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