Abel’s assistant on Paulinho at Palmeiras: ‘One step at a time’

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·27 April 2026

Abel’s assistant on Paulinho at Palmeiras: ‘One step at a time’

Palmeiras beat Red Bull Bragantino 1-0 on Sunday night (26) in Bragança Paulista in the 13th round of the Brazilian Championship. After the match, assistant coach João Martins, filling in for the suspended Abel Ferreira, spoke again about Paulinho’s recovery.

The forward was once again left out of Palmeiras’ matchday squad as he continues recovering from surgery on his left leg. Despite training fully with the squad at the Football Academy in São Paulo, the player is still going through a physical reconditioning process, according to the club.

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Paulinho is progressing well, training and building up his match intensity. We know that sometimes a player returns and isn’t ready. We can’t make that kind of mistake with Paulinho. When he plays, it will be because he’s ready. Everything in its own time.

Asked about the battle of attack versus defense, especially after Flaco López’s lone goal in the first half, João admitted the team was below par offensively but highlighted its defensive solidity.

– The result is always the best thing; we live on results. We could have been better on the ball today, but when we’re not inspired, performance and intensity can’t be lacking… Knowing how to defend is also a gift and part of the game. We spent more time defending and the opponent had only two chances. Our goalkeeper did very well too.

Palmeiras reached a third straight game without conceding a goal, matching their best run of the season — in the first three matches of 2026. João celebrated the mark and spoke about the rotation in defense, which has not repeated the same center-back pairing in the last three matches.

– We’re happy with three games without conceding. It’s part of our identity to have aware, balanced defending and to understand defensive behavior well. We have all the players ready for that.

What now?

With the result, Verdão opened a six-point lead at the top of the Brasileirão. They now have 32 points, compared to Flamengo’s 26, and 23 for Fluminense and São Paulo, in third and fourth place respectively.

Palmeiras now switches focus and returns to action on Wednesday (29) in the Copa Libertadores. Verdão will face Cerro Porteño in the fourth round of the continental competition’s group stage — the team leads Group F with four points — followed by Sporting Cristal and Cerro, both with three.

In the Brasileirão, the team returns to the field on Saturday (2) against Santos at Allianz Parque in the 14th round of the national competition.

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