Coutinho's scoring streak exposes Vasco's April goal drought | OneFootball

April has been disastrous for Vasco. The team managed by Renato Gaúcho has posted one of the worst records among all Série A participants, collecting just three points from five matches and no wins. Their difficulty scoring goals highlights the squad’s limitations, and Philippe Coutinho still remains the club’s top scorer this year. The midfielder terminated his contract in mid-February, but his three goals still lead the Rio club’s offensive stats.

The former Vasco player found the net against Mirassol in the opening round of the Brazilian Championship, and against Maricá and Botafogo in the state championship. Currently, names like Thiago Mendes, Barros, Brenner and Puma Rodríguez are tied with the same number of goals, but they needed many more matches to reach that mark. The former No. 10 asked to leave after being heavily booed by the fans at São Januário, leaving a huge technical gap in the playmaking department.

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Lack of a leader exposes flaws in Vasco’s squad

The unusual top-scorer statistic lays bare Vasco’s main problem this season. The team has wasted many clear chances to put recent games away, as happened in the painful defeat to their black-and-white rival and in the draws against Remo and Coritiba. Their current 13th place in the table, with 13 points, creates a false sense of security. The team has dropped many points after taking the lead, reviving old defensive issues and showing a discouraging lack of concentration in the final minutes.

The squad continues to suffer from longstanding creative shortcomings dating back to the time of coach Fernando Diniz. The main one is the absence of a No. 10, someone capable of leading the midfield with real technical and moral authority on the pitch. The intelligent reference point the board had hoped to find in the idol never materialized. Now, the coaching staff is struggling to find options on the bench that can provide the inspiration needed to decide very evenly matched contests.

Coutinho’s last goal for Vasco; the club still misses a No. 10 – Photo: Matheus Lima/Vasco

Renato Gaúcho focuses on Brazilian Championship points

If the main goal set by the coaching staff is to reach 45 points to avoid relegation, Vasco need to collect 11 points in their next seven matches. The internal target is to reach the 18th round, the last before the break for the Club World Cup, with 24 points on the board. The marathon begins with the clash against São Paulo tomorrow. After that, the team visits Corinthians and then faces a tense derby against Flamengo at the Maracanã.

Amid this brutal run, the schedule also includes matches against Paysandu in the Copa do Brasil and Olimpia in the Copa Sudamericana. Because of that, Vasco’s coaching staff continues to use the continental tournament to give more playing time to younger players.

Renato Gaúcho knows Vasco’s battle is still reaching 45 points – Photo: Marcelo Theobald

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