Crespo confident on Ferreirinha and Libertadores: “It’ll be epic” | OneFootball

In the midst of their biggest challenge of the year, the quarterfinals of the Libertadores against LDU, São Paulo faced Santos on Sunday night (21) and fell 1-0 at Vila Belmiro, for the 24th round of the Brasileirão.

For the classic, Hernán Crespo did not line up any starters from the duel in Ecuador, with a line-up full of surprises and names that had not been getting much opportunity with the Argentine coach, who explained his decisions in the match.

"I told the players that we have an important group that must trust, as we trust in the victory of Botafogo. Today too. You can play a good game, maybe not so much, but you have to give confidence, that's the idea. Some had to play more because they didn't have a sequence," explained the coach in the press conference after the game at Vila.

"We didn't choose the line-up for Thursday. The idea was to play well, we presented ourselves well, we were not so precise in volume, in possession of the ball. But we played with a team that plays against the relegation zone, which trains every day, it was a detail that Santos took the game for them," he analyzed.

IS FERREIRINHA A CONCERN?

The forward Ferreirinha, who is coming back from a period of pain, had a collision with goalkeeper Gabriel Brazão and had to leave the field on a stretcher. And Crespo was asked about the situation of his skillful number 11, reassuring.

"There is no problem. Nothing happened", he said about the player, who, in fact, was evaluated by the club's medical team only with cramps and is not a concern for Thursday's (25) decision at Morumbi.

CONFIDENCE HIGH!

Of course, the defeat to Santos was not in Tricolor's plans, but they do not hide their main focus on the midweek duel against LDU, who won in Quito 2-0, forcing Crespo's charges to reverse the scenario.

The coach, already a Liberta champion as a player for River Plate, showed extreme confidence in São Paulo's victory in front of their fans, to qualify among the top four in South America.

"Thursday will be a mental game, of will. We will arrive well. I can't convince anyone, the fan can believe it or not. Two things can happen: we pass or we are eliminated. If we pass, it will be historic, epic and I don't want to miss this opportunity to live something historic. We are going to win, we are going to win", Crespo asserted.

The challenge now is only one, the biggest of the year so far. São Paulo enters full preparation for next Thursday's game at Morumbi, against LDU, in the return of the Libertadores quarterfinals, after losing in Ecuador 2-0. A victory by three or more goals gives Tricolor the spot, while a win by a difference of two takes the decision to penalties.

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