Crespo sees São Paulo progress despite derby loss, worries over table | OneFootball

São Paulo was defeated by Palmeiras this Saturday, 3-1, in the fifth round of the Campeonato Paulista. However, Tricolor's coach, Hernán Crespo, highlighted positive aspects of his team in the derby and, despite the setback, expressed confidence in the team's development. He also stated that he is concerned about the standings, as the club is nearing the relegation zone of the State Championship.

“We are worried, but we still have three rounds and anything can happen, because we can also qualify. Nobody likes to lose, but there are losses and losses. Against Portuguesa it was concerning, today it wasn't. The team is growing, obviously the schedule doesn't help, but I am confident. I think things will start to improve soon, reinforcements will arrive and the boys from Copinha. We have a future, but the future is the 45 points in the Brasileirão,” he said.

“Today we lost, but we could easily have won in the first half. The difference was that they converted and we didn't. The way of playing, with attitude and willingness to fight, to create chances, this is the path. With two or three reinforcements plus the boys from Cotia, it's possible to believe. You might see me as crazy: ‘lost 3-1 and talking like this?’ Yes, because I saw things to trust, a team that created and managed the game,” he added.

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The Argentine also commented on the formation he has been using in recent matches, with only two defenders instead of the three he used to employ. However, the new setup has not been working well and the coach blamed the schedule for the situation.

“We don't have time to work, so we have to check on the field. We can train with video, but we have many games, so we have to test in the game. The year has just started, the Brasileirão hasn't even started yet and we're already talking about relegation in the Paulistão, calm down. We have Santos and then we face Ponte Preta and Primavera. There is this possibility, but there is also the possibility of qualifying,” he declared.

Effort amid crisis

Finally, Crespo spoke about the club's political and financial crisis, which he believes has been affecting the players. He also revealed the lack of payment of the athletes' salaries and classified the achievement of titles as an “exception” for São Paulo in recent years.

“The impact of what is happening outside is normal. We are talking about people who haven't received their salaries for months. They are doing their best, I have met difficult groups and this group is good, with good people, who are doing their utmost. They could easily say they are leaving because they haven't been paid for three or four months, or that they will start walking away. Everyone is united, everyone knows that São Paulo is great and is going through the worst moment in its history,” he revealed.

“In this club, there are many good and honest people, it's difficult. Evaluating the team's situation based on four results is not fair. We are used to something else, but at the same time, this is a consequence of the past. Let's do the math, there are four competitions in the season and, in the last 10 years, São Paulo has won two, the Paulistão and the Copa do Brasil, are these achievements a rule or an exception? Unfortunately, an exception,” he concluded.

Next match

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