"Forgotten how to play?": Renato Gaúcho questions Paulo Henrique | OneFootball

Right-back Paulo Henrique is going through a period of intense instability and wear and tear with Vasco fans. During the spectacular comeback victory by Vasco over Fluminense (3-2) this Wednesday (18), a large part of the stands lost patience with the player’s performance throughout the first half.

The player has experienced a dramatic drop in form at the start of 2026, a stark contrast to the high level he reached in 2025, when he was called up by Carlo Ancelotti to represent the Brazilian National Team and even scored a goal wearing the yellow jersey.

The patience of Vasco fans had already diminished considerably weeks ago, after the defeat to Santos, when members of an organized fan group harshly confronted the right-back for his friendly interaction with striker Neymar.

+ “There will be no place for mosquitoes”: Renato Gaúcho calls on Vasco fans after epic comeback against Fluminense

Poor Performance and Online Outrage

On social media, the main criticism has been the player’s enormous defensive frailty and the drastic reduction in the offensive impact he used to deliver. Accounts connected to the Rio club lashed out at his performance in the derby, describing his football as unbearable to watch and comparing him to a beginner:

“It’s unbearable to watch Paulo Henrique play. It’s like they put a child who doesn’t know how to play football in a soccer school.”

A more heated fan even demanded the departure of Paulo Henrique, Lucas Piton, and Hugo Moura from the team:

“Paulo Henrique, Lucas Piton, and Hugo Moura, I want you all gone from my team.”

Online analyses are unanimous that the Vasco right-back has become the major weak link in the defense and is stretching the fans’ patience to its limit.

“Paulo Henrique is pushing the fans’ patience to the limit. Ever since that episode in Santos, the patience bar has dropped; at the same time, his performance level has plummeted. Surely, the weak link in Vasco’s defense.”

Paulo Henrique faces criticism at Vasco – Photo: Dikran Sahagian/Vasco

Coach’s Ultimatum and Internal Competition at Vasco

The evident poor form has not gone unnoticed by the new coaching staff, who have opted for a tough approach. Coach Renato Gaúcho spoke openly about the issue after the derby and revealed the content of a frank conversation he had with the right-back as soon as he arrived at Colina Histórica. The manager exposed the direct challenge he made to motivate the player:

The coach also took the opportunity to send a general warning to the squad, emphasizing that there is tough competition in the position. He highlighted that he has valuable options like PH and Puma on the right side, as well as Cuiabano and Piton on the left. The head coach warned that Vasco’s squad is small and everyone needs to be ready to play at any moment, threatening to bench anyone who doesn’t deliver:

The next challenge to test this evolution will be against Grêmio, on Sunday (22), at São Januário, for the Brasileirão.

Paulo Henrique challenges Serna for the ball during the Rio derby – Photo: Thiago Ribeiro/AGIF

+ Follow Papo na Colina on social media: Thread, Bluesky, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok and Google News.

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