João Martins hails Palmeiras win, talks ‘compensation rule’ in Brazil | OneFootball

Palmeiras defeated São Paulo 1-0 in a match held at Morumbis. With this result, Verdão takes the lead in the Brazilian Championship, with 19 points earned in eight games. Jhon Arias scored the goal for Palmeiras in the match against their rival.

Dissatisfied with the refereeing, Abel Ferreira was sent off in the second half by Anderson Daronco.

João Martins Speaks!

After the match, João Martins spoke to the press. Even with Abel Ferreira’s expulsion, the assistant coach would have been scheduled for the press conference anyway, since the Palmeiras coach had a personal commitment after the classic at Morumbis.

Palmeiras’ Match:

— We know it was the third game with only two days of rest between each match. We know how exhausting the championship is. It’s no coincidence that we’re always fighting until the end to be champions. The rules force us to train and prepare for everything that can happen. Knowing how to defend wins championships, and we know how to do that very well. We prepared well for this. In the second half, we wanted to score the second and third goals, but we got the three points, which is the most important thing.

Is Vitor Roque physically well?

— About Roque, he played the final while injured, and that has consequences, since he got hurt in the semifinal. There needs to be management, and he works very hard, morning, afternoon, and night at the training center. He’s doing well, still not 100%, but this FIFA break will do him a lot of good. Today he came on and pushed them back. And about the management, that’s not our job, everyone has their own role.

When will Paulinho return?

— He’s progressing very well, being closely monitored. He’s already playing small games, operating in midfield, about 40% to 50% of a full match. But we’re not going to put pressure, expectations, or anxiety. God willing, he’ll continue to improve so that in three weeks he’ll be ready to play.

Andreas and Marlon booked and the Morumbis pitch

— It was a surprise, I thought it would be worse. It was better than I expected, very good. It’s normal for the pitch to lift, it’s a firm surface. Congratulations are in order. With this schedule, we prepare for everything, we don’t know what will happen. We weren’t expecting to take off Andreas and Marlon, but we were prepared. Since we have five substitutions, Arias was the one sacrificed. Andreas got a yellow card to make up for Enzo Díaz’s, that was clear. I also don’t know if there was a directive to balance the game. Sometimes, that drives us crazy. The game was so calm in the first half, and in the second half Arias gets pushed and nothing is called, then any touch becomes a foul and a card. One thing is certain: the law of compensation is very real here. We know that. All the referees.

Giay’s performance at Palmeiras

— We like competition in every position. Giay is 21 years old, he still has a lot to learn. Khellven is also young, he played a lot last year while injured because of a fractured finger. But we know that, with this schedule, there’s room for both players. Fortunately, both are doing well, they’re young and valued. And Giay played very well, very competitive. God willing, they’ll keep it up.

What’s next?

Now leading the Brasileirão, Palmeiras will only return to the field after the FIFA break, against Grêmio, in a match to be held at Arena Crefisa Barueri, on April 2nd, at 9:30 pm (Brasília time).

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