Roger Machado watched all São Paulo games, aims to win over fans | OneFootball

Coach Roger Machado gave his first press conference as São Paulo’s new hire on the evening of Tuesday (10), at the Barra Funda training center. He signed a contract with Tricolor until December 2026.

Although the new coach arrives facing tremendous rejection from the fans, he tried, through good communication, to introduce himself to the apprehensive São Paulo supporters. He showed himself to be a great student of football, mentioning that he watched all the team’s matches while still under the command of his predecessor, Hernán Crespo.

“I watched all the games. Even while I was out of the market, it wasn’t about prospecting someone’s spot, but about analyzing models, athletes, to keep constantly evolving. What I saw from São Paulo’s game and the squad the club has is that it is balanced, with characteristics that allow for different systems. That’s how Crespo used it, with three defenders, a line of two, a midfield trio up front, a playmaker, wingers providing width. These are variations that allow for a greater range and working with different systems,” evaluated the coach from Rio Grande do Sul.

“From this moment on, I’m going to take advantage of a lot that’s already in place and start to implement important aspects of my own game. I like to have a balanced team, but one with an offensive vocation. That was one of the decisive factors for me to promptly accept being here. I identify with the way São Paulo has always played historically, seeking the goal, with attractive football.”

“One of the first things I told the players is that we have the duty to always keep the flame alive for winning titles. A big club must always look for first place. I found players who are very willing and eager to learn, which will lead them to great victories. You can see it in the players’ eyes. We’re going to build something that will take us into the history of this club. You see it in the eyes, the nods from these players who want to be part of São Paulo’s history,” Roger added.

The Tricolor fans were overwhelmingly against the arrival of the coach, as expressed in many posts on social media. The topic was addressed during the coach’s introduction, and he explained how he intends to change the scenario.

“With a lot of hard work. In life, some arrive more highly regarded, others less so, but everyone earns the fans’ trust through work and results. The evaluation of the work is the game. I like internal prestige; externally, validation comes with results, which sometimes happen more or less, in a way that the fan can identify with on the field, with the way the coach proposes the game.”

“I see a way for this team to play and I want the fans to identify with it and want to go to the stadium to see their team play. There’s no other way, it’s work. I know I have to earn the fans’ trust, it has never been any different. I’m sure they will embrace me,” he said.

“Unfortunately or not, we live by victory. I’ve arrived at places highly regarded and left unappreciated, and the opposite has happened too, it’s part of our life. That doesn’t scare me.”

DOES THE PRESSURE SCARE YOU?

“I’m not scared by that, I trust my work. That’s how my life has always been. I went to try out to become a player at 17, and they said it was too late. I played my first professional match, got home, and my mother was reading the newspaper that said Grêmio could look for another full-back because that one couldn’t play, and I played 505 matches for the club.”

“When I wanted to become a coach, they said there are few Black coaches in football, you wouldn’t be the exception, and I am the exception. Life is full of trials and this is a great opportunity. I can’t allow myself to go through São Paulo without this experience and wanting to build this story. I need to do something here that makes me want to come back, and that is winning. We are tested every day. What every player needs to build is self-esteem to deal with the pressures of daily life,” concluded Roger Machado in his introduction at Tricolor.

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