Opinion: decline was clear after 30 days, pressure may be too much | OneFootball

Just over 30 days after the change in the technical command, São Paulo presents a picture that contradicts the club’s own official justification for the switch. At the time, football executive Rui Costa spoke of conviction, necessity, and a horizon of steady improvement. What we see, eight matches later, is a team that has lost precisely what had sustained its recent competitiveness: the ability to be efficient even without dazzling. Under Roger Machado, the performance has not made the promised leap and, worse, the results have started to expose weaknesses that previously were not so decisive.

The defeat to Vitória serves as a summary of this process. There was an initial spell of dominance, that is true, but it was sterile and produced little in concrete terms. Artur’s chance, right at the start, could have changed the course of the match, and that kind of detail is also part of football, but what followed reinforced a trend: the team was unable to turn its control into an advantage. It conceded the first goal, wasted two golden opportunities, had Lucas Ramon sent off and, from that point on, became so disorganized that it allowed the second blow in a predictable scenario.

Of course, there are circumstances that somewhat soften the picture: injuries have once again taken their toll, and a red card changes any plan. Even so, a month of work, including a FIFA international break devoted to training, should at least have preserved what had previously been functional. That was not the case. Players who had been in good form, such as Danielzinho and Marcos Antônio, no longer had the same impact. The collective play, which had previously compensated for individual limitations, came to depend on repeated and often ineffective solutions.

Outside analysis also helps put the problem into perspective. By pointing to a predictable São Paulo, insistent on wing plays and crosses even without its main aerial reference, opposing coach Jair Ventura laid bare the lack of variety, which goes from being an issue of execution to one of conception. When the plan is repeated without considering a context such as Calleri’s absence, the team becomes easier to neutralize. And that is exactly what happened.

There is also the political backdrop that makes everything more sensitive. The departure of Hernán Crespo, already questioned at the time it happened, now takes on an even harder-to-defend shape in light of the present. If the change was not made because of performance, how can a run with neither improvement nor results be justified? The answer inevitably points to those who made the decision. That helps explain why Roger’s stay is likely to be stretched to the limit by the board: admitting the mistake now would come at far too high a cost, and it was Rui Costa himself who said that a month ago.

The problem is that the pitch does not wait. With each game, the promise that the change was necessary drifts a little further from reality. And, without clear signs of a course correction, the risk is that São Paulo will not only fail to improve, but may end up cementing a scenario of regression that seemed unlikely just 34 days ago.

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