Palmeiras eye Fifa dates to ease fatigue after gruelling start | OneFootball

Palmeiras’ gruelling start to 2026 has come under scrutiny after a 2-1 defeat to Vasco on Thursday in the Campeonato Brasileiro. According to Globo.com, heavy pitches and a relentless run have left the squad visibly stretched.

Assistant coach João Martins said the side faded badly after the break at São Januário, especially those with the highest minutes this year. He added they would have made earlier changes if they had known how much the team would drop, noting a lack of clarity and the physical burden.

Palmeiras ended 2025 on 7 December with a 3-1 win over Ceará in Fortaleza. The squad reconvened on 4 January for pre-season, then faced their first assignment 10 days later.

The Campeonato Paulista opener brought a 1-0 win over Portuguesa at Canindé, with Luighi scoring, and several first-choice players were rested.

After nearly two months, Palmeiras have played 17 games, roughly one every 3.4 days. The return is strong at 74%, with 12 wins, two draws and three defeats, yet the wear is clear.

Many have barely paused. Gustavo Gómez has missed only two of those 17 matches and has 1,308 minutes, an 87 per game average, second only to Carlos Miguel, a starter in the 15 fixtures he has featured in.

Managing workloads now looks key until the Fifa dates start on 22 March. Abel Ferreira’s side have three fixtures before then, Mirassol and Botafogo at Allianz Parque and São Paulo at Morumbis, the first against Mirassol on Sunday at 18:30.

Source: Globo.com