Roger backs strong São Paulo in Sula, boos justified: “Fans’ team” | OneFootball

Coach Roger Machado lamented the wave of injuries that has hampered São Paulo at the start of his tenure and justified the decision to field the starting lineup in Tuesday’s 2-0 win over O’Higgins at Morumbis, in the second round of the Copa Sudamericana. After Luciano and Sabino, Marcos Antonio became the latest player to get injured. The No. 8 was substituted still in the first half with pain in the back of his right thigh and will be re-evaluated by the medical department.

“This was my ninth game of the year. We’re talking about nine games in the span of a month. There was a break for the FIFA international window, which then makes things more intense afterward. Naturally, precisely because of the schedule in a World Cup year, everything became very compressed. We don’t plan for losses, but we do need to understand them by quantifying workloads and taking players out to minimize those losses. We managed to hold Luciano out for one or two games, Sabino is also being managed and should already be available this weekend. Even with all the experience and equipment, you’re going to have small problems — there’s no way around that,” the coach assessed.

The coach also explained what motivated the decision to put the best São Paulo had available on the field for Tuesday’s clash. In their Copa Sudamericana opener, Tricolor rested some players, unlike what happened at Morumbis against O’Higgins, with all the starters on the pitch. Luciano, Calleri, and Bobadilla, for example, returned to the team after physical issues.

“It’s going to be game by game, especially because today we had players returning after being out, so the load decreased. In the match against Vitória, Enzo came off and had his load reduced. We’re going to keep measuring the games and travel demands. The scoreline influences you and allows you to give more minutes or rest a certain player. It’s going to be game by game. The choice to give those players minutes isn’t based only on the current moment of the competition. We need medium-term planning to maintain control, stay alert at all times, and avoid major problems. There will be problems, but whether they last one week or three, all of that comes down to control,” he justified.

“The boos were fair,” says Roger

Roger Machado believes São Paulo’s result was better than the performance they delivered at Morumbis. Tricolor opened the scoring in the seventh minute of the first half through Luciano and then dropped the pace. The below-par display drew a reaction from the fans, who booed the players as they left the field at halftime.

“I’ve been here for a month. We are looking for consistency in performances along with results. The fans, when they express themselves, are within their rights. We scored early, and the first half was not good. The opponent created more than we did, defended well deep, and we started to offer what they wanted, which was central play and counterattacks, with unforced passes in an area of the field where we knew the opponent had set a trap. The boos in the first half were fair,” he said.

“In the second half, we looked for positional adjustments that gave us width and led to the second goal. When the fans boo, we have to understand that we need to improve. The team belongs to the fans, and it’s up to us to turn results into more balanced performances so the fans leave happy with both halves,” he added.

In the second half, São Paulo managed to extend their lead thanks to a goal by Artur, who played a one-two with Bobadilla, then with Luciano, and then with Calleri before finishing past the goalkeeper. Given the pressure-filled atmosphere at Morumbis, Roger emphasized his final analysis of the match.

“The first half wasn’t good, even though we went ahead. After the goal, we gave the opponent what they wanted, which was central play and counterattacks. I made adjustments at halftime, and we managed to do different things in the second half. But without a doubt, the result was better than the performance,” the coach concluded.

Standings situation

With the result, São Paulo moved to the top of Copa Sudamericana Group C. Tricolor claimed their second win in the tournament, maintained a 100% record, and reached six points.

São Paulo’s next matches

Vasco x São Paulo (12th round of the Brazilian Championship) Date and time: 04/18 (Saturday), 6:30 p.m. (Brasília time) Venue: São Januário, in Rio de Janeiro (RJ)

São Paulo x Juventude (first leg of the fifth round of the Copa do Brasil) Date and time: 04/21 (Tuesday), 7:15 p.m. (Brasília time) Venue: Morumbis, in São Paulo (SP)

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