Vasco hit top-four form under Renato Gaúcho | OneFootball

Vasco’s situation has undergone a radical transformation since the arrival of head coach Renato Gaúcho. The high-profile manager took over the Cruz-Maltino side when it was stuck at the bottom of the Brazilian Championship, with just one point after the end of the fourth round. Exactly five matches after that coaching change, the Rio club is breathing easier and already sits in eighth place in the standings, with 12 points and dreaming of aiming much higher this season.

The impact of the new coaching staff has been immediate and unquestionable. In five matches played, Vasco has collected three wins and two draws, remaining completely unbeaten. This excellent run translates into a 73.3% success rate, a level of performance equivalent to teams occupying the coveted top four of the national tournament.

+ Focus on the derby! Renato praises Vasco’s performance and brushes aside excuses: “Thinking big”

Title-challenging form and confidence at Vasco

For comparison in terms of Vasco’s leap in quality, Palmeiras, the current outright leader with 22 points, has an 81.48% success rate. Just below the São Paulo side, Fluminense and Bahia have posted a 70% return from the points contested, showing that the Cruz-Maltino side has been performing at the same level as the country’s best clubs in this recent stretch. Since the change in the dugout, only their tricolor rival has earned more points (12) than the Giant of the Hill (11).

The current sense of excitement is backed up by the coach himself. After the latest clash in the south of the country, the manager made a point of praising the squad’s commitment:

The original goal and the next challenge at São Januário

The team’s strong recovery in the league has revived Vasco’s board’s original plans. At the beginning of the year, during the first planning stages still under coach Fernando Diniz, the club’s leadership firmly believed the squad had the quality to fight for a place in the Libertadores qualifying rounds. Now, with tactical stability achieved, that objective has once again become the institution’s main focus.

To prove that the bad spell is definitely in the past, the Cruz-Maltino squad returns to the pitch this Saturday (04). The challenge will be the state derby against Botafogo, under the lights of São Januário, in a match valid for the 10th round. A win in the cauldron could push Vasco firmly into the leading pack.

Renato Gaúcho brought back the group’s confidence – Photo: Jorge Rodrigues/AGIF

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