Willian Arão sees Palmeiras as strong, open to new roles at Santos | OneFootball

The week for Santos is a decisive one. Enduring a five-game winless streak and sitting in 17th place in the Brasileirão, Vojvoda's team faces Palmeiras at Vila Belmiro at a critical moment. With two points less than the first club outside the relegation zone, Peixe knows it must react immediately against a historically tough rival.

For Willian Arão, the essence of Palmeiras does not change, regardless of which players Abel Ferreira selects. The midfielder emphasized that the Santos squad needs to take the field ready to match the intensity of the derby.

“The tricky part is that their players’ characteristics change, but their style of play does not. They have a very competitive team, they fight for the second ball, they go in physically. They’ve been doing this for four, five years. We need to be more competitive than they are. Have the courage to take risks, to create chances. There’s no way around it,” he said.

In light of recent defensive problems and Vojvoda’s adjustments, Arão also spoke again about playing as a center-back—a position in which he has played and won titles. According to him, his priority is to help Santos in the dramatic situation the club is facing.

“I made it clear since I arrived: I’m here to help Santos in any position. I’m a midfielder by trade, I think I help more in that role, but I’ve already been champion twice as a center-back. If the team benefits from me in defense, I’ll do my best,” he stated.

With Santos under pressure and needing to react, Arão emphasized that the moment demands total commitment, regardless of individual roles: “What matters is Santos winning. Wherever the coach puts me, I’ll give my all,” the midfielder concluded.

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