Abel’s assistant blames Palmeiras loss on pitch: “A potato field” | OneFootball

João Martins replaced the suspended Abel Ferreira on the sidelines during Palmeiras' 2-1 defeat to Vasco on Thursday night. The assistant coach pointed out what was decisive for the team's first setback in the Brasileirão and criticized the conditions of the pitch at Estádio São Januário, which hosted the match.

This was Verdão's first match after winning the Campeonato Paulista, which took place last Sunday in Novo Horizonte (SP). Vasco, on the other hand, returned to the field 11 days after being eliminated from the Campeonato Carioca. João Martins mentioned the rest interval between the teams and blamed the wear and tear for Palmeiras' drop in performance in the second half.

“I was rooting for Vasco in the Campeonato Carioca, so Vasco would have played two days ago like us. Unfortunately, they couldn't reach the final. We faced a team that changed coaches and had extra energy, as they hadn't competed for 11 days. A very heavy field, it seems like they played on it yesterday, but they hadn't played for 11 days, and we will continue to talk about synthetic pitches. As long as the CBF doesn't take action…,” he remarked.

“On television, you can't see it, but underneath the field, it looks like they planted potatoes. The field has ups and downs, almost half a meter. It is what it is, it's grassroots football. We're in 2026, and some things don't change, but the blame is on the synthetic. On Sunday, we had a very heavy game where the ball wouldn't roll. Today here, in the first half, the ball wouldn't roll… then it started to rain, and it became a small potato field,” he continued.

João Martins explains drop in performance

In a lukewarm first half, Palmeiras took the lead with a stunning goal by Flaco López. However, in the second half, Palmeiras' performance dropped, and Vasco responded. The home team equalized with Thiago Mendes in the 17th minute and then turned the game around ten minutes later with a goal from Cuiabano.

“In the second half, the team tried, if we had a magic wand, because in the first half there were no signs that the team would break down so much. If we had a magic wand, we would have made substitutions at halftime, two or three to inject more energy, that was what was missing. And if we notice the first four or five balls of the second half, it was really due to a lack of clarity, and the physical aspect influenced a lot. But it is what it is, Brazilian football is like this, we've been here for five and a half years, what we have to do is keep working and win from me,” analyzed João Martins.

“Sometimes you need to be lucky and face teams that are at the same level as us. This team had 11 days to prepare for this game. For better or worse, it's a big difference. It is what it is, Brazilian football is like this. But no excuses, being different is what it is, it's Brazilian football, no excuses. It's about moving forward,” he concluded.

Palmeiras' Situation

With the result, Palmeiras suffered its first defeat in the Brasileirão and lost the lead to São Paulo, which reached 13 points. Abel Ferreira's team remains with ten points and drops to second place. Now, they have three wins, one draw, and one loss.

Palmeiras' Next Match

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