Cuca backs Santos squad, eyes title challenge in the cups | OneFootball

Announced this Thursday, Cuca was officially presented as the new coach of Santos on Friday night. Registered with the BID, he will make his debut for Peixe on Sunday, against Cruzeiro. In his first words as the club's manager, Cuca commented on the swift negotiations that led to his hiring and revealed that he sees the squad as capable of fighting for titles in the cup competitions.

“I was watching the games on Wednesday. When they ended, I went to sleep and Alexandre called me. He told me that Vojvoda had left and asked if I would come, and I said yes. We didn’t talk about money and I said I’d be here on Friday,” he said.

“We have an outside view of the squad, we don’t follow the day-to-day and each player responds differently to commands. When a new coach arrives, sometimes it’s in that opportunity that players start to stand out. I don’t know exactly where the squad stands, but we have the conditions, especially in the cups, to go for the title. In the league, we’re a bit behind, but fighting for a Libertadores spot is a good deal,” he added.

Regarding Santos’ current situation, Cuca did not seem surprised, saying he has already been through more delicate situations at the club in previous stints. He also emphasized that he needs to make the players understand the greatness of Peixe.

“I’ve been through other situations at Santos itself, even more delicate ones. In my last stint, the situation was quite chaotic. We lost president Pérez, then Rollo, and ended up with Rueda. We had three months of overdue wages, which we managed to settle with the sales of Éverson and Sasha. That served as a lesson and the players gained confidence. We had a wonderful campaign in the Libertadores, which unfortunately ended as runners-up. We have enough time to make the players understand what Santos is, the greatness of the club. That has already started to be instilled in their minds since my first conversation with them,” he declared.

Finally, Cuca expressed concern about the team’s poor start to the season and emphasized the importance of better performances and results.

“I showed them the calendar and our performance so far this year and where that would leave us at the end of the season. The same points we earn today count in November. We have to try in every way to play well and get results,” he concluded.

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