São Paulo slump without Marcos Antônio on the pitch | OneFootball

São Paulo is experiencing a sharp drop in performance without Marcos Antônio on the field. The midfielder has become an undisputed starter for coach Hernán Crespo, but when he is not in the lineup, the Tricolor team has struggled greatly to achieve positive results.

São Paulo played 21 matches with Marcos Antônio on the field under coach Hernán Crespo, recording ten wins, seven losses, and four draws—a success rate of 54%.

Without Marcos Antônio, the Tricolor faced six opponents, tallying four losses, one win, and one draw—a success rate of 22%.

As the owner of São Paulo’s midfield, Marcos Antônio has a huge influence on the team’s average goals scored and chances created.

According to sofascore, with him on the pitch, São Paulo averages 1.24 goals scored per game and 2.14 big chances created per match.

Without Marcos Antônio, the Tricolor averages 0.67 goals per game and 1.67 big chances created per match.

For these reasons and more, São Paulo will do everything possible to acquire Marcos Antônio permanently at the end of his loan contract, which expires in June 2026. The midfielder belongs to Lazio, from Italy, with whom he is under contract until June 2027.

Marcos Antônio’s importance to São Paulo is so great that he has started to appear on coach Carlo Ancelotti’s preliminary lists for the Brazilian National Team, even though the Tricolor is not having a great season.

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