Spinelli isolated on quiet Vasco debut, crosses ineffective | OneFootball

The anticipation for Claudio Spinelli's debut was high, but the first 35 minutes of the Argentine wearing the Vasco jersey reflected the team's troubled moment in the defeat against Bahia. Brought on by coach Fernando Diniz in the 19th minute of the second half in place of Brenner, the 29-year-old forward could do little to prevent the setback at São Januário, getting "boxed in" by the opposing defense and suffering from the team's tactical disorganization in the final stretch of the match valid for the Brasileirão.

The performance of the number 77 was marked by physical struggle, but with little technical effectiveness, largely due to the long period of inactivity — his last official match was on December 21, still for Independiente del Valle. In his first participation, he received the ball in the area and headed it, but the ball slowly went to the right of the goal defended by goalkeeper Ronaldo, marking his clearest chance in the game.

+ Vasco loses to Bahia at São Januário and remains winless in the Brasileirão 2026

Statistics reveal little offensive participation at Vasco

According to detailed data from the platform SofaScore, Spinelli's production was timid. The new Vasco player registered only two shots (both off target), completed three out of four attempted passes, and lost possession three times. The heat map and statistics show that he tried to leave the area to get involved in play and help in the build-up, but without success: he attempted a dribble that didn't work.

The positive aspect was in the aerial game, where he won two out of three duels, showing that he can be an important weapon in this aspect when he reaches the ideal rhythm.

The tactical problem: 27 crosses and a closed defense

The analysis of the debut is directly linked to the strategy adopted by Vasco in desperation. Behind on the scoreboard, the team overused aerial balls, totaling an impressive 27 crosses in the second half alone. In this "crossing" scenario, Spinelli ended up isolated among the defenders of the Bahia team, who repelled the vast majority of the attempts. The Argentine was boxed in the defense, and the ball rarely reached him with quality for finishing.

Now, the technical staff is racing against time to adapt the reinforcement and improve his integration ahead of the decisive clash against Volta Redonda this Saturday (14), for the quarterfinals of the Campeonato Carioca. As for the national tournament, the next commitment will be against Santos, at Vila Belmiro, at the end of the month.

+ Follow Papo na Colina's social networks: Thread, Bluesky, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok and Google News.

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