Victor Bagy: Atlético in crisis, red alert on, need a reaction

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·21 de setembro de 2025

Victor Bagy: Atlético in crisis, red alert on, need a reaction

The Atlético's football director, Victor Bagy, held a press conference after the 1-0 defeat to Botafogo this Saturday (20), at the Nilton Santos stadium, for the 24th round of the Brazilian Championship Serie A. The result kept Galo in a delicate moment of the season: it has been seven games without a win, five in the Brasileirão, one in the Copa do Brasil, and one in the South American Cup. Not even the arrival of coach Jorge Sampaoli, who has completed four games in charge of the team (two draws and two losses), managed to change the scenario.

Victor acknowledged the critical phase and pointed out the need for an immediate reaction on the field.

Vídeos OneFootball

“It's a moment when the red alert is on. The team's performance is below what is expected from the squad we have. People talk about the squad, about recruitment. Do we have the perfect squad? We don't. Maybe 1 or 2 teams in Brazil have something close to that. We worked during the mid-year transfer window to minimize these shortcomings, and the signings were assertive. The fact is that the players' confidence is low, not due to a lack of quality, but due to a lack of confidence itself. You can perform when you're confident. It's time to respond on the field, the moment demands it. We have the last quarter to finish the year well, we have the South American Cup which is our great chance for a title this season, and we know the need to recover in the Brazilian Championship. We will have to mobilize even more, work, because at this moment any mistake is fatal. We made a mistake today and it cost us, as Sampaoli said, we were not forceful. It was an opportunity to win away from home.”

The black-and-white director dismissed the possibility of relationship problems within the squad, denied possible financial issues, and assured that the poor moment is solely about performance.

“(The team) is not delivering, it's not just the fans, we also have this assessment. There is no, it's good to emphasize, there is no relationship problem, internal, split in the squad. It requires work, dialogue, to restore the confidence and self-esteem of players who have the ability to decide games. Relationship problems, financial issues, not embracing the coach's idea, do not exist. There is a bad moment, which only depends on us to reverse with work.”

Regarding Sampaoli's arrival – who replaced Cuca – and the continuation of poor results, the director stressed that the pressure is constant and that the team can perform better.

“Of course, there is pressure. We are, day by day, doing this. We are in the locker room, evaluating game by game, where we went wrong and where we got it right. The pressure comes from top to bottom, but the self-assessment of each one is that everyone can perform better. We know this team can play much more than it has been playing.”

Asked about Cuello's absence, who suffered an injury, Victor highlighted the moment when the club cannot resort to the market, talked about the youth base but sees a solution within the squad itself:

“The window is closed, we can't bring anyone in. We have youth players with potential, but we have to respect the process so as not to rush stages. Sampaoli has just arrived, he has been evaluating the youth players, and there are players with potential indeed. December is another story, we are already starting the planning to identify movements at the end of the year. Regarding Cuello, we regret it a lot because he is an important player in our structure, we have to wait for his return and try to lift those who are in a condition to play to overcome this moment.”

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