Vojvoda: Santos draw with Grêmio a bitter pill to swallow | OneFootball

Coach Juan Pablo Vojvoda expressed regret over Santos' 1-1 draw with Grêmio on Wednesday, in the 26th round of the Brazilian Championship. The Argentine believes that Santos was superior at Vila Belmiro, but once again failed when it came to finishing plays.

"We had a good first half. We didn't start the second half the way we ended the first. After their goal, the team responded in attitude and created very clear shots. There were three or four very clear ones. Football is about effectiveness. Today we lacked a bit of that effectiveness," he analyzed.

"We created more than 20 shots, four or five very clear ones. We missed the finish. The ones that hit the post are a matter of centimeters. The team keeps creating, imposing attack, but we received two shots and conceded a goal. We have to correct this. It left a bitter taste. We were playing at home and wanted the three points," he expanded.

"Santos was the protagonist today. I will continue working, listening to the critics, the players, the analysts and the technical staff. We need to improve the results, taking advantage of goal chances when we get them. We created many chances and scored only one goal. I will continue working for the team to impose itself on the opponent. Football lives off points and results. The way forward is to keep trying and propose an attacking game," he concluded.

Brave change

Vojvoda also took the opportunity to explain his substitution at half-time. He decided to take out midfielder João Schmidt to bring in center forward Tiquinho Soares. Thus, Barreal was moved back to midfield.

"Schmidt was on a yellow card. I have to take risks. Santos needs three points at home. They didn't fit well in the first few minutes of the second half. It's something to think about and analyze. I'm the coach who makes decisions. Schmidt was on a yellow card, it was a risk. I didn't want to continue the same way with Rincón," he said.

"We had ball control in the first half, but I wanted more presence in the area, so I put Tiquinho to play with Lautaro. It didn't work out at the beginning, but then Santos had a good match," he added.

Escobar or Souza?

Finally, the coach justified his choice to start Escobar. The left back returned from suspension and reclaimed his spot, leaving Souza on the bench. The youngster only came on in the final part of the second half.

"Souza had a good game against Bragantino, but I considered that Grêmio would play on the transition. Souza is very offensive, so I preferred to secure myself with Escobar, for him to stay in this surplus. They have individual transition players. I imagined this type of game. A Grêmio retreating and coming out in transitions, on the side," he concluded.

Table situation

With the result, Santos continues to hover near the relegation zone. The team of Juan Pablo Vojvoda is in 16th place, with 28 points, five more than Juventude, who opens the Z4. The difference to the first in the relegation zone, however, could decrease if Vitória (18th, with 22) beats Ceará, at home, this Thursday.

Next Santos game

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