Witch hunt: São Paulo hit by weekly injuries with Enzo Díaz | OneFootball

The medical department of São Paulo has just gained another member, with the announcement this Thursday (13) that left-back Enzo Díaz underwent surgery, which is expected to keep him off the field for the rest of the season.

It sounds unbelievable, but the Argentine became the 63rd injury case in the tricolor squad this season, the seventh requiring some type of surgical intervention.

Indeed, in a more straightforward analysis of the Morumbi club's season, it’s hard not to point to the Reffis as one of its biggest villains.

On average, São Paulo had a new injury (or medical problem) registered every five days of the year.

If that still seems little to you, just look at another perspective: also in mathematical proportion, both Hernán Crespo and his predecessor, Luis Zubeldía, each had seven absences per match this year.

For Crespo, the situation is precarious by itself. Under his command, the Tricolor matched the record of 12 injuries in a game against Bragantino last weekend, a record previously held by Rogério Ceni in a match against Puerto Cabello for the Copa Sudamericana in April 2023.

All indications are that, if the medical department does not recover anyone in time, this record will be broken in the classic against Corinthians, on the upcoming 20th (Thursday), in Itaquera.

Not surprisingly, as AVANTE MEU TRICOLOR revealed, Crespo demanded changes in the DM for the next season. And he will be accommodated.

São Paulo has hired orthopedist Lucas Leite as one of its new doctors. He will lead the much-discussed reformulation. Among other measures, he will implement new regenerative procedures for athletes. The investments, starting in January and lasting the next three years, will be approximately R$ 21 million, largely funded by partnerships established by the Morumbi club.

Leite's arrival strengthens the São Paulo medical department, which has been understaffed since September, when Ricardo Galotti left the club for rival Corinthians, accepting an invitation from coach Dorival Júnior.

Galotti was the second consecutive doctor to leave São Paulo to work at Corinthians. Fábio Luiz Novi, who joined the club in 2023 along with him, transferred to Parque São Jorge at the beginning of 2024 alongside psychologist Anahy Couto. Both, however, left the rival after just over two months there.

Galotti and Novi joined São Paulo at the request of then-coach Rogério Ceni for a restructuring of the Reffis. As a result, Carlos Tadeu Moreno was dismissed, and José Sanchez, a historic name at Morumbi, was given a symbolic role as medical coordinator of the transition, which he holds to this day, no longer frequenting the daily routine at the Barra Funda CT.

Without Galotti, the Morumbi club has Pedro Henrique Perez in its medical department, who joined last year to replace Novi and is expected to take over as head of the sector.

In addition to him, the Tricolor has physiotherapists Felipe Marques (currently the Reffis coordinator), Carlos Alberto Presinoti, Cilmara Moretti, Bruno Nestlehner, and Igor Phillip, and physiologists Luis Fernando de Barros and Paulo Teixeira, as well as nutritionists Gabriela Giglio and Jaqueline Guedes.

In total, including his time with the Brazilian National Team, where he went after leaving São Paulo at the beginning of 2024, Dorival has taken exactly ten professionals from the tricolor staff in total.

Source: Anotações Tricolores

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