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Renato Gaúcho put Fernando Diniz in his pocket. After a first game, at the Gremista Arena, in which São Paulo was better and did not deserve to lose; the Grêmio coach arrived in Morumbi with a well-defined plan on what to do to ensure qualification for the final of the Brazilian Cup. The São Paulo coach thought that it would be enough to continue playing, as he has always done, that the victory would be natural, as it could have happened in the first game, had it not been for the incredibly lost goals by Brenner and Luciano. He found the donkeys in the water.
In the second and decisive duel of the tricolor, the gaucho was much more intelligent and effective than the paulista. Contrary to what happened in the first game, Grêmio came to play in a World Cup final (and he played like that) and, despite having strong marking, in his field, as a number one priority, he had the best opportunities to score , including a ball on the post, by Vitor Ferraz, at the start of the game.
In the second half, after being forced to replace, due to exhaustion or injury, their best players (Diego Souza, Jean Pyerre, Alisson, Pepê and Victor Ferraz), the Rio Grande do Sul team locked up in defense and fought fiercely, with every split, to every ball. Grêmio’s face. And São Paulo simply did not know what to do with their traditional and gigantic possession of the ball. Vanderlei, a union goalkeeper, didn’t even have to make a difficult defense, which sums up the game well.
As the Catalan Domènec Torrent used to do, in Flamengo, Diniz closed the match with five attackers and only one official defender, Arboleda. Did you make any progress? Nothing. Why São Paulo simply has a unique game scheme, based on the touch of the ball from one side of the field to the other until a space appears. It did not arrive. And none of the São Paulo players could find a gap. Not Daniel Alves, technically the most gifted, but on an uninspired night.
It is true that Reinaldo and Luciano’s absences weighed heavily. But they cannot justify such an amorphous and incompetent performance. Thus, São Paulo de Diniz fails in the fourth consecutive competition: Paulistinha, Libertadores, Sudamericana and, now, Copa do Brasil. Not without reason, the fans (who gathered, irresponsibly, around Morumbi) now shout that the Brazilian is an obligation.
It began to be. Have you ever wondered if Diniz’s team misses the title, even with a seven point lead, with only 11 rounds to play? Even though Flamengo can close that gap if he wins the postponed match against Grêmio?
The next rounds will be decisive. To what extent can the psychological factor influence the Brazilian’s leader in the future? Atlético Mineiro and Flamengo are watching. And they can threaten, in case of stumbling in São Paulo.
Over time: most likely Grêmio, from now on, will give priority to the Brazil Cup. Like Palmeiras (the other finalist) that still has Libertadores. What effect will this have on the final stretch of the Brasileirão? And what will they say about Fernando Diniz’s year if he loses this title again?
The next chapters promise to be exciting …
