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Palmeiras is experiencing his greatest series of invincibility in the last eight years, mainly due to draws. Without losing 17 matches, Vanderlei Luxemburg’s team achieved eight victories in this sequence, but drew more times: nine, the most recent yesterday (23), against Guaraní (PAR), in Libertadores. The post-match interview again showed the coach’s discomfort with the debate between performance and results in 2020.
Satisfied by Defensores del Chaco’s 0-0 score, which kept Verdão in the lead of Group B of the Copa Libertadores and one point from the standings, Luxa did not like the questions that asked what was missing for the team to play better and create more danger. The tone was different from that seen by the commander in the locker room, with players and coaching staff made to fulfill the objective.
“My concern was to come out with a draw or victory. You don’t always play at the ideal level, you play for the result and the result was very important, it left us close to a classification. Regarding the matter, we knew that we would face an intense rival and that I would definitely look for a victory. The tie was good for us and for them. We have one more point to qualify for. The Copa Libertadores, if you open too much, you leave the field with a defeat, “he justified.
Verdão has played 32 games this season, winning 16 of them, drawing 14 and losing only two. The trend is for the team to have more draws than in the last five seasons: there were 19 in 2019, 18 in 2018, 12 in 2017, plus 16 in 2016 and 13 in 2015.
The last time Palmeiras went so many games without losing was between November 2011 and March 2012, when he reached 22 invincibility games. That sequence, even greater than the current one, had fewer draws: 14 wins and eight games.
Despite these data, Luxemburg considers that Palmeiras has had relevant results in 2020: in addition to the São Paulo title, he is in the Brazilian’s G4 and undefeated in the Libertadores, with three victories and a draw. While the fans on social networks question the performance again, the coach once again considered the criticism his team received exaggerated.
“Looks like we lost the game asking questions,” he complained. At the most difficult moment of the season, at the start of the Brazilian Championship, Luxa already considered the analysis of his team too heavy. The team evolved and achieved good results against Red Bull Bragantino, Corinthians and Bolívar (BOL). Only in the Brazilian comes a sequence of two draws, against Sport and Grêmio, after coming out in front of the scoreboard.
With a match scheduled for Sunday (27) against Flamengo, for the Brazilian Championship, if Palmeiras draws again next Wednesday (30), against Bolívar, at Allianz Parque, it will guarantee a place in the knockout stages of the Copa Libertadores. The game is scheduled for 7.15pm.
