Despite recent failures, San Paolo’s defense is one of the highlights of the season

Compared to other Brazilian teams, the Tricolore is showing great numbers in the defensive sector

Although San Paolo’s last game, in the defeat against Palmeiras, was marked by defensive failures – mainly due to mistakes by Arboleda -, the Italian defensive sector was one of the great strengths of the season.

Some training courses are even directed specifically to this sector. In training this Saturday (17th), for example, part of the activity was aimed at working on the team’s defensive organization.

Among Brazilian teams, São Paulo is one of the teams that has conceded the fewest goals this year. In 32 matches, 53 goals were scored in favor and only 24 were conceded. However, analyzing the squad, it is possible to understand the reason for this performance. One of the names that stands out in this story is Rafael, the only player in the squad who has started all the games this season.

Rafael, at least according to what has been shown throughout the year, has managed to solve a problem that afflicted San Paolo since Rogério Ceni’s retirement: the lack of a goalkeeper who could establish himself in the team and meet expectations.

In the Campeonato Brasileiro, Rafael is the third goalkeeper with the most difficult saves, according to polls made by FootStats. To date, he has amassed eleven challenging saves. Only Léo Jardim, from Vasco, with 17 saves, and Fábio, from Fluminense, with 12 saves, precede him in this ranking. This means that, on average, the goalkeeper has made about one tricky save per game. It is also notable that Rafael has kept clean sheets in half of his 32 games so far.

Indeed, Rafael is ahead of big rivals, such as Palmeiras, in this respect. It is important to remember that in July São Paulo will decide their future in the Copa do Brasil against Palmeiras. In the Brazilian championship, Abel Ferreira’s side have made only four difficult defenses so far.

But the credit is not attributed only to him. This year a couple of defenders surprised, above all thanks to the presence of a player trained in the basic categories of San Paolo, who has become one of the great revelations of the year: Beraldo. While Arboleda had already been a reliable part of the team for some time, Beraldo started turning professional last year and, this season, is already considered one of the team’s greatest strengths.

This can be explained through numbers. Although Arboleda was one of the “culprits” in the match against Palmeiras, São Paulo conceded ten goals with the defender on the pitch. Without his presence, there were 14 goals conceded. As for the statistics, Arboleda stands out for his tackling, with an average accuracy of 100% in the Brazilian league. Beraldo, on the other hand, according to FootStats, is the player on the squad with the most correct interceptions, a total of six, and also has an average accuracy of 100%.

Although Arboleda is a certain misappropriation against Athletico-PR due to his call-up to the Ecuadorian national team, the mistakes made against Palmeiras shouldn’t make him lose his place in the squad, given his performance throughout the season so far.

Source: Terra

Rose

Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.