Coach Dorival Júnior explained Luciano’s absence from the San Paolo starters on Saturday night against Cruzeiro, at the Independência, for the 12th day of the Brazilian championship. The tricolor shirt number 10 started from the bench, used at half-time, but was also unable to avoid the 1-0 defeat.
“Everything’s fine. Option. We’ve made variations. Four or five players who played in the last match didn’t play. We did it so that we didn’t get injured. It’s hard to explain it to the fans, who want players to play every match.” Dorival Junior said.
Also in the first half, a large part of the San Paolo crowd present at the Independência chanted Luciano’s name in the stands. Dorival Júnior opted to take care of the crowd at half-time, removing Alisson to encourage the striker to come on, but the difficulty breaking through Cruzeiro’s defensive block remained the same.
Despite the importance of this Saturday’s match, which could lead São Paulo to the G4 of the Brazilian championship, Dorival Júnior has preferred to keep some of his athletes already thinking about the next commitments that the team will have ahead of it. Next Tuesday, for example, the Tricolor will host the Tiger, in Morumbi, in a clash that will define who will advance directly to the round of 16 of the Copa Sudamericana.
In addition to the commitment for the continental tournament, San Paolo will have the first leg of the Copa do Brasil quarter-finals, against Palmeiras, in Morumbi, in less than two weeks. Therefore, little care is taken to avoid new lesions in the cast.
“I try to make the best of what we have at the moment. Luciano could have started today, but our sequence of matches is very tough, we have three games. The goal is to have a strong team in all rounds. Our sequence will not go smooth. We will have decisive matches. I’m thinking about the future. That’s why some names will end up on the bench”, completed Dorival Júnior.
Source: Terra
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