Mano admits 'desperation to do the basics' and sees difficulty in Grêmio's evolution

After the 1-1 draw with Godoy Cruz and the intense boos from the fans at the Arena due to the team's performance and situation during the season, coach Mano Menezes was incisive when addressing the setback and Grêmio's next steps . The coach was asked about the underwhelming performance and also about the individual performance of some athletes. In his answers, he was succinct and acknowledged the adverse moment.

“Obviously, it wasn’t the result we wanted. We tried to press to avoid the ball going directly to the attackers. That’s why we started with two forwards to apply that pressure. I still think we conceded goals too easily and opened up the middle unnecessarily . If you have any doubts, go to the side and not the center,” he explained. The head of the dugout stressed that Igor Serrote had a fracture in his hand. João Pedro, also replaced due to injury, has not yet had his condition disclosed.

When asked about the quality of the squad and the transfer window, Mano was evasive. “It’s not fair to criticize. I think that as a team we can improve with simple steps and then everyone improves a little.” However, he warns that, like the others, Grêmio should use the transfer window to strengthen itself .

Given the hectic schedule, the coach played his seventh game in 22 days of work. “We really don’t have the conditions to train. I rarely trained the team that was going to start the day before. We lack the repetition exercise. We are living in a moment of desperation to do the obvious . It is very tense to go into the game without knowing what your team can produce”, he says.

Regarding Cristaldo, Mano guarantees that the Argentine felt discomfort and was spared so as not to make it worse. Still in the middle, Villasanti and Edenilson are close to returning and should be included in the next game . Given the bad phase and the pressure from the fans to win, Tricolor turns its focus to the Brazilian Championship, in which it also needs to react. The next opponent is São Paulo, at 9 pm this Saturday, away from home.