Analysis: Santos does well in the most difficult game of the year and shows that he has what it takes to be champion | saints

In the most difficult match of the season so far, Santos gave the best possible response on the field. Against the very strong Palmeiras, in the first game of the Paulistão final, coach Fábio Carille’s team competed from start to finish, won with a goal from Otero in a play created by Guilherme and – despite all the predictions made at the beginning of the year – is in a position to be champion.

Santos 1 x 0 Palmeiras | best moments | final game 1 | Paulista Championship 2024

Peixe’s performance last Sunday night was signed by coach Fábio Carille. That is, an organized, compact team, with speed on the edges of the field and, above all, with everyone on the field committed to giving everything they have for victory.

Despite the fact that the team retreated after the goal and suffered strong pressure from Palmeiras in the final minutes, the strategy worked. Now, Santos is playing for a draw to win the Campeonato Paulista cup.

It is an arduous task to make any analysis about this team without contextualizing the significant reformulation of the squad carried out in the months of December and January.

Of the athletes who were there last year, marked by an unprecedented fall in the Brasileirão, only João Paulo, Joaquim, Tomás Rincón and Felipe Jonatan were on the field in the final with Palmeiras. All the other 12 names that defended Peixe in the decision arrived in the interseason, hired or promoted from the base.

Seeing this team play on equal terms against Palmeiras – owner of one of the most solid projects in Brazilian football for more than half a decade – is something that deserves attention. Nobody would have put Santos on Paulistão’s list of favorites at the beginning of the year and, now, the club is close to winning.

Watch the press conference by Fábio Carille, Santos coach, after the victory against Palmeiras

Due to everything that has happened in the recent past, it is possible to say that Santos is prepared to be champion. Whether or not he will win the title is another story, which we will only learn about on Sunday, at Allianz Parque.

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