Abel Ferreira lives at a crossroads and could give up the 6th member of his riot squad

At Palmeiras since November 2020, coach Abel Ferreira has built an unmistakable identity for his multi-champion team.

Part of this construction, of course, involves establishing a hard core of starting players, a shock troop for Abelismo. Of which Zé Rafael has been part since the coach’s first games at the club.

Out of action for five matches with low back pain, Zé has no deadline to return. After the goalless draw with São Pauloon Monday (29) the coach explained that the midfielder’s issue, as it is pain and not an injury that can be assessed with imaging tests, is more subjective at this point.

— He is the one who will say when he will be comfortable returning — said the Portuguese, after the game for the Brazilian championship.

— He’s a player we like and need a lot. We have four more beautiful players in midfield: Aníbal, Ríos, Menino, Fabinho and Zé. We have five players for first and second midfielder. A position I’m happy with. One of the positions we are well served in. But we have to wait and see when it can help us.

Despite the coach’s speech, the point is to know whether Zé will have a place in the starting team when he returns.

Five have already been

From the first group to form Abel’s shock troops, there were those who left, such as Viña, Danilo and Scarpa. And some lost starting status, like Marcos Rocha, Luan and Rony, who went to the bench for Mayke, Murilo and Endrick, for example. A path that seems to be the one Zé Rafael will take.

Today, Zé Rafael fights for place with Richard Ríos as second midfielder. Although he was a successful number 5 last season, Zé cannot compete with Aníbal Moreno in the position. The Argentine arrived and took the place for himself, with no room for dispute.

The problem is that Zé seems to have incorporated the role of 5, and he no longer performed as much when returning to play as 8 this year, alongside Moreno — a sector in which Ríos has been performing much more.

Zé has already started the transition schedule. Which means that your injury, in itself, is healed. The number 8 is going through a moment of gradual readjustment, both technically and physically.

With a long calendar and a Copa America In the meantime, Zé Rafael will certainly continue to have a lot of minutes at Palmeiras. But titleholder status, not necessarily.

In a hypothetical situation of the Libertadores final next week, with all athletes available and equally physically fit, it is no longer possible to say that the number 8 would start the match on the field, for example.

What Palmeiras gains with Zé Rafael

• Zé Rafael has been part of the backbone of Palmeiras since 2020
• The number 8 has ascendancy over the group, being one of those who has spent the longest time at the club
• Zé was the leader of Palmeiras’ defensive actions in 2022 and 2023
• The midfielder also has a good set piece and mid-range shot.
• Very physically strong, Zé imposes himself against his rivals in midfield

What Palmeiras gains with Ríos

• Richard Ríos is a more mobile player
• Ríos is also faster and tends to step into the area more in offensive actions
• The Colombian shoots very hard from medium distance
• Against defensive teams, Rios helps break lines with dribbles and boards
• More slender, Ríos tends to be less tired at the end of games
• Ríos has more ease in the aerial game

Palmeiras’ next games

• Palmeiras x Botafogo-SP — Copa do Brasil — Thursday, May 2, at 9:30 pm (Brasília time) — SporTV and Premiere;
• Cuiabá x Palmeiras — Brazilian Championship — Sunday, May 5, at 6:30 pm (Brasília time) — Premiere;
• Liverpool x Palmeiras — Copa Libertadores – Thursday, May 9, at 7pm (Brasília Time) — Paramount+.