The coach shrugs off that Gallo has a chance of relegation to the Brazilian league and highlights that his focus is on Palmeiras, their next opponent.
Picture: Pedro Souza / Atletico – Caption: Sampaoli suffers his sixth defeat in his second spell at Atletico / Jogada10
Atletico continued its winless streak in the Brazilian Championship with a 1-0 loss to Fortaleza, on Sunday (11/30), in a postponed match for the 35th round of the Brazilian League. Thus, the negative result made Gallo distance himself from the opportunity to redeem himself as runner-up in the South American Championship. In this case, a place in the Copa Libertadores is guaranteed through the national competition.
Coach Jorge Sampaoli believes that the Minas Gerais team was superior on certain occasions in the match. However, Atlético’s defeat to Leao do Pessie occurred mainly due to a lack of effectiveness.
“It was a match in which the opposing team played better inside the penalty area. We dominated with many passes into the opponent’s court, had more possession and only had one chance to tie the game. Fortaleza scored in the first goal which then led to a transition game and we had no chance,” said the Argentine captain.
Sampaoli added: “We dominated in several moments of the match and in other situations. If we had been better, we would have scored the goal first and the match would have been different. It was a difficult match for us. I think we tried, we changed the team, but we could not achieve control on the opponent’s field or the passes into the opponent’s field would create more danger.”
The coach ignores the drop
In the current scenario, the setback has caused Gallo to fall to 13th place in the Brazilian championship. By the way, mathematically, the team has the possibility of relegation to the second division, as the difference is four points to the first team within Z-4. Unlike goalkeeper Iverson, the coach ignored the issue and indicated that he was focusing his attention on his next commitment.
“I’m worried about the team’s victory. We have a home game against a very strong opponent and we played the previous match against Flamengo, and in the end we drew against the champion Libertadores,” said the Argentine.
Atletico still dreams of the Copa Libertadores
On the other hand, Atletico can also qualify for the pre-Libertadores stage. Even with a small possibility, the distance to São Paulo, currently in eighth place, is only three points. In the current context, the Brazilian League offers seven places for the main continental club competition. The scenario may change with the addition of another participant if Cruzeiro or Fliumense, the two teams that have already secured their place in the Group of Seven, win the Brazilian Cup.
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