Zubeldia highlights ‘strength’ and praises Sotildo’s tactical role: ‘He took care of the ball’

Finally, coach Luis Zubeldia lifted the weight off his shoulders. The Argentine was one of the main responsible for Fluminense’s start in the second round, and was still searching for his first victory as a visitor in charge of the team. The victory came, in fact, on Tuesday (2/12), against Gremio, 2-1, in Porto Alegre. After the match, the coach celebrated the result and admitted that the team was “owed” for this away performance outside Rio de Janeiro.

“It was important to win here,” Zubeldia said. “We deserved to win as a visitor.”

He explained that to achieve victory away from home, the team needs strength:

“We created three great scoring chances… out of four great chances, we converted two.”

The coach also highlighted the team’s defensive position, which confronted Gremio’s sectors and did not allow the opponent to play comfortably until the ball collided with the crossbar.

Zubeldía praises Soteldo’s performance

The highlight of the night was Yeferson Soteldo. The Venezuelan, who was the target of criticism, scored both goals in the win. But Zubeldia was keen to praise the player beyond his goals.

The coach said: “Sotildo did a very comprehensive job, because he scored goals on the one hand, and took care of the ball on the other hand.”

It also highlighted the defensive sacrifice of the striker, who helped with recoveries and even stole balls.

For Zubeldia, seeing a player with attacking qualities like Sotildo recover without losing his strength in attack is “good news.”

With this result, Fluminense reached 61 points and temporarily occupied fifth place, entering the direct classification of the Libertadores. The team now defeats Botafogo, which will play against Cruzeiro on Thursday, in an attempt to maintain its position in the standings.

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