A victory over Cobresal eased the pressure on the São Paulowho won the first CONMEBOL Libertadores, and on the shoulders of Thiago Carpini. But the result may not even be the most important part to understand about the coach’s situation at Morumbis.
Triumphing in the first home game of the tournament, which is the board’s priority in 2024, was essential for staying in office, but Carpini was counting on something beyond the three points: the strong support of the squad.
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According to the ESPNthe tricolor players like the coach and approve of his work methodology, to the point that they asked the board, before the match against the Cobresal, so that the work could be maintained. There was, behind the scenes, a risk of dismissal if the São Paulo didn’t win.
Support outside the fields is publicly reflected. In interviews after Wednesday’s victory (10), important names in the squad, such as striker Calleri and goalkeeper Rafael, supported Carpini. Even James Rodriguez positioned himself in support of the “boss”.
“When you’re in a big team, there’s always a lot of pressure. He’s young, but he works well and we’re close with him”, assured the Colombian, in a speech similar to that of his teammates.
“It is said that the leaders are the only ones supporting the coach. I haven’t seen any player who takes a coach. I played at sacrifice for Rogério, I played at sacrifice for Dorival and I will play and continue playing at sacrifice as long as I can for any coach. The trust he (Carpini) has in us the same thing we are trying to give him today”, said the number 9.
. Carpini will not fall. He has massive support from the cast. The players like the coach and the work. They asked before the game that the board not fire him. I’m talking about the main players. Logically, the next games will define permanence. Today’s one didn’t even have the power to…
— André Plihal (@plihalespn) April 11, 2024
“The fans have to have that patience, he (Carpini) has always motivated us. Of course, in a game like this, the anxiety as time passes increases, but our group is very good. We demonstrated this once again , and I’m sure that if we continue this work, the fans will be with us supporting us all the time”, added Rafael.
The next contact between Carpini and the fans of São Paulo is scheduled for Saturday (13), at 9pm (Brasília time), against Fortalezain the inaugural round of the Brazilian championship. A new triumph would help to silence the criticism, while a stumble will naturally make things worse again.
Thiago Carpini during São Paulo’s defeat to Santos Rubens Chiri and Paulo Pinto/São Paulo FC