São Paulo de Dorival bets on pragmatism. But invincibility shows which path is right…

Five minutes. That was how long São Paulo persisted in attacking Fortaleza with great impetus in the goalless draw between the teams in Castelão, Thursday (11), for the Brazilian Championship. As soon as Juan Vojvoda, the consecrated coach of Ceará, realized what the opponent was trying to do, he tried to block the escape valves on the sides of the field. And then Dorival Júnior responded, reinforcing the defense in midfield and leaving Calleri even more isolated.

The chess game played between the commander of the São Paulo team and Leão do Pici, if on the one hand left the game ugly for those who wanted strong emotions, on the other hand it opened up what to expect from Dorival at Morumbi for the sequel to this season.

Without fear of being happy, the coach is not at all afraid of doing what his predecessor Rogério Ceni feared the most: ordering his team not to play. Yes, it seems a clear antithesis, but it is worth mentioning that the new São Paulo is not ashamed of sending the ball to the bush when necessary, closing when the strongest opponent attacks and playing within its limitations.

It seems little. Indeed it may be. But it is an invaluable advance for a team that previously lost silly points with draws and defeats after opening the scoring. São Paulo de Ceni was easily boxed in when they conceded an early goal. There were no necessary changes in the game to reverse a situation that was often favorable to itself.

The more pragmatic style is here to stay at Tricolor… Will São Paulo fans like it? To the beans, well balls. Dorival continues to boast an unbeaten record at the club. He talked about ‘beans and rice’ when he was hired. However, the simple is often too complex for someone who was used to a style of play that, for now, there is no room in Morumbi, let’s be frank.

And perhaps the most accurate portrayal of the weight of the tricolor scale is exactly that. São Paulo started the championship threatened by the ghost of relegation. Overkill? Hard to say. In the most difficult edition of recent years, with all the ‘greats’ playing (including Fortaleza, it is important to highlight), Ceni’s club lost to Botafogo in the last minutes. Dorival’s starts saving draws against Coritiba, in Castelão and wins Internacional.

More than fundamental points to, above all, keep the dream alive. What dream? Time will tell. But we’ll keep playing as a small team, the smartest fan can ask… Let’s follow the advice of our grandmothers: sometimes it’s worth taking a step back to then move forward. Ihhhhh, 45 points any day there we are…