Botafogo’s head coach, Renato Paiva, has redirected his attention towards team development and a long-term strategy following the club’s exit from the FIFA Club World Cup taking place in the United States.
The Brazilian side suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to their long-time rivals, Palmeiras, in a hard-fought Round of 16 clash at Lincoln Field Stadium, after an exhausting 120 minutes of play.
Just when it appeared the match might be decided by a penalty shootout, Paulinho’s goal in the 100th minute clinched the win for the Green and White, who will now face Premier League powerhouses Chelsea.
“No, it’s… every game results in growth for us. We continue to build our team. Here (in the United States), we had the opportunity to train, which we often lack in Brazil,” Paiva remarked, underscoring the significance of ongoing development.
His objective now is to seamlessly incorporate new signings into the existing squad and ensure that every player comprehends their specific roles and their contributions to the collective team effort.
“Thankfully, we will have some days to train and help the new players understand their responsibilities—both defensively and offensively—and their on-field relationships with teammates,” he added.
“We have time to refine our work, to further build a cohesive unit. I believe we were quite strong when we left Brazil,” he reflected.
“During challenging moments, our reactions were commendable. So, when we departed Brazil, we felt like a cohesive team. Now, after gaining this experience, we are evolving into a stronger unit while still developing.”
“And now, as I mentioned, we need to focus on integrating the new players and looking ahead to the competitions ahead of us.”
Botafogo kicked off their campaign with an impressive victory over Seattle Sounders FC in their first match and then stunned reigning UEFA Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain in their second outing.
Despite a narrow 1-0 loss to Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid, they secured advancement as runners-up from Group B into the knockout phase.
Nevertheless, coach Paiva expressed his pride in his team’s performances on the global stage. He told the media: “That was the first emotion I experienced as soon as the whistle blew, and whether we won or lost, that sentiment would not change.
“I feel pride in what our players and technical staff have accomplished, pride in competing against a strong side that we were well aware of,” he said. “We anticipated that this match would be decided by small details. There were two key moments—we expected Palmeiras to come in strongly. We regained possession and moved closer to their goal. The first half saw no clear scoring chances.
As the game progressed, early in the second half, I introduced some fresh legs who were still finding their rhythm. However, we felt the need for a change as the match unfolded.
“We had our opportunities but failed to convert. While we are disappointed, I share a sense of pride with all the players about what we have accomplished.”
Although Paiva acknowledged Palmeiras’ formidable nature, he admitted that he was not taken aback by their tactical approach against his side.
He remarked: “There were no surprises here; they are a very well-organised team. They have been finely tuned for a while and play with great synergy.
“We’ve analysed them; this is the third team to target crosses into the 18-yard box. When Palmeiras executes this, they deploy three to four players in the finishing area. They can switch the ball and execute two passes to land the ball in goal-scoring positions.
“We anticipated one-on-one confrontations. I believe we managed to control them for periods, yet it largely played out as we expected from them.”
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Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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