The technician Lucho González does not hide that the situation is worrying, but believes in the team to free the Athletico of relegation in the Brasileirão. The defeat to Bragantino dragged the drama of the possible fall to the last round, in which Furacão visits Atlético-MG this Sunday (8), at 4pm, at Arena MRV, in Belo Horizonte.
“We are not relegated. I know it sells more to talk about the chaos we are experiencing, but there is still a journey left. Nobody loses hope here. The hope is that we depend on ourselves. It’s about resting and preparing ourselves in the best way possible. There is no mystery and what to promise, if not the total commitment of the team”, said the commander.
With 42 points, the red-black team appears in 16th place and, if they don’t win in the last game, they need a combination of results to remain in Series A.
Asked about having agreed to take command of Furacão, the Argentine coach was very incisive. With a 28.2% success rate in 13 games, Lucho has three wins, two draws and eight defeats since taking over at Athletico.
“I don’t regret anything and at no point do I regret the decision I made to accept this position. I’m used to it, I know that the profession is like this and the demands exist. We don’t have to be in despair or alert. There are many results that can be achieved give and a lot of teams fighting”.
Furthermore, the commander made a point of highlighting that he is most responsible for Athletico’s current phase.
The coach was asked if a possible relegation could tarnish the image he built as an athlete. It is worth remembering that Lucho won four cups as an Athletico athlete: Campeonato Paranaense 2020, Copa Sul-Americana 2018, Levain Cup 2018 and Copa do Brasil 2019.
“What I achieved as a player, no one will erase. I’m the coach, I’m on a bad streak and I’m responsible. We’re in a phase that’s not good, no one imagined it and expected it. But I’m the most responsible, I have no problem saying this,” he stated.
“Injustice”: Athletico coach regrets goal from setback in decision
Lucho acknowledged that the team started poorly in the game against Bragantino, but assessed that the team had control of the game until the visitors’ second goal.
Despite having more ball possession and more shots than the São Paulo team, Rubro-Negro was far from having a good match.
“If you analyze the goal we scored, we could have made a foul in midfield and stopped the play. We were in control of the game. Erick ended up closed, Mycael had the chance to get the ball. It’s an unfortunate move for us”, lamented the coach.
To top it off, the Argentine made a point of saying that he is not going to the press conference to create narratives for the fans and that everyone is dissatisfied.
“Nobody likes to lose, but a deeper analysis has to be carried out. It’s not a speech that I come here to lie to the fans, much less it’s my way of being”, he added.