“Magnifying look”: Odair calls Athletico before the classic with Coritiba

The technician Odair Hellmann pointed out a problem with Athletico in the team’s recent sequence in the Brasileirão: they were nine goals conceded in the last four rounds. In other words, on average, Furacão has conceded two goals per match.

“Even though we don’t play bad games defensively, we are conceding a lot of goals. Even winning games. This is something I’m going to look at with a magnifying glass.“, he assessed.

The 1-1 draw with Red Bull Bragantino opened the door. There were two goals conceded in the 3-2 victory over Botafogo, in addition to the 3-3 draw against Fluminense and the 3-1 defeat to Cruzeiro. The record contrasts with the defensive solidity of Furacão’s excellent campaign and has been bothering the coach.

Despite pointing out that Athletico is still being efficient in attack, the mission with the squad will be to reduce the exposure of the defensive system. To give you an idea, Rubro-Negro has the third best balance in Series A (10 goals positive), sharing the fourth best attack with Cruzeiro (both have 38 goals scored) and the fourth best defense with Bragantino and São Paulo (28 goals conceded).

“It’s good that we also scored a lot of goals. This balance between scoring and scoring, there’s still more to do. But it’s something that needs to draw attention and reduce the number of goals conceded. Even though it’s exciting for those outside, inside we have to control it a little better”, he added.

“It’s the best decision at the moment”: Odair confirms Mycael’s title

One of the important factors in the defense was the exchange of Mycael22 years old, in the vacancy that belonged to Santos. At 36 years old, one of the greatest idols in the club’s history had been making mistakes and ended up being removed from the starting lineup.

Odair said he understands the delay in making changes to the red-and-black goal so that the veteran could regain his confidence. However, the delay had no effect and Mycael became the new owner of the position.

“I, as a coach, change the goalkeeper less. It’s more natural to change outfield players. As in my entire career, I have to have discretion because it has to apply to one and the other. If not, you lose the relationship of respect and trust that you have in the group. Of course, each change is studied and thought out to see what it brings in pros and cons. As happened last year and it worked, of course you wait a little longer. You have to be calm and have discretion to make the best decision for Athletico and the team. In my analysis, at this moment, this is the best decision in collective terms”, explained the commander.

With 45 points and in third place, Athletico is preparing to face the classic against Coritiba. The duel, valid for the 27th round, takes place next Friday (11), at 9pm, at the Couto Pereira stadium.

Schedule: see Athletico’s next games at Brasileirão 2026

• Coritiba x Athletico — Friday (11/9), at 9pm, at Couto Pereira, in Curitiba;
• Athletico x Bahia — Sunday (20/9), at 7:30 pm, at Arena da Baixada, in Curitiba;
• Athletico x Atlético-MG — Thursday (8/10), at 8pm, at Arena da Baixada, in Curitiba.