After Santos’ 2-0 victory over RB Bragantino on Sunday (10), coach Cuca praised Neymar, who scored the opening goal, and explained why Gabigol started on the bench, using Arsenal as a reference.
The Santos manager stressed the need to rotate the squad to avoid burnout, which led to Gabigol beginning the match as a substitute. Cuca highlighted Arsenal’s match on the same day, noting that the Gunners clearly showed fatigue from their congested fixture list.
“Today, the decision not to play him (Gabigol) was tactical. We also need other ways to play. You can’t plan for many games without rotation because it’s very taxing. I was watching Arsenal’s game today. Even with all the players they have, they’re feeling the run of matches, you can see it clearly. We feel it too, right? We don’t have a squad of that size or quality, but we also feel it because of the many trips and consecutive games,” Cuca said.
“I adore Gabigol, I think he’s an outstanding player. Today it was just a game situation,” the coach emphasized, clarifying that the striker’s absence was purely a tactical choice. “Each game tells a different story. The match showed we made the right call. He came on later and made good plays.”
Cuca also praised Neymar’s performance, noting that he scored a great goal and was heavily involved in the second goal. He explained that Neymar was substituted for Gabriel due to fatigue.
“I think he played a very good game. He held onto the ball, created chances, and has those brilliant moments that leave a teammate in a position to score. He scored a beautiful goal and contributed to the second goal, which we had practiced, with an indirect assist. So I think he played very well. When he got tired, naturally Gabriel came on in his place.”
Santos returns to action on Wednesday (13) in the Copa do