Last Sunday night, São Paulo made an excellent first impression on its new coach, Luis Zubeldía, with a convincing 3-0 win over Atlético-GO in the Brazilian league. Zubeldía watched the game from a suite at Estádio Antônio Accioly, where he saw a dominant performance from the Tricolor.
The opponent, coming off two losses in the opening rounds, didn’t put up much resistance and had two players sent off during the game. The contrast with the recent past was striking, after São Paulo had struggled against Cobresal. Milton Cruz, still serving as interim coach, made significant lineup changes, resulting in a more attacking approach that paid off immediately.
The 3-5-2 formation stayed, but the pieces were adjusted. Alan Franco made his debut in central defense, while André Silva earned a spot up front. André Silva proved decisive, playing a key role in building plays and setting up Calleri for the opening goal.
Another standout was Luciano, playing as a playmaker and bringing a new dynamic to São Paulo’s attack. Thiago Carpini had tried something similar before without success, but this time it worked. Luciano was constantly on the move and scored a goal after drawing a penalty.
The change wasn’t drastic, since Milton Cruz had little time to adjust the team, but the results were clear. São Paulo built out of the back in a more organized way, had more possession and played with less haste, signaling the start of a new era under Zubeldía.
Now, with the Argentine coach’s debut set for Thursday on the road against Barcelona de Guayaquil, São Paulo is expected to keep its momentum going and stay in the qualifying spots of its CONMEBOL Libertadores group. Zubeldía will surely have taken a close look at the squad’s potential and will try to get the best out of its talent to keep the wins coming.
