With no time to lose, São Paulo chose Luis Zubeldía to take over as new coach after announcing the dismissal of Thiago Carpini. The Argentine is one of the most sought-after coaches on the continent after leaving the Quito University Sports League for not agreeing to its renewal after winning the Copa Sudamericana last year.
His name was already heard in January, when the club was looking for a replacement for Dorival Júnior after his appointment as head of the Brazil team. However, the management did not advance and the leadership ended up appointing Carpini, who spent just over three months in office due to premature elimination in the Paulista Championship, an irregular start in the Copa Libertadores and two consecutive defeats in the Brasileirão.
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Zubeldía has just said no to San Lorenzo from his country by arguing that he prioritized a new offer from abroad. That proposal came from the Brazilian team and talks are advanced to make a definition official, although local media have already given it as a fact.
In the 2023 Copa Sudamericana he showed his ability, winning the final against Fortaleza and leaving São Paulo on the way in the quarterfinals. With Liga de Quito he also became champion of the local league, something he had already achieved in 2012, when he was then managing Barcelona de Guayaquil.
He also had good experiences in Argentina, especially in Lanús, a club from which he retired as a player prematurely, at the age of 23, due to osteochondritis dissecans of the knee. At 43 years old, he has already gained experience as a coach in Spain, Colombia and Mexico.
Confira os próximos jogos do São Paulo
🗓 21/04 (domingo), 18h30
🆚 Atlético-GO
🏟 Antônio Accioly
🏆 Brasileirão
📺 Premiere🗓️ 25/04 (quinta), 21h
🆚 Barcelona-EQU
🏟️ Monumental de Guayaquil
🏆 CONMEBOL Libertadores
📺 ESPN e Star+🗓️ 29/04 (segunda), 20h
🆚 Palmeiras
🏟️… pic.twitter.com/yY9lPICUG4— São Paulo FC (@SaoPauloFC) April 18, 2024
Zubeldía’s confrontations against Brazilian teams
In this rich career, despite his youth, Zubeldía faced Brazilian teams 12 times, leading Lanús, Liga de Quito and Cerro Porteño (Paraguay) for Libertadores and Sudamericana. The record is adverse, although particularly positive against São Paulo.
In 2020, with Lanús, he eliminated the São Paulo Tricolor in the second phase of the Sudamericana by winning 2-1 in Buenos Aires and losing 4-3 in a great game at Morumbi. Benefiting from the away goals, his team was the one that went to the round of 16 and would advance to the final, lost by a Defensa y Justicia coached by Hernán Crespo, who was also on the São Paulo bench and made them Paulistão champions.
The last precedent is the quarterfinals in the aforementioned Sudamericana last year. Liga de Quito triumphed at home 2-1, lost 1-0 in Brazil, but went on penalties to the semi-final on their way to then lift the trophy in the decisive duel against Fortaleza.
Remembering Zagallo
Sambafoot Series launched a new documentary about the football legend Zagallo. Known as ‘Velho Lobo‘ and as superstitious as it gets, Zagallo helped shape what Brazilian football is nowadays — as a player and as a coach.
The first episode is available on Sambafoot’s Youtube channel and the series will receive weekly releases to tell this legend’s life story.
