Álvaro Pacheco has already started his time as coach at Vasco da Gama with the mission of renewing the face of the team and improving results so as not to suffer again with the possibility of relegation. On Friday he led training for the first time and his debut is expected on June 2, against Flamengo at the Maracaná.
The Portuguese arrived in Rio de Janeiro last Sunday and the next day he visited the club’s facilities, was introduced to the squad and accompanied the first team’s activities. On Tuesday he also watched practice and watched as the team beat Fortaleza on penalties to advance in the Brazilian Cup.
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It will be Pacheco’s first experience outside of Portugal. In his career he coached Vizela, Estoril and Vitória de Guimarães, a team he left in fifth place last season, one step below the greats such as the champion Sporting Lisbon, Benfica, Braga and Porto.
In that last pass he showed that his preferred style of play is ball possession, with a lot of use of the sides. His most used formation was the 3-5-2, which he could now adapt at Vasco da Gama.
Seja bem-vindo ao Gigante da Colina 💢
📸 Leandro Amorim | #VascoDaGama pic.twitter.com/y0j7xGjs7Y
— Vasco da Gama (@VascodaGama) May 21, 2024
The Argentine Pablo Vegetti is the great reference in the rival area and it will be necessary to see if the Frenchman Dmitri Payet accompanies him as a second attacker or if he maintains a position more similar to that of a hitch to propose play a few meters further back.
In defense, he could take advantage of the versatility offered by the Chilean Gary Medel and the Paraguayan Robert Rojas, little used in recent games.
Regardless of how he adapts the names to his playing style, the truth is that what Pacheco needs is to find results quickly. Vasco da Gama suffered until the end last year to remain in the first division and at the beginning of this Brasileirão he had two wins and four losses that brought him closer to the red zone again.
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.
Binge the full series, available on Sambafoot’s Youtube channel.
