São Paulo celebrates the Brazilian Cup, but the league warns against repeating its rival

The day after São Paulo’s unprecedented victory in the Copa do Brasil It’s still a lot to celebrate. The trophy raised after the 1-1 draw with Flamengo, at Morumbi, guarantees the tricolor team in the 2024 editions of the Supercopa do Brasil and Copa Libertadores. Despite the celebration, the current season still holds important matches for Dorival Júnior’s men in the Brazilian Championship.

São Paulo is going through a terrible time in the national tournament and has had eight consecutive games without winning. The warning signal is activated.

The last Tricolor triumph took place on July 16, against Santos. Since then, the Morumbi team has recorded three draws (Bahia, Flamengo and Botafogo) and five defeats (Cuiabá, Atlético-MG, América-MG, Internacional and Fortaleza). In similar conditions, rival Palmeiras was relegated to Série B in 2012 after winning the Copa do Brasil and giving up the Brasileirão matches. São Paulo wants to take another path.

The negative sequence made São Paulo fall down the league table and get dangerously close to the relegation zone. In 14th position, the tricolor team has 28 points, four above Santos, 17th, who opens the four places in the standings. São Paulo has one game less than its competitors. The match against the fragile Coritiba, who are in last place, takes place on Wednesday, at 7pm, and is treated as a great opportunity to stop the bleeding and give new joy to the Morumbi fans. Because of this, Dorival has already warned that the Brazil Cup party has time to end.

If they beat Coritiba, São Paulo will overtake rival Corinthians and take a place at the top of the table. However, the margin between the teams in the middle and bottom of the classification is quite short and promises to intensify the fight against relegation in this final stretch of the Brazilian Championship. Until the end of the 2023 season, São Paulo has 15 more commitments in the tournament.

“Let’s not forget the Brasileirão, because our situation is dangerous. It’s difficult to change the bracket for each competition. Whoever makes the decisions is penalized. We have to be calm and we need to finish the season at the best level so, in the meantime, we can think of something for 2024. If São Paulo wants to remain on the top shelf, we need players at Lucas Moura’s level”, said Dorival Júnior after winning the Copa do Brasil.

As President Julio Casares also recalled, after the confrontation with Coritiba, São Paulo will have a new meeting with Corinthians. There are still three classics left for the tricolor team this year. Coincidentally, the season ends in a duel with Flamengo, at Morumbi.

Another São Paulo concern goes by the name of Jonathan Calleri. The Argentine stated this Sunday that he has been injured for seven months and has played hard for that entire period to help his team lift a trophy. According to the center forward, his dedication will now be to achieving a full recovery, counting on a surgical procedure on his ankle in the next few days.

The statistics also weigh against São Paulo in the Brasileirão. In the return, the team scored just one point, being the second worst team in the last ten rounds, just ahead of bottom team Coritiba. As home team, the performance is reasonable, the eighth best. However, away from home, São Paulo is harmless, only scored five points and is the second worst in this regard.

Palmeiras in 2012 outlined a route that São Paulo wants to escape

In 2012, rival Palmeiras won the same Brazilian Cup and ended up relegated to Series B of the Brazilian Championship. The situation has some differences, but it serves as a warning for São Paulo, who will need to calm the euphoria and put the same effort as the final on the field to finish the Brasileirão in a dignified manner.

At the time, the Copa do Brasil still ended in the first half of the year, coinciding with the opening rounds of the Brasileirão. Palmeiras’ title came on July 11th. At that moment, eight games had been played in the tournament, and the Alviverde club had five points and was in 18th place. There was a lot of championship ahead, and the situation, which seemed comfortable, culminated in a drop to the lower division for the team led by Luiz Felipe Scolari and, later, led by Gilson Kleina.

Check out São Paulo’s next games until the end of the season:

27/09 – São Paulo x Coritiba

09/30 – São Paulo x Corinthians

07/10 – Vasco x São Paulo

10/18 – Goiás x São Paulo

10/22 – São Paulo x Grêmio

10/25 – Palmeiras x São Paulo

10/28 – Athletico-PR x São Paulo*

01/11 – São Paulo x Cruzeiro*

04/11 – Fluminense x São Paulo*

08/11 – São Paulo x Red Bull Bragantino*

11/11 – Santos x São Paulo*

11/22 – São Paulo x Cuiabá*

25/11 – Bahia x São Paulo*

11/29 – Atlético-MG x São Paulo*

03/12 – São Paulo x Flamengo*

*Departures with provisional dates