Author: Soorya G
After
Vasco lost 2-0 to Athletico-PR
on Sunday night, Vasco fans became increasingly anxious. However, coach Ramón Díaz is urging Cruz-Maltino fans not to lose hope and explained why he believes better times are ahead.
“The most important thing is that the team has changed its attitude and mentality. Over time, you’ll see a lot more work, and we’ll try to correct some of the mistakes we can’t afford to make. If you look at the second half, we had three or four chances, with Figueiredo, Puma. I liked the team’s determination, but it takes time. Their opponents are one of the best in the league and they weren’t outclassed at any point. This gives us hope for the future. I hope that the ongoing negotiations can be successful in completing the squad” said Ramón.
With the defeat, Vasco missed the chance to move off the bottom of the league. The Rio de Janeiro side have just nine points after 16 games. They will therefore need to pick up around 35 points in the remaining 22 games to avoid relegation. Despite this, Ramón emphasized his confidence in the team. The Argentine coach stressed that he has already seen progress in his first few days at Vasco. Diaz had his first training session with the club just over a week ago, after being appointed Vasco coach following Barbieri’s dismissal.
Ramón said he believed that, considering the time they had to work, it impressed him a lot because the players were very tactically obedient and performed well. He commented that the first half was fairly even, with few chances created by either side. In the second half, they started well in the opening minutes, but he regretted the fact that they were unable to convert three or four situations. He expressed optimism about the future, considering it promising. He emphasized that if the team continued to play the same way, working harder and correcting some mistakes, the desired results would come. Regarding the arrival of players, he mentioned that they hoped negotiations could be concluded this week.