Football Season Guide

Serie A
Brazil
Serie A
2023
CR Vasco da Gama
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CR Vasco da Gama

In


Jair (mid) Atlético MG; Patrick de Lucca (mid) Bahia; Ivan (gk) Corinthians - on loan; Lucas Piton (def) Corinthians; Robson Bambu (sp)(def) Corinthians - on loan form Nice, FRA; Leo Jardim (gk) Lille, FRA; Léo (def) São Paulo; Paulo Henrique (def) Juventude; Andrey Santos (mid) Chelsea, ENG - on loan; Rwan Seco (att) Santos - on loan; Pedro Raúl (att) Goiás; Pumita Rodriguez (def) Nacional, URU; Luca Orellano (att) Velez, ARG; Matias Galarza (mid) Coritiba; Manuel Capasso (def) Atletico Tucuman, ARG;

Out


Raniel (r)(att) Santos - return from loan; Matheus Barbosa (sp)(mid) Guarani; Thiago Rodrigues (r)(gk) Vitória; Anderson Conceição (r)(def) CRB; Yuri Lara (r)(def/mid) Yokohama, JAP; Juan Quintero (r)(def) Deportivo Pereira, COL; Leo Matos (r)(def) retired; Juninho (sp)(mid) Orlando City, USA; Danilo Boza (sp)(def) Juventude - return from loan; Bruno Tubarão (sp)(att) Atlético GO; Carlos Palacios (sp)(att) Colo Colo, CHL; Getúlio (sp)(att) Ventforet Kofu, JAP; Matheus Ribeiro (sp)(def) CRB; Ulisses (sp)(def) Vila Nova - on loan; Alexandre Lucena (sp)(gk) Avaí - on loan; Fintelman (gk) CSA; Martin Sarrafiore (sp)(mid) Independiente, ARG;

Vasco is back to Série A, after two seasons in Série B, and all thanks to a decent but not spectacular 2022 season. Vasco finished 4th with just 4 points above competition. Not a great year, so far, for Vasco, having been knocked-out from Carioca Championship at semi-finals level by their biggest rivals Flamengo. Two days before, Vasco had been eliminated from Brazilian Cup too, by modest ABC from Série B. Maurício Barbieri is Vasco's coach for the season. Barbieri's last job was a 3-years long run with Bragantino, which makes him a highly regarded gaffer on the country. Barbieri usually uses a straightforward 4-2-3-1 formation, preferably with technically skilled midfielders. There has been a clear strong investment for the new season. The signings of the likes of midfielder Jair, goalkeeper Leo Jardim and Ivan, defender Léo or striker Pedro Raul proves that the team is trying to have an immediate impact on their return to top flight. There is unquestionable quality in goal, with two big names in Ivan and Leo Jardim; the defense looks also solid, with the likes of Léo, Pumita and Piton forming an interesting back line. Pedro Raúl should mean a lot of goals for Vasco, while Vinícius and Alex Teixeira will be happy to feed their striker. However, there seems to be some weak spots in midfield. Jair is an established holding midfielder after great seasons with Atlético MG, but his partners in the centre have yet all to prove at this level. There are also some questions being made about the quality of the 2nd and 3rd choices.

Target


Despite some good signings, Vasco should settle for some modest goals, this season. Avoiding relegation looks a realistic target, at least for now.