Part 7/8:
Discussions amongst analysts suggest that this is historically unprecedented in Brazilian football—a manager remaining for five years while instigating repeated reforms. The idea to maintain two competitive squads in Paulista to better fortify the main team appears to have hit snags, as stability and performance continue to be a challenge.
Another layer to this ongoing narrative is the consistent struggle with officiating in Brazilian football, emphasized by the plethora of wrong calls this round—most notably, a missed red card for Lianco of Atlético Mineiro, and the early red card for a Cruzeiro player, which radically altered the dynamic of their respective matches.