REDOUCHED ATTENTION
Squadron had their nets leaked 19 times in the last 14 games
Published on November 14, 2024 at 05:50
Approximately 73% of Bahia’s goals came from ground plays Credit: Letícia Martins/EC Bahia
Bahia’s second round in the Brazilian Championship is not living up to fans’ expectations. If a place in the Libertadores 2025 seemed almost a reality during the initial half of Série A, the Esquadrão now sees its dream of returning to the continental tournament threatened. The team is going through a negative sequence and enters Data-Fifa after losing four of the last five games it played.
The bad phase has an obvious problem: the goals conceded. Tricolor is the 7th club that saw its nets leaked the most during the Brasileirão return: 19 times. It’s an average of 1.35 goals per commitment. Only Juventude (28), Athletico-PR (23), Atlético-GO (21), Vasco (21), Atlético-MG (20) and Criciúma (20) have worse numbers.
According to a survey carried out by CORREIO, of these 19 goals conceded by Bahia on the return, 14 came through the ground. Another two occurred from the top and the last three, from a penalty.
A point that raises alarm for coach Rogério Ceni is the number of times the team was leaked following a shot in the small area: six. Which represents almost a third of the goals conceded in the last 14 duels. The numbers show that the defense has offered space to opponents to shoot, especially close to the goal defended by Marcos Felipe.
If the structure set up by the coach is allowing shots in the small area, it is necessary, at the same time, to pay attention to long-distance attempts: five goals conceded came this way. Another highlight are the goals originating from high plays, whether through crosses or set pieces: two, which shows good defensive aerial behavior in the most recent matches.
After the defeat to Juventude, Ceni admitted that the team is no longer performing at the same level as at the start of the Brasileirão. The coach, however, focused on the remaining games to recover his good form. “We dropped a lot in production in the second round, but, with all the difficulties, we still have time. There are three home games to overcome and deliver good football. Improving decision-making to avoid passing mistakes and basic mistakes that we haven’t made before”, he commented.
The CORREIO survey also analyzed the 15 goals scored by Bahia in the return. Of these, 11 came from inside the area, three of which took place in the small area. The other four were shots from outside the area.
When it comes to offensive aerial ball, the Squadron found the opponent’s net four times – which represents 26% of the total. Those responsible were Thaciano (2x), Luciano Rodríguez and David Duarte.
In the hope of improving their numbers, Bahia will have a long period of training. The next challenge will only be on the 20th, next Wednesday, against Palmeiras. The duel will be at 6pm, at Arena Fonte Nova, for the 34th round of the Brasileirão.
