Bola Rolando: Operário favorite on paper doesn't dispel suspicion

Operário x Botafogo-SP should be, looking exclusively at the classification table, one of those matches in which the alvinegro fan arrives at Germano Krüger expecting a victory. The Phantom is at the top, facing a team pressured by the proximity of the relegation zone and plays in front of the crowd itself. The problem is that football doesn’t solve itself just by looking at numbers.

And perhaps that’s where the biggest concern is for this Wednesday (7).

The Worker arrives in the 32nd round of the Serie B needing to find not only the victories, but mainly the confidence. After results and performances below expectations, there is a clear sense that the team has lost strength just at the moment when the championship enters the decisive phase.

There are seven rounds remaining. There are 21 points in dispute before the start of this round. Those who still dream of something bigger cannot choose a game to score.

Favourite? Oh, yes, yes. Trustworthy? Not yet.

The Worker appears with 48 points, while Botafogo-SP occupies the 16th place, with 35. It's a considerable difference.

On paper, therefore, the Ghost is favorite.

But this favoritism needs to be confirmed on the field.

The problem of the Worker in the last matches is not only in the results. It is also in the inability to find alternatives when the initial model does not work.

The team seems stuck to a way of playing. And when the opponent understands how to block the main black and white movements, there are no answers.

This is a dangerous signal for any team that intends to fight at the top of the Serie B.

The right side is concerned

There is also a tactical issue that deserves special attention: the right defensive side of the Worker.

Botafogo-SP has Patrick Brey on the left, a player who can attack spaces and appear offensively. It is precisely a region of the field in which the Ghost has presented difficulties in marking.

A well-prepared opponent will certainly try to exploit this.

And Cláudio Tencati knows enough football to know where the spaces are.

If the Worker allows freedom for the sector, he can turn a theoretically controllable game into a much more complicated match.

Boschilia can't do everything

Another point that draws attention is the amount of responsibility placed on Boschilia.

He needs to create, finalize, assist, bring the attack closer and then come back to help recompose the midfield.

That's a lot for a single player.

Boschilia is one of the main technical and offensive references of the Worker. The further away from the goal he needs to act to compensate for system imbalances, the less dangerous the Ghost becomes in attack.

Matheus Trindade ends up equally overwhelmed in the protection of the environment.

Perhaps it is precisely in this region that Luizinho Lopes needs to find a different solution for this final straight.

Theoretically favorable sequence needs to turn points

It is said that the Worker has one of the most accessible sequences among the clubs that still have important objectives in this Series B.

It may even be true.

But easy calendar only exists after the dots appear in the table.

There is no point in facing teams from the bottom and leaving points in the way.

Botafogo-SP is exactly the type of opponent that makes this discussion dangerous. He is under pressure, needs to score and reaches Germano Krüger knowing that any point won away from home can be valuable in the fight against relegation.

You're gonna play like someone who needs to survive.

The Worker must play as one who still intends to conquer something.

The answer needs to come now

The draw against Ceará had already left doubts.

The 3–0 loss to the Youth increased the concern even further.

It wasn't just losing to the vice-leader. It was the way the Worker disappeared for much of the game.

A team that intends to finish Serie B fighting at the top cannot repeat this type of performance.

That is why the confrontation with Botafogo-SP gained a greater weight than just three points.

It's a match to show reaction.

To regain confidence.

To make the fan believe again that the Worker is still truly within this championship.

The table says that the Ghost is a favorite.

Germano Krüger will be by your side.

The opponent is close to Z4.

All arguments point to the Worker.

Now the most important argument is missing: to prove it inside the field.

Because at this point in Serie B, the question is no longer how many theoretically winable games still appear on the calendar.

The question is much simpler:

If the Worker does not win again now, when will he win?

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