Bola Rolando: Operário reaches the limit and must react against Athletic

The Operário Ferroviário enters the field on Friday (23), at 7:30 pm, against Athletic-MG, at Estádio Germano Krüger, at Ponta Grossa, for the opening of the 35th round of the Brazilian Championship Series B. More than three points, the Phantom needs to find his football, interrupt the negative sequence and show some reaction in this final straight of the season.

The situation is worrying. The Worker does not win in five matches, accumulating a draw and four consecutive defeats. With 48 points and occupying the tenth place, the team led by Alberto Valentim comes to the confrontation pressed by results and, mainly, by an improvement in performance.

In my assessment, the Worker has an obligation to beat Athletic. Not just for the qualification, but for the respect for their own history, the fans and the planning for the next season.

Alberto Valentim needs to show changes

From what was presented in the first two matches under the command of Alberto Valentim, I imagine that the coach maintains a training similar to that used previously.

My projection is from a team with Elias Curzel on goal, Doka on the right, Cuenú and Joseph on the back and Gabriel Feliciano on the left. In the midfield, Indio, Zuluaga and Vinícius Diniz appear as possibilities, while Pedro Vilhena, Brenno and Caio Dantas are among the offensive options.

It is important to note that this would not be my climb, but a projection based on the coach’s recent choices.

What bothers me most is the possibility that the Worker will continue to present the same defensive weaknesses, especially on the sides of the field. These are problems that have been with the team for several rounds and that need to be solved.

I was hoping that Alberto Valentim would try alternatives, reinforcing the marking on the sides and offering greater security to the defensive system.

After all, if the team continues to play exactly as it did before, what will be the effective change with the arrival of the new commander?

Alex meets the Worker and can exploit his weaknesses

On the other side will be Athletic, led by Alex de Souza, a coach who knows Operário’s football very well and participated in the assembly of part of the Alvinegro cast.

The Mining team occupies the 14th place, with 44 points, and reaches Ponta Grossa after tie without goals with Avaí, in Ressacada.

In my reading, Alex should bet on a team organized defensively, with Felipe Negrucci protecting the line of four defenders and players like Maxwell, Yago Santos, João Miguel and Kauan offering movement to the midfield, with Carlinhos as a reference in the attack.

Athletic is able to exploit precisely what I consider one of the greatest shortcomings of the Worker: the spaces left on the sides.

And there is another detail: for the visitor, winning a point away from home can be considered a satisfactory result. For the Ghost, however, a draw will taste like yet another missed opportunity.

Can a worker still dream of access?

Mathematically, the Worker can still reach 60 points if he wins the remaining four commitments. However, I find it quite difficult that this score is enough to reach the G6 and play the playoffs of access to Série A.

Atlético-GO, which occupies the sixth place, already adds 54 points, while the teams of the first positions are close to or above the mark of 60 points.

For me, the possibility of classification depends on a very unlikely combination of results. It is not enough for the Phantom to win everything: the opponents would also have to stumble.

But regardless of this dispute, there is another motivation. The Worker must finish the championship with dignity and regain the confidence of those who follow the club.

In 2024, the Phantom finished Serie B with 55 points. Now, at 48, he would need to win at least eight of the remaining 12 points to beat that mark.

It is not an impossible task, but it requires a much greater use than recently presented.

Was the change of coach really necessary?

I confess that I would not have opted for Alberto Valentim at this time of the season. And it’s not about questioning your professional ability.

My doubt begins first, with the decision to dispense with Luizinho Lopes.

After keeping the coach for a good part of the competition and reaching 48 points, I understand that it would be possible to finish the championship with the same command and plan the next season with more tranquility.

Now, Alberto Valentim needs to know the cast better, identify the characteristics of the players and find solutions in only four matches.

It is little time for significant transformation.

Still, I hope he can show evolution. The Worker needs to win again, and the coach needs these results to win the confidence of the fans and start the planning of 2027 with greater support.

Four games to regain respect

In my projection, the Worker should seek at least two victories in the four final rounds.

The confrontation against Athletic is one of those opportunities. Another compromise in which I consider it possible to win the three points is against the Ponte Preta, a team that is going through an extremely bad campaign.

The duels against Novorizontino and Sport present greater difficulties.

Football does not allow for absolute predictions. And perhaps the Worker manages to surprise precisely when few believe in a reaction.

What cannot happen is to repeat the performance of the last matches, when the team has shown difficulties in creating, defending and turning their opportunities into goals.

The ghost needs to wake up. And you need to wake up now.

My prognosis for Worker x Athletic

If we take into account exclusively the momentum of the two teams, I see Athletic in a better position to achieve a positive result.

It doesn’t mean that the Mining team has a spectacular football. On the contrary. It is a team with limitations, but that seems to have greater organization at the moment.

The Worker, playing in front of his crowd, has the responsibility to take the initiative and seek victory from the first minutes.

My fear is that the team will again encounter difficulties in the face of a closed defense, become nervous as time passes and allow the opponent to explore the counter-attacks.

I hope I'm wrong. I would like to see Alberto Valentin find a solution, the Worker return to play well and the fans celebrate a victory in Germano Krüger.

Because at the moment, it is not enough to just compete. You have to win and convince.

Where to watch Operario x Athletic live

The BNT Portal begins its special coverage on Friday (23), starting at 18:30, with the pre-game of the Top de Bola team, bringing upscaling, analysis, comments and all the information of the confrontation.

The ball rolls at 7:30 pm, with transmission of the BNT Portal through social networks and also by partner radio FM 107,7.

The 35th round also reserves an important confrontation this Friday, at 9 pm, between Sport and Criciúma, on the Retiro Island. Criciúma, fifth with 59 points, seeks a victory to get closer to the leaders of the competition.

But for us, the focus will be on Ponta Grossa.

It's ghost day on the field. It's a day to charge reaction. And above all, it is a day of hope that the Worker will win again.

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