Football Season Guide

Atletico Mineiro

In


Igor Rabello (def) Botafogo; Réver (def) Flamengo; Guga (def) Ava;, Jair (mid) Sport Recife; Vinícius (mid) Bahia; Geuvânio (att) Flamengo; Papagaio (att) Palmeiras – on loan; Maicon Bolt (att) Antalyaspor, TUR

Out


Emerson (r)(def) Betis, SPA; Gabriel França (sp)(def) Botafogo – on loan; Yago Severin (sp)(mid) Sport – on loan; Matheus Galdezani (sp)(mid) Internacional, on loan from Coritiba; Tomas Andrade (sp)(mid) Athl. Paranaense; Edinho (sp)(att) Fortaleza – on loan; Denilson (sp)(att) Al-Faisaly, SAU

After having been on the top places of the table last year, Galo parked on the 6th position thanks to a stable second part of league campaign. In 2019, and after some very strong first weeks, Galo ended up losing three games in Libertadores which led to Levir Culpi being sacked. The club is currently searching for a replacement, and Galo will play Mineirão finals with arch-rivals managed by an interim. Having a new manager just some days before the start of the league season can’t possibly be a good thing. However, the squad seems significantly stronger, with only one important departure and some good signings. Promising full-back Emerson went to Spain; Guga arrived from Avaí to replace him. Rever and Igor Rabello arrived to strengthen an already very competent defensive line. Revelation in Sport, Jair has joined in to increase the options in midfield, while the flamboyant left-footed winger Geuvânio will challenge Luan and Chara for a place in the attack. The fact that Juan Cazares has finally been consistent in his performances in 2019 is encouraging. The biggest source of worries is the striker position, as the team continues very dependant on the 39-years old Ricardo Oliveira. The 19-years old Alerrandro is an obvious talent, but will he be ready to lead the attack during the multiple times Ricardo Oliveira will need to rest?

Target


Galo will definitely want to push for a better place than last season. A top-4 place is very affordable. A race for the title will so much depend on how quickly the new coach will start delivering.