Football Season Guide

Timão had their second worst season ever, in 2018, as they came close from major humiliation and avoided relegation only in the final rounds of Brasileirão. A disastrous series of decisions turned the 2017 champions into one of the weakest sides of the league. In order to turn things around completely, the club has put up a plan to get back at success in 2019. The very first step was to bring back coach Fabio Carrille, who was a major part on the club’s success in 2017, proving that there was life after Tite. Off loading the “symbols” of 2018’s failure while bringing some important new names despite the financial difficulties was the other part of the plan. Strikers Roger and Jonathan failed to impress and left; Manoel, Ramiro, Júnior Urso (all free) and Sornoza will improve the team’s quality. Gustavo’s return from loan may have topped all those other moves, as the striker has already proved this year that he can continue his incredible 2018 season at Fortaleza. The likes of Cássio, Fágner, Jadson and Pedrinho are expected to form the backbone of the team, but will they be ready to quickly shift back to a winning mentality after the devastating effects from last season?