Lisca says goodbye with the second-worst record of a Santos coach in the century

The public vows of love between Santos and Luiz Carlos de Lorenzi, known as Lisca, were short-lived. After 54 days, the gaucho coach is no longer part of the club.

The end point in the relationship was sealed this Monday (12). It was decisive in the goodbye to the defeat by 2 to 1 to Ceará, last Saturday (10), the second consecutive of the Brazilian Championship.

The parties, officially, speak of a termination by mutual agreement of a partnership that lasted only eight games. There were two wins, three draws and three defeats, an advantage of 37.5%.

The mark is the second worst for a coach in Vila Belmiro this century, according to a survey by Assophis (Association of Researchers and Historians of Santos FC), and reflects the chaos experienced by the club in recent years.

Among all the 27 names that commanded the team, with the exception of interims, only Nelsinho Baptista, in 2005, had a more melancholy outcome than Lisca’s. He fell after 13 games, with 30.7%, and a 7-1 loss against rivals Corinthians.

Lisca leaves Santos in tenth place, with 34 points, one below the team’s position when the gaucho took over. At the time, at the end of the 18th round, the team was ninth, with 25.

The coach’s departure opens up numbers below expectations and other problems as evident as old behind the scenes.

Among all the names hired by the administration of President Andres Rueda, which began in January 2021, none was so little – Ariel Holan was, until then, the record holder, with only 13 games.

Something in common between them: none had a performance that reached 50%, none reached 40 games in office.

The Argentine Holan, the first chosen, left Vila with 41.6%. Fernando Diniz, his successor, left with 44%; Fábio Carille, with 45.6%. And finally, the Argentine Fabián Bustos said goodbye in August, with 44.4%.

On the 1st, Rueda told Gazeta Esportiva that he had a “fantastic relationship” with Lisca and intended to “stay at least a year and a half” with the coach. The forecast was linked to the length of the president’s term. Lisca succumbed 11 days later.

“I’ve been enjoying it a lot. He’s a great partner. The proximity is very great. A super intelligent person. We’re making a good pair. We’re thinking about 2023. The relationship is fantastic. He’s going to stay with me for at least another year and a half,” he said. the top hat, at the time.

In the period, Lisca gained reinforcements with the arrival of attacking midfielders Soteldo and Luan, right-back Nathan and Argentine midfielder Carabajal. The coach, however, was criticized, mainly, because there was no evolution with free weeks for training.

“The game was controlled, and we suffered in this tactical issue. The failures are individual, but the responsibility is the coach. The coach is the one, the coach is the one who starts the players. I have to assume together with the players who failed”, said the coach, after the confrontation in Fortaleza.

In December of last year, in a meeting of the Deliberative Council, Rueda opened the club’s cash flow and showed details of labor agreements made with former coaches. In 2021, BRL 12.9 million were spent on Dorival Júnior, Enderson Moreira, Jesualdo Ferreira, Oswaldo de Oliveira, Levir Culpi, Jorge Sampaoli, Holan, Diniz and Cuca.

No one has firmed up since Sampaoli’s departure. In two years and nine months without the Argentine, revered by fans even without winning a title, Santos became a coach grinding machine.

Jesualdo Ferreira, in 2020, Ariel Holan and Fernando Diniz, in 2021, Fábio Carille, Bustos and Lisca, in 2022, were crushed.

The only exception was Cuca, Libertadores runner-up in January 2021. The coach’s departure was the least traumatic, as he left the team qualified for the Libertadores stage, but preferred not to renew his contract.

The club is still not talking about a replacement. Among the names speculated are those of Vanderlei Luxemburgo, with three visits to Vila Belmiro, Roger Machado and Tiago Nunes.

The most likely target is a foreigner who worked directly with Sampaoli: Sebastián Beccacece, who left the Defensa y Justicia weekend. For the time being, Orlando Ribeiro, from the under-20s, takes on the role on an interim basis.