Bahia, acquired by City Group over a year ago, has started to show results in the Brasileirão that it had not achieved despite its new financial power. The team managed by Rogério Ceni shares the leadership with Flamengo, after defeating Vasco da Gama at home in the last round.
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It is the first time in its history in the Série A that the team has won the first six matches played at home, at the Fonte Nova Arena. This is a stark contrast to the poor performance achieved so far, with elimination in the semifinals of the Copa do Nordeste against Clube de Regatas Brasil (CRB) and defeat in the final of the Campeonato Bahiano against Vitória, its archrival.
One of the main reasons for this great present is Éverton Ribeiro, who came from Flamengo and was the star signing at the beginning of the year. The number 10 from Bahia returned to his best form, crucial in the midfield for recovering balls and assisting his teammates.
With the deep pockets of City Group, the team also signed Caio Alexandre, Colombians Santiago Arias and Óscar Estupiñán, Argentine Víctor Cuesta, and Jean Lucas, among other stars. Additionally, they were able to travel to England to have preseason training at Manchester City’s state-of-the-art training center.
😉 SEMPRE ACREDITE NO BAHIA!#PaixãoQueVibra #BBMP pic.twitter.com/LHUpJq0Hy8
— Esporte Clube Bahia (@ecbahia) June 27, 2024
All reasons that explain why a team that last season was saved from relegation on the last day is now at the top of the table. In this regard, Ceni said he understood the fans’ desire to keep this position, although he asked for calm.
“It’s hard to compete in the long term with Palmeiras, Flamengo, and Atlético Mineiro. I don’t want to go through what I went through last year. It was the only match in my 35-year career that I played with the risk of relegation. I don’t want to go through that again. The short-term goal is for Bahia to do well on the national scene and have an international schedule every year,” said the former top-scoring goalkeeper and São Paulo legend.
“I have to say that Bahia has been playing great soccer, a big improvement from last year,” he added.
