Fortaleza does not receive the same media attention as Palmeiras, Flamengo, or Corinthians, but it wants to be a protagonist in Brazil and on the continent. Its success is mainly based on maintaining a style of play and a winning mentality, with Juan Pablo Vojvoda as the mastermind.
In times when coaches are as disposable as tissue paper, the Argentine has been on the bench for more than three years. At the beginning of the year, he was tempted by São Paulo to move his work there, but he declined the offer to stay with the team that opened its doors to him in May 2021.
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Since his arrival, he has lifted three titles in the Campeonato Cearense and two in the Copa do Nordeste. His greatest achievement was guiding the team to the final of the Copa Sudamericana last year, although in that decisive match, they lost in a penalty shootout against Liga de Quito.
Far from falling apart after that result, Fortaleza is again a protagonist in the continental tournament this year. They qualified for the round of 16, despite having a team with more history like Boca Juniors in their group: in the head-to-head, they defeated the Argentinians at the Arena Castelão and achieved a last-minute draw at La Bombonera.
At home, the Leão do Pici has become unbeatable. They have gone 16 matches unbeaten as hosts, with the last defeat at home occurring on May 23 of the previous year in a Copa do Nordeste match.
Grande noite de quarta-feira com +3 pontos garantidos! ✅🦁
📸 Mateus Lotif/FEC#FortalezaEC pic.twitter.com/wVW9grMstE
— Fortaleza Esporte Clube 🦁 (@FortalezaEC) July 18, 2024
In the Brasileirão, they have accumulated three consecutive victories and currently sit in seventh place, seven points behind the leader Botafogo. They have a game in hand, which, if won, could move the team up to third place.
“I have a mindset of constant growth that the club supports. We are in a good moment, we have to continue match by match,” Vojvoda said this week.
His players respond to this outlook: striker Juan Martín Lucero has seven goals in the local tournament, one less than Pedro (Flamengo), the top scorer. Another Argentine, Tomás Pochettino, is one of the leaders in the assists table. And to these big names, they have added Breno Lopes, the forward who arrived on loan from Palmeiras.
Article originally written by Camil Straschnoy
