The Campeonato Brasileiro has reached the halfway stage and, as has been the case in recent years, a great deal of sides still hold realistic hopes of winning the title. But just as the battle at the top is tight, so is the struggle to avoid relegation, with at least seven clubs desperate to climb clear of the drop zone.
At the top, Corinthians still lead the way. The club that boasts the powerful forward pair Adriano and Liedson, hit first after just six round of games, starting impressively with five wins and one draw; Corinthians have not forfeited top spot since that day. However, the situation is tighter than that particular fact may suggest, as a seven-point advantage has been whittled down to just two points, with a group including Flamengo, Vasco da Gama, Botafogo and Sao Paulo hot on their heels.
Flamengo are powered by Ronaldinho, but the Rubro-Negro, just like Corinthians, have been below their best of late. The side have failed to win any of their last six games, a run which included their first, second and third losses in this year’s Brasileiro, and are now fifth. But this slump cannot be pinned on Ronaldinho, and the former Barcelona wizard has continued to perform well, scoring ten times and providing six assists so far. In fact, the 31-year-old’s form is so good, it has earned him a recall to Mano Menezes’ Brazil squad.
While Flamengo have cooled down, so have Sao Paulo, failing to really pull away from Ronaldinho’s side. The Tricolor, while sitting second at the time of writing, drew four of their last six matches. Sao Paulo had ample opportunities to grab top spot, but this dire run let any chance of that slip through their fingers; nevertheless, a win away to Figueirense has ensured they sit just two points behind Corinthians. The club’s fans expect to see striker Luis Fabiano on the pitch soon, and hope he will give the side a boost – the former Sevilla forward has endured a run of injury problems and no definitive date has yet been pencilled in for his return.
Sitting third, are Vasco da Gama. The 2011 Copa do Brasil winners are edging nearer to top spot as the weeks go by and clocked up six wins in their last eleven league outings. However, an incident that occurred in their match away to Flamengo at the end of August may be decisive for their season. Vasco coach Ricardo Gomes suffered a stroke during the second half and remains in hospital in a critical condition. This sad turn of events has affected the team and is likely to make keeping focused on the task at hand for the rest of the season ever more difficult.
With 37 and 33 points respectively are fourth placed Botafogo and sixth placed Palmeiras. The Rio de Janeiro side are relying on their home form to stay in the mix and keep close to Corinthians, and it is only the league leaders who can claim to have beaten Botafogo on their own turf. Over at Palmeiras, the praise is being heaped upon just one man, with Luiz Felipe Scolari’s coaching quality the main reason the club find themselves in the top six. The former Chelsea boss continues to impress back in Brazil and, even with a squad substantially worse than those of his rivals, still has a chance of winning the title.
Down at the other end of the table, Atletico Paranaense, with eight losses and two draws from their first ten games, have moved closer towards finally escaping from the relegation zone. Of late, Atletico Paranaense have put together a good run, going unbeaten for seven straight games until meeting Gremio and suffering a 4-0 drubbing. It remains to be seen whether this will blow their resurgence off course as they sit just one spot and one point ahead of bottom side America Mineiro.
Atletico Paranaense’s namesakes, Atletico Mineiro, brought in a new coach just six rounds ago, but their boss, Cuca, at first experienced only defeats. A recent victory over Vasco at home however has given the club real hope and just two points separates the side from safety. Avai sit just below Atletico Mineiro, only by a single point though, and lost to their relegation rivals 2-0 in their last match.
There is still a long way to go in the Campeonato Brasileiro and much can change. Luckily for Corinthians though, there have only been two occasions where the side sitting on top of the table at the halfway point did not go on to be crowned champions – 2008 and 2009. In those two years, Gremio and Internacional had led the way, only to find Sao Paulo and Flamengo too good in the final straight. For the other six years – since the Brasileiro adopted a traditional league model – those who sat on top stayed on top, tasting success at the season’s end. Corinthians know that, despite recent dropped points, the strong odds favour their charge.
