Gremio is going through one of the worst moments in their 118-year history, and such a crisis seems to be showing no signs of abating. The team is second to last in the Bajia, and in the last 9 games, they have only scored four points, and the distance from climbing out of the relegation zone seems to be gradually drifting.
On the morning of the 4th Beijing time, Gremio lost 1-2 to the leader Mineiro Athletic on the road, and there was still a 7-point gap from the safety line in the less game. According to a report in the Brazilian media, Gremio's relegation probability has risen to 78%, second only to Chapecions (99%) at the bottom.
To know that 4 years ago, Gremio also won the Copa Libertadores and was listed by Forbes as one of the three most valuable football clubs in the Americas, but now it is deeply relegated, what happened to this veteran team?
Failed reinforcements
Douglas Costa is one of the biggest transfers in the Liga this season, with the 30-year-old leaving Juventus to join Gremio. However, in his 20 games in the First Division, he contributed only 2 goals and 2 assists. Although he has recovered in his form in recent games, he is still far from expectations.
Veteran Argentine striker Diego Churin originally had good goalscoring stats in Portno Hills, but he has not been able to adapt after joining Gremio, and this season he has missed most of the games due to injuries, and has not yet received any results.
Miguel Borja joined Gremio on loan this summer and has a good performance, scoring four goals in 11 league games. However, being drafted into the Colombian national team caused him to miss several games.
Defensive hazards
Four years ago, Gremio was able to reach the top of South America because they were a defensive team led by two solid defenders, Geromel and Canneman. However, so far this season, the team has conceded fourth in the Liga. The two centre-backs also suffered from physical problems, each playing only 14 games and their substitutes failed to complete the task well.
Defender Van der Sen was the only positive factor in the back line. As a player who has just turned 20, in addition to defending, he has several memorable goals and surprising offensive performances, but his performance alone is far from enough.
Frequent coach changes
Renato Gaucho left the team when Gremio was out of the Copa Libertadores qualifiers, and since then instability has been a staple of the Baliga giants this season. After the meritorious coach left, Thiago Nunez came to the team, and he did not stay for two months to put the team at the bottom of the table. Then it was Scolari, who hoped his wealth of experience would turn the tide. However, his coaching time came to an end a few weeks ago.
In his debut, the current coach Mancini led the team to a difficult victory over Juventud and won the opening red. However, in the past 3 games, Gremio has shown a very poor state in both pairs, losing to Atletico Goiania, Palmeiras and Atletico Minei, and eating three consecutive defeats has also put Mancini in trouble again.
With more than a month to go until the end of the season, Gremio does have time to turn the tide. However, of the team's remaining 9 opponents, only São Paulo, Bahia and Chapecones are three teams ranked outside the 10th place. Without significant improvements, the Alegre Port-based club may be in their dark.