Atletico Paranaense managed to improve on last season’s 10th-placed finish to breach the top six in 2016. They hired the very experienced 60-year-old coach Paulo Autuori in the off-season and he managed to improve the results of the team, even though they lost a lot of players last summer, while they didn’t have the budget to bring in many replacements. What they did invest their money in was an artificial pitch for the Arena da Baixada, something many in Brazilian football have been unhappy about. Although Autuori has insisted that their artificial turf had little to do with the fact they had the best home record of any team in the country, but the fourth worst away record, there remained a suspicion that it must have had an impact. They conceded just six goals at home all season, with their ultra-defensive setup earning them enough clean sheets to win 1-0 on six occasions. The fact they played the defensive Otavio and Hernani just in front of the back four meant they were often defending with six men, while Thiago Heleno and Paulo Andre were excellent at centre-back, with Brazil international goalkeeper Weverton also playing incredibly well.
So the main stars for Atletico Paranaense this season, besides their artificial turf, were their defensive players, but they did benefit from some competent attacking performances too. 24-year-old Pablo Felipe managed to find the back of the net nine times, while the more experienced Andre Lima also did well to lead the line up front in the team’s deep 4-2-3-1 system. The fact that their defensive players were able to help with some goals from set pieces also proved vital.
Looking ahead to 2017, however, there are some issues that Atletico Paranaense must sort out. Their away form was disastrous, with the team winning just twice and drawing just three times on the road this year, even failing to score in 13 of those 19 matches. Their home form may be able to keep them in contention for a top half finish, but only, it seems, if they bring back the controversial artificial turf. They may also need to look at expanding their style of play a little, as the defensive approach has not been too exciting to watch, while they don’t have a striker good enough to reach double figures in goals on his own. They were lucky on some occasions this season to find goals from defence, but it is not a stable plan to rely on defensive goals. It would, therefore, be a big boost if they can sign a reliable centre-forward. Overall, though, the fact that Paulo Autuori remains in charge should give the Curitiba-based team a chance of repeating their 2016 heroics.
