There were two completely different halves of the season for Bahia. After an excellent first half where Bahia seemed to be heading for an historical place, just two points short from G-4, Baianos were highly disappointing during the second half and ended on the bottom half of the table.
Roger Machado managed to build a good compromise between an attacking, ball-playing style and a competitive approach. Particularly strong at home, Tricolores had a threatening attacking power, visible during the remarkable 3-0 win over Flamengo in August.
However, a sudden drop of form affected the team during the second half of the season during which Baianos picked almost half the points they had by the end of the 19th round. Without any significant selling or injury, there was no immediate reason for the breakdown.
The only thng that visibly happened was a drop of form and motivation on some nuclear pieces. Nino Paraíba lost his explosive form on the right wing; Artur was more irregular; Lucca vanished from first team. The otherwise impeccable duo at the back (Lucas and Juninho) started to have questionable performances.
Gilberto concentrated his goals on just a few games, disappearing in the others. Midfielder Gregore and left-back Moisés were perhaps the only players capable of maintaining a good level throughout the whole season.
There are however some good reasons for the fans to be confident, as there’s a true sense of evolution on the club. The squad is expected to keep their core, even if the likes of Artur will be joining back their parent clubs. Coach Roger Machado will be kept which is a major positive.
