After last season’s impressive return to top flight, Colorados were slightly disappointing this season. Highly praised in 2018, Odair Hellmann wasn’t able to bring last season’s competitive spirit and couldn’t resist a few bad results, having been sacked on the 24th round.
There were three major reasons for this season's unexciting performance: important injuries in key midfield players; fading out of creative attacking players and disappearance of 2018’s home reliability.
Team’s skipper and arguably most influential player Rodrigo Dourado missed more than half season with injury; Patrick and Edenilson who formed an ever-present, highly efficient trio with Dourado in 2018 had also some physical problems. Galdezani, signed to be a back up for those three, spent the entire season on treatment.
The advanced age of D’Alessandro affected him into having the worst season ever with the red shirt; Nico Lopez had a sudden blackout on inspiration and Guerrero spent too much time sidelined either with suspensions or physical problems.
2018’s almost invincible home run was far from being matched in 2019. Team collected 7 points at home less than last season and, even when winning, Gaúchos were rarely convincing.
Zé Ricardo, the replacement of Odair, was not brilliant, and won’t be leading the team next year. Whoever comes next will have to handle a significant reform of an aged squad while not frustrating the highly demanding fans.
