Emotional last round rescue… as usual. The fans are already used to Sadinos’ last minute saves, and this season was no different. Setúbal struggled once again but will be in Primeira Liga… once again.
It didn’t even seem that this time Setúbal was going to suffer like they had been in recent times. Only three defeats (Porto, Benfica and Rio Ave) in the first 14 rounds looked like a very good start. Sitting at 7th only 2 points away from European places was nothing short of exciting.
However, something hard to understand must have happened around January. Already with Spanish coach Velazquez at the helm, the 0-4 defeat to Porto started a terrible sequence of 15 game without winning.
Setúbal went on a vertiginous fall and finished the 32nd round below the red line. Club’s favourite Lito Vidigal had been called up to try and save the club from diasaster.
The final two rounds were worth an entire season: with the club hitting a new low on motivation, Vidigal managed to motivate them for a great 0-0 draw at Alvalade and a 2-0 home win over historic rivals Belenenses.
Carlinhos was one of the very few players to have a positive season. The powerful box-to-box midfielder will hardly be at Bonfim next season. The experienced Sílvio and Semedo were reliable. Artur Jorge was irregular, but highly important in the club’s most important fixtures.
The club’s structural and financial problems don’t let the fans hope for a less nervous season next year.
