Marked for Danilo Rodrigues
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad13 Mar 2028
Danilo Rodrigues damages knee ligaments — 20 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 20 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Squad13 Mar 2028
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. CSA will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
Squad13 Mar 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at CSA this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The dugout13 Mar 2028
Vanderley gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad13 Mar 2028
Too much change too quickly at CSA
6 signings in three months. Every one of them may be an upgrade and the team can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild that never appears in the transfer-window verdicts.
Market13 Mar 2028
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Gabriel Souza signs something — a contract at CSA or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad6 Mar 2028
Danilo Rodrigues damages knee ligaments — 28 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 28 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Market6 Mar 2028
Gabriel Xavier wants to know where this is going
“I want to win things, and I would like to do it here.” Nothing has been demanded and nothing has been threatened — but a boardroom at CSA hears a sentence like that exactly as it was built.
Market6 Mar 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at CSA is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad6 Mar 2028
Camacho in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at CSA this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad6 Mar 2028
Words at CSA training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Gabriel Xavier is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Squad6 Mar 2028
30 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
The dugout6 Mar 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Luan Silva, and the manager let it.
The dugout6 Mar 2028
Gabriel Souza has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at CSA will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
The dugout6 Mar 2028
Cássio has been promised minutes
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Cássio has written the date down.
In brief
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Market
Kayque linked with a move away
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The dugout
Danielzinho knocks on the manager’s door
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad28 Feb 2028
Danilo Rodrigues damages knee ligaments — 36 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 36 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Squad28 Feb 2028
Tempers go at CSA
Camacho was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad28 Feb 2028
Words at CSA training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Gabriel Xavier is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout28 Feb 2028
Camacho gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
The dugout28 Feb 2028
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Wanderson Papaterra is on it.
The dugout28 Feb 2028
Luan Silva knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Luan Silva trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad21 Feb 2028
A knee injury of the worst kind for Danilo Rodrigues
43 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. CSA lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Market21 Feb 2028
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at CSA, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad21 Feb 2028
Tempers go at CSA
Gabriel Xavier was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Market21 Feb 2028
Tiaguinho Silva is free to find somewhere else
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at CSA has been clear about where Tiaguinho Silva stands, which is more than many ever get.
The dugout21 Feb 2028
Luan Silva has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at CSA will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
The dugout21 Feb 2028
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at CSA, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market21 Feb 2028
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Vinicius Barreta signs something — a contract at CSA or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
The dugout21 Feb 2028
Kayque has been promised minutes
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Kayque has written the date down.
Squad21 Feb 2028
A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at CSA would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad14 Feb 2028
51 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. CSA lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Market14 Feb 2028
Thalys hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what CSA can pretend not to have heard.
Squad14 Feb 2028
A falling-out at CSA
Camacho and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad14 Feb 2028
A row about effort at CSA
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Gabriel Xavier was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout14 Feb 2028
No hiding place for Cássio
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Cássio, and the manager let it.
Squad14 Feb 2028
Too much change too quickly at CSA
6 signings in three months. Every one of them may be an upgrade and the team can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild that never appears in the transfer-window verdicts.
The dugout14 Feb 2028
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at CSA, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market14 Feb 2028
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Gabriel Souza signs something — a contract at CSA or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
The dugout14 Feb 2028
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Juan Camilo Largacha is on it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad7 Feb 2028
A knee injury of the worst kind for Danilo Rodrigues
58 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. CSA lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Market7 Feb 2028
Adriano has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around CSA they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad7 Feb 2028
Camacho in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at CSA this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The dugout7 Feb 2028
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
The dugout7 Feb 2028
Gabriel Souza gets picked when it counts
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Gabriel Souza is on it.
Squad7 Feb 2028
CSA have started building around Randerson
He used to be one of the options. He is now one of the men the options are picked around, and the change happened quietly enough that only the dressing room noticed on the day.
In brief
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The dugout
The manager makes Camacho a promise
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Squad
Competition arrives for Gabriel Xavier
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Market
Kayque linked with a move away
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The dugout
The manager plants his flag on Cássio
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad31 Jan 2028
Danilo Rodrigues damages knee ligaments — 66 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 66 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Squad31 Jan 2028
Words exchanged at CSA
Gabriel Xavier and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad31 Jan 2028
28 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
The dugout31 Jan 2028
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
The dugout31 Jan 2028
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Wanderson Papaterra is on it.
Market31 Jan 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. CSA know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad24 Jan 2028
75 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. CSA lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Market24 Jan 2028
CSA may not be able to give Gabriel Souza what he wants
It is the most legitimate ambition in the sport and the hardest for most clubs to satisfy. Gabriel Souza wants continental football; whether CSA can provide it is a question about the next two seasons, not about him.
Squad24 Jan 2028
Tempers go at CSA
Gabriel Xavier was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
The dugout24 Jan 2028
Luan Silva has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at CSA will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
The dugout24 Jan 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Juan Camilo Largacha, and the manager let it.
The dugout24 Jan 2028
Vanderley knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at CSA, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market24 Jan 2028
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Vinicius Barreta signs something — a contract at CSA or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Market24 Jan 2028
CSA have let the market know Wanderson Papaterra can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
The dugout24 Jan 2028
A door opens for Adriano
He asked about his future and was given an answer with minutes in it. The manager has now made a promise in a building where promises are remembered, and the clock on it has started.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad17 Jan 2028
Danilo Rodrigues damages knee ligaments — 84 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 84 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Market17 Jan 2028
CSA may not be able to give Gabriel Xavier what he wants
It is the most legitimate ambition in the sport and the hardest for most clubs to satisfy. Gabriel Xavier wants continental football; whether CSA can provide it is a question about the next two seasons, not about him.
Squad17 Jan 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at CSA this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Transfer targets17 Jan 2028
CSA asked and Deportivo Pasto said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
The dugout17 Jan 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Luan Silva, and the manager let it.
Market17 Jan 2028
CSA have made Pablo Andrade available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
Market17 Jan 2028
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Gabriel Souza signs something — a contract at CSA or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
The dugout17 Jan 2028
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Juan Camilo Largacha is on it.
The dugout17 Jan 2028
A door opens for Camacho
He asked about his future and was given an answer with minutes in it. The manager has now made a promise in a building where promises are remembered, and the clock on it has started.