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With four games into the '25 Campeonato Paulista, the state Championship involving some of Brazil's top flight, current 3peat Champions SE Palmeiras are struggling to see their club resemble the dominance of the last half-decade.
Fortunately, Paulista A1 (the State Competition that Precedes the National Brasileirao League) is full of comparatively smaller clubs with a fraction of the financial resources. Regardless, with four games played, the Palm Trees of São Paulo sit on top of their group.
Yesterday's loss to Novorizontino, with a partially rotated squad, showed weaknesses compared to previous team versions. Coach Abel Ferreira has been a tactical master of making things work, but he could have his hands full this spring. With recently re-elected President Leila Pereira focusing on the Club World Cup in the US this year, the urgency for improvements could soon become panic in a society that is not very patient with coaches.
Analyzing SE Palmeiras's Roster for 2025:
More specifically, some of the problems seem to be positional; let's take a look:
Goalkeeper
Weverton is the best goalkeeper in South America. If you want to argue another keeper is better, you are wrong.
Fullbacks
This is where the problems begin: Marcos Rocha has been one of the best RBs of the last 5 years. But at 36, he does not have the legs to play this position as Abel needs in a congested calendar.
His counter-attacking style puts a lot of stress on the fullbacks, so they need to be great at all times. His minutes declined last season and this season even more. Mayke, who has been with the team since 2017, is up to it but can be inconsistent at times. Agustin Giay, a 21-year-old physical Fullback, was picked up last season and had some promising minutes.
Gustavo Lopes
I will admit I was very bullish on him, but this season, he has made some very sloppy mistakes that have cost the team points. His reliability should be questioned for now. On the left side, the top choice, Uruguayan Joaquim Piquerez, arguably the top left back in Brazil, had knee surgery last July and has not yet returned to play, but he was on the bench for the previous match; his return will be a big boost.
Vanderlan, the academy product, is next up on the left fullback side. He is a solid option, but not at Piquerez's level. Midfielder Caio Paulista has had to fill in on occasion and has struggled. Caio has also struggled at midfield, his regular position.
Centerbacks
Gustavo Gomez, "Captain America," the Paraguayan Centerback and multi-year Captain, remains one of the best in the position currently on the continent. Murilo Cerqueira is solid, Kaiky is serviceable when needed, and Academy Graduate left-footed Luis Gustavo Benedetti (18) is among others. This is a deep group, even with Vitor Reis Moving to Man City for $36 million last week.
Midfielders
This is a position group in flux right now. Strength is in Richard Rios and Rafael Veiga. They are two of the best mids in the league right now. Rios has earned massive interest from Europe. His release clause is an eye-popping $103 million, however, and Palmeiras does not want to lose him with the Club World Cup coming. The offers will keep coming, and they will be tempting. Mauricio's transfer from Internacional started decisive with a brace on his debut.
The rest of the group is struggling. Palmeiras's intense schedule makes rotation difficult with all the competitions they go deep in.
Academy Product Fabinho has been poor. Eduard Atuesta has not shown he is ready to contribute or will ever be at the level needed. Anibal Moreno has also looked like a bad signing. Allan from the U20 is starting to feature. We will see if he can be an answer. But there have been some misses with transfers here. This position group sits on a knife edge.
Forwards
Estevao is the next "Big Thing" in Brazilian soccer and will leave for Chelsea this summer. He is a complete forward with a nasty left foot, and Leila has made the not-so-bold claim that he will be voted Best player in the world one day.
Facundo Torres is a new pick-up from MLS side Orlando SC. He scored the goal against Novorizontino, and it remains to be seen how he will adapt. So far, so good. Rony is one of the longest-tenured guys on the roster, but he is seen as overpaid and could be on his way out. The club is trying to find a team that wants him. He was asked to take a pay cut to stay and politely declined.
Rony was rumored to be a target for Club America in Mexico City. Liga MX would be a great fit for him, as his salary there wouldn't be considered as high as in Brazil. Flaco Lopez, the Argentine, has not impressed; Romulo is a new transfer, and the impact remains to be seen; Luighi, 18, an old Academy player, has promise. Thalys, 19, a 6'0 Center Forward, also shows promise. He will be one to watch.
And there's Emiliano Martinez, who just arrived also. The Argentine is also a big pickup for the Verdão.
Can Abel get them to play better? Probably. A lot of young talent has been in the program for years. That core youth group will need to execute better in 2025. So far, they are not doing enough against relatively weaker competition.
But the season is young. The goal is the FIFA Club World Cup. Palmeiras will have an opportunity to compete against the best in the world. To get there, there's a lot to do. Palmeiras is even said to have offered Arsenal $45 million for Gabriel Jesus (Palmeiras Academy Alumni), which is almost unheard of for any Brazilian team in modern history.
