Renato Paiva keeps his feet on the ground after Santos' 3-2 win over Toluca: 'We are in a construction'

The final whistle had barely died out at the Nemesio Díez when Santos Laguna players hugged each other like they had just won a trophy. Three points against Toluca, a second straight victory, a jolt big enough to pull the fans back into belief. Yet Renato Paiva walked toward the camera with an unchanged face. He did not mention the goals. He did not talk about euphoria. He only spoke about something more abstract: the construction project. For those who are used to reading matches through a coach's body language, that moment said more than any statistic. Three points against Toluca were not a shock. Santos Laguna won 3-2 away from home and collected a second consecutive win, but still sit 17th with seven points. Renato Paiva knows better than anyone that two straight wins cannot erase a terrible start, and a 3-2 victory with two goals conceded is not the mark of a solid defensive structure. That is why he chose to lower expectations at the very moment his team climbed a small step. Not because he is pessimistic. Because he knows football punishes those who believe in luck too early. The context does not lie in the 90 minutes at Toluca. It comes from a difficult season. Santos Laguna entered the early stage of Liga MX with an unstable face, drifting to the bottom half of the table. Seven points after several rounds reflects both the real level and unresolved problems. The club changed coaches, changed the approach, but has not changed its fate. Renato Paiva arrived with a difficult mission: to rebuild the team from the foundation. The most striking part of Paiva's speech is how he focuses on spirit rather than tactical structure. He talked about the players' commitment, the intention to compete until the last minute, and the spirit being built. Those are media-friendly phrases, but for a tactical analyst they reveal a transitional state. A team with a clear operating system usually does not need to talk too much about spirit. People talk about spirit when technique and tactics are not yet strong enough to support results. The 3-2 win over Toluca was open and full of twists. A good defensive team rarely suffers late fear. A team that controls matches rarely allows two goals and keeps the opponent believing in a comeback. Paiva may see that too. That is why he refuses to let himself and his players fall into excessive excitement. He called this win just three points and immediately reminded everyone that the team is still under construction. The gap between words and results reveals the most. If one only looked at two consecutive wins, fans could believe Santos Laguna has found its path. But looking at seven points and 17th place, the team is standing on a fragile foundation. What Paiva is doing with his statements is like a builder trying to keep the walls from falling before the cement dries. He wants to stop the collective ego from growing faster than actual ability. The biggest blind spot is that two consecutive wins are an extremely small sample. For a team in 17th place, two wins do not create a trend. They only create a psychological boost. Paiva understands that, and his repeated phrase feet on the ground is a way to protect the team from complacency. But there is another possibility: he is using language to buy time. When a coach talks about process more than results, it often means he is under time pressure. The match with Toluca also exposed defensive fragility. Scoring three away goals is admirable, but conceding two is worrying. If Santos Laguna keep allowing opponents too many chances, the winning streak will not last. Paiva can talk about spirit, but professional football is decided by defensive structure, solidity in every duel, and the ability to read situations as a team. The most notable statement from Paiva was not about tactics. It was his appeal for fans to fill the stadium against Pachuca. He said the team needs that energy. When a coach has to publicly ask for support, it reveals that the home atmosphere is no longer an obvious advantage. Santos Laguna may be facing fan indifference. A low table position, an unconvincing style, and promises of a long rebuild are not always enough to keep people in the stands. I do not believe in luck. I believe in systems designed to create luck. Santos Laguna have two wins, but the biggest question is whether they have a system that can reproduce that luck in upcoming matches. The answer lies in how they handle the home game against Pachuca. It will be a perfect test for a team trying to turn a short-term surge into a long-term turning point. Pachuca on home soil will not be just another match. For Santos Laguna, it is the test of the entire approach Paiva is following. If they win, the construction narrative gains credibility. If they lose, everything returns to 17th place. Paiva can keep his feet on the ground as long as he wants, but football only waits for so long. The nature of Liga MX is a short tournament where a slow start costs matches. Santos Laguna do not have endless time to experiment. Every match is a piece of the puzzle, and Pachuca will show whether the two recent wins were a real signal or just an accidental bounce.