SAO PAULO, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Dani Alves insisted that Sao Paulo can still win the Brazilian Serie A title despite being held to a 1-1 home draw by struggling CSA on Sunday.
The Tricolor have won just two of their six league matches since Alves arrived as a free agent in August and have collected just two points from their last four outings.
The six-time Serie A champions are now sixth in the 20-team standings, 10 points behind leaders Flamengo at the season's halfway point. CSA remain 18th with three wins and seven draws from 19 games.
"People are thinking that Flamengo are already champions," Alves told reporters. "But there is a long way to go and a lot can happen between now and the end of the season. Don't give Flamengo the title yet."
"We are working as hard as we can to improve. We have to come up with a plan and stick to it. If we start to change the way we play because of the [media's] criticism we will never regain our best form."
Alves was deployed by Sao Paulo manager Cuca in his customary right-back role on Sunday, a move that relegated former Spain international Juanfran to the bench.
The former Sevilla, Barcelona, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain defender - who has mostly been used in midfield since joining Sao Paulo - said he is willing to play anywhere.
"Whether I play as a full-back or a midfielder, I'm here to help Sao Paulo," the 36-year-old said. "I'm somebody who can help my teammates in a number of ways."
Sao Paulo's next Serie A fixture is an away clash against Botafogo next Saturday.
