Corinthians Under-17 boss hails form, backs talent for seniors | OneFootball

Corinthians took the field on the afternoon of last Tuesday (21) to face Internacional at Estádio Alfredo Schürig, Fazendinha, in a match valid for the ninth round of the qualification stage of the Brazilian Under-17 Championship, and beat the team from Rio Grande do Sul 4-0. Timãozinho’s goals were scored by Lucca Caramico, Léo Rodrigues, Rafael Guarnieri, and Gustavo Sales. The three points put the Corinthians side at the top of the national competition with 19 points — six wins, one draw, and two losses — with 27 goals scored and seven conceded.

The coach of the Filhos do Terrão spoke to the press in the mixed zone after the match and analyzed the game against Internacional, along with the team’s positive moment in the season, as they have now won five straight. In the national competition, Timãozinho has posted emphatic wins against Grêmio (7-0), Botafogo (4-0), Vasco da Gama (3-0), Palmeiras (3-1), and Internacional (4-0).

Photo: Rodrigo Gazzanel/Agência Corinthians

In his answer, the coach mentioned the team’s more consistent performances in recent matches. In recent games, the club from Parque São Jorge had been dealing with some problems involving absences and red cards, in addition to refereeing issues. In 2026, overall, the Filhos do Terrão have 13 wins, two draws, and three losses — 59 goals scored (3.27 per game) and 17 conceded (0.94 per game) — resulting in a 75.90% success rate.

“This positive run is something we had already been looking for. A few rounds ago in the championship we were fluctuating a lot, we weren’t winning convincingly here at Fazendinha, and away from home maybe we couldn’t maintain the level, and then there were some problems such as red cards. So, we had a moment of inconsistency and our goal and our internal conversations are always about being more consistent, aboutwinning and then winning again and, mainly, I think that was the trigger for the change, maybe the players internalized the message that victory is very good for bringing confidence but it can also be somewhat deceptive in our mindset.”

“So, we needed to understand more what led us to win so we could repeat that processand win again, rather than just thinking it was good enough to simply step onto the field and that victorywould come automatically. So I think that mindset, the players bought into that idea and we always took into the game not the confidence from a win that was already behind us, but the path that had led us to win before.”

He went on by recalling the emphatic victory in the category’s Derby and spoke about the squad’s overall improvement: “So, we beat Palmeiras here with a lot of determination, hitting all of our GPS metrics to win the match and win it well. And we took that example into the game against Vasco, which was the same thing, and brought it into today as well, an extremely difficult match but one in which we managed to withstand the difficulty of the game, especially in the first half and build the scoreline in the second.I think the group is growing overall, so collectively there are many players who have improved and are managing to develop their game. Obviously, some end up standing out a little more than others because of their position or because they scored a goal, but it’s a very strong collective and we really lean on that, the sense of togetherness this group has, and that maybe provides individual flashes here and there, but it is sustained by a very strong collective foundation,” he began.

Later, he was asked about the potential of some players from the category to eventually join the first-team squad. It is worth remembering that Corinthians currently have four active transfer bans, three from FIFA and one from the CBF, which together total R$23 million and prevent the club from registering new signings. In this way, using academy players could become an alternative for the main squad, coached by Fernando Diniz. The transfer window officially opened on July 20 and will close on September 11.

Guilherme Nascimento chose not to address individually the names with the greatest potential to be promoted to the first team in the short term, opting instead to praise the collective. In the 2026 season, Timãozinho’s main standouts have been Gustavo Milani, Miguel Moscardo, Lucca Caramico, Léo Amistá, and Léo Rodrigues.

“It’s important for everyone to be aware that the club is closely monitoring this process, the professional football department, very closely. Those of you who were here for the game against Palmeiras, you followed it, you were there. These players are already regularly involved in first-team training, not just these but other players as well, who are very highly rated internally. It’s important for everyone to know that this monitoring work is being done very closely by the first-team staff as well, but each player has his own time. Each player has his own time to blossom, to truly become effective and efficient one category up, two categories up. We see the players, not only those who were mentioned but many others as well, with a lot of potential to one day bring a positive return to Corinthians as a whole.”

“Each one will have a different timetable, so I’m not going to single anyone out in my answer here, despite the curiosity, but of course there are one or two players who may be a little more ready to handle that demand, but the ideal thing to do is for us to be aware of the team, of each player’s timing and availability, and that is being handled very carefully. And yes, these players are already being watched very closely by the professional football department and already train with the first team several times during the week, throughout the month. So, the first-team coaching staff know these players by name, they already know their potential, and this process is being handled very closely. So now it’s about being patient, because at the right time for each player they will be exposed in the way that is necessary,” he continued.

Finally, Guilherme Nascimento commented on youth development in Brazilian football when asked about Spain’s World Cup title. Much of the world champion squad has played together since the youth categories and was in the Olympic final against Brazil in 2021 in Japan, coached by Luis De La Fuente — who was later promoted to head coach of Spain’s senior national team.

“I think we have to keep in mind who we are developing for and for what purpose we are developing. Maybe we leave the development process completely homogeneous, with the same characteristics, seeking the same style of play, but I’m not sure whether that player will actually play at my club, whether he is a player who will go to the market, or which coach that player will play under at my club, in my first team, because we know the turnover of coaches in Brazil in general — I’m not talking about Corinthians, I’m speaking in general. So, to what extent is it important for a player to remain within the same ecosystem, receiving the same kinds of stimuli, when we don’t know what stimulus he will need to be exposed to in the first team, and we know that what usually happens and what is most common is that those stimuli will be varied.”

“So, having differences in what is proposed at the Under-15 level, understanding what that age group demands, a slightly different view of the game, a slightly different execution at the Under-17 level, understanding what that age demands. Same thing at Under-20 level, which may be the most advantageous environment. What I would say, just to point it out since you brought up the World Cup example, what strikes me is because once again Spain wins and we run a very big risk of thinking that the style of play used by Spain is the style that should guide youth development around the world or guide team building around the world.”

Guilherme continued: “And I think the last two World Cup winners, maybe even France is showing us, that Argentina is showing us... a message that is this: play according to your culture, play according to your identity, because Spain wins and loses in the same way, with positional play, with the style that is culturally rooted there in their academies and everything else. Argentina were champions in 2022 in their own way, which is different from Spain’s. So maybe, for us to bring that example into Brazil, it’s not about making the process homogeneous or only looking at what Spain does today, I think it’s for us to try to understand what is cultural in Brazil, what our way is, how we win, and turn that into modern, up-to-date methods that still connect with our game.”

“Maybe if we look at our identity, we’ll be closer to victory, as was the case with the last two world champions. That’s fine — positional play, cultural, but it’s Spanish. It’s not by copying that around the world that you’ll find the solution for every style of play, because football is culture. So, this has to do with society’s formation as a whole, and that works for the Spanish, maybe for Brazilians it works in a different way,” he concluded.

After the win over Internacional, Corinthians are now preparing for their next commitment of the season, which will be in the Campeonato Paulista. Next Saturday (25), at 11 a.m. (Brasília time), the Filhos do Terrão host Ibrachina at Parque São Jorge in a direct clash in the first phase of the state competition. Timão are second in the group with 22 points, while the Mooca side lead with 27 points.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.