Dorival: Corinthians better in derby, shrugs off pressure | OneFootball

Dorival Júnior believes that Corinthians deserved better luck in the derby against Santos this Sunday at Vila Belmiro, in the Brazilian Championship. The Timão took the lead but conceded the equalizer minutes later and couldn't secure the victory.

“It was a game we controlled from the first 15 minutes until the end. We sought to have greater momentum, speeding up our passing exchanges, looking for infiltrations. It was a tough, very scrappy match, but we suffered little throughout the entire period. Just like in the January game, today we deserved better luck,” evaluated the coach in a press conference.

(Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians)

The coach made an important change in Timão's attack for the match. Recovered from injury, forward Kaio César started among the starters and assisted Memphis's goal. Dorival praised the player.

“Kaio asked us for a change at halftime, but we asked him to stay because of the imbalance he was causing. He went as far as he could. Kaio has this imbalance and will help us a lot. I’ve been asking for him since last year, the board is to be congratulated in this regard,” he stated.

Dorival under pressure?

Dorival Júnior downplayed the pressure faced in recent days. Corinthians experienced a week full of demands due to the negative streak this season, including a visit from organized fan leaders at the Dr. Joaquim Grava Training Center.

“We had a bad match against Coritiba, but if I keep responding... Just take a look at how the team was almost a year ago and what we've achieved. If it's negative, I'll admit my mistakes. I'm calm, I do my job and I'm always in contact with Marcelo Paz and the president. From the moment they decide my presence isn't ideal, there's no point in debating every round,” he commented.

“This behavior in Brazil is very strange. The coach is either suitable or not depending on the results of each round. We always go against what's happening in world football and we don't learn. I give very little importance to this, I'm concerned with my work,” he added.

The coach also explained why he didn't attend the meeting with organized fans last Friday.

“I wasn't present because I didn't know, I had already scheduled exams. I followed most of the training and left just a few minutes before it ended. Otherwise, I would have been present and participated, as has happened at other clubs. I don't shy away from this commitment. There was no aggression, nothing unfair, to me everything was within normality. It's not ideal, but I understand it's part of it,” he declared.

Fatal error

The Corinthians coach avoided blaming defender Gabriel Paulista for the draw in the derby. The defender made a mistake in the ball exit that led to Santos's equalizing goal.

“Mistakes happen on the field. It was a mistake, it happened, he [Gabriel] has helped us in other moments. I will never point out an individual detail. Winning will be a victory for everyone, losing too. The defeat to Coritiba was abnormal, I acknowledge. The club has been having a very regular campaign, we will have good things this year, I have no doubt about that,” he concluded.

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Standings Situation

The result changes little for Corinthians in the standings. Timão completed five games without a win and took the seventh place in the Brasileirão, with eight points – two wins, two draws, and two losses.

Corinthians' Next Match

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