Corinthians assistant rues defeat, backs youngsters, eyes Memphis, Garro | OneFootball

On the night of Wednesday the 15th, Corinthians went to Vila Belmiro to face Santos in a classic match for the 28th round of the Brazilian Championship, losing by a score of 3-1. The goal for the Alvinegro was scored by midfielder Raniele after a cross from Matheuzinho. With this result, the club from Parque São Jorge remains in 12th place with 33 points (eight wins, nine draws, and 11 losses – 30 goals scored and 35 conceded).

After the match, assistant coach Lucas Silvestre, who replaced the suspended Dorival Júnior for the game, gave a press conference where he answered several questions from journalists, assessing the team's performance and attitude in the classic, as well as analyzing the coaching staff's decisions and commenting on some specific players. Check out the main responses from the coach:

Photo: Reproduction/YouTube

Performance and Attitude Analysis

“Initially, our attitude from the beginning of the game, especially in the first half, was very poor, well below what we had been producing and the way we usually play. The defeat was less about tactical aspects and more about energy and commitment, areas in which we fell short. It's a painful moment, but we need to learn and turn the page, because on Saturday we face Atlético-MG and our attitude will be different. The game required dedication, energy, and effort that we didn’t show, which determined the result. The early goal had a big influence, and the preparation was done, the players were warned about Santos’ intensity and pressure, but after the goal we lost energy and space.”

Minutes for Garro and Memphis

“Regarding Garro, he was coming off a period of inactivity, and it was agreed together that he would be available for 25 to 30 minutes. The same situation with Memphis, it was also decided after talks with the player, the physiology team, and doctors, that he would only play 25 to 30 minutes because of the last FIFA date. That's why, even with technical needs, neither of them returned after halftime. It was important to think about the sequence and avoid injuries, so we limited them to 25 to 30 minutes. Everything was agreed upon by the club and we followed the plan.”

And for the next games?

“Memphis should be fit to play the full 90 minutes or most of the game. With Garro, the idea is to gradually increase his workload; he played 30 minutes today after more than a month out, about six weeks. We’ll assess how he is tomorrow to decide what’s best for the next match, considering the time off and always thinking about the ideal recovery for the players, so that he can contribute more and more.”

Gui Negão’s Substitution

“Gui didn’t have a good first half, so the change was technical. Tactically, we needed more movement, a trait Kayke could give us, sometimes out wide, sometimes inside. Unfortunately, the game didn’t go as planned and it was necessary to make a change. But he’s a player we trust a lot; we believe in him and all the boys. The bench was practically under-20, we invested in the youngsters who gave us support. André and Kayke came in well, so even with the bad result, it’s important to highlight the positive points of the team.”

Martínez’s Situation

“With Martínez, starting tomorrow we’ll also understand what happened. He arrived at the training center today, didn’t participate in all the preparation during the FIFA break. And starting tomorrow we’ll talk to him, understand what happened, and then define his situation regarding Martínez.”

Praise for the Rival

“First, I need to value and congratulate the opponent, who played a great game. Technically, today we weren’t as assertive as in recent matches, which made it difficult for us to build from the back. We didn’t find free men, suffering from Santos’ pressure that took us out of our rhythm. With low energy and little assertiveness, we struggled to create and find options, even with the forwards often up against the last line. In the second half, we conceded an early goal and that conditioned the rest of the match, making it hard to chase the result.”

Why No Changes in the First Half

“That’s an important question because we had a young bench and the more experienced players couldn’t play for long. The idea was to reorganize the team on the field and only bring on the boys at halftime if necessary. It wasn’t the case to put all the pressure on the youngsters coming up now, like André, Dieguinho, Kayke. We tried to push Hugo forward in the front line, in case there was difficulty with the back five, to form two lines of four, since Igor Vinícius was dropping deep. We pushed Hugo up to press, but we lacked energy and that compromised the result in the first half.”

Inconsistent Performance in Defeats

“I see Sport and Juventude as different from Santos. Santos has more quality, even going through a tough time, and a lot of resources to improve. Bad moments come after good ones. We had three good matches, despite the loss to Flamengo, a draw with Internacional, and a win over Mirassol. For this game, we expected a different attitude; the preparation was done and the players were warned, but we didn’t translate that onto the field. The situation is unacceptable for everyone, and on Saturday the attitude will be different.”

Defensive Performance

“Our defense didn’t concede goals against Mirassol. We were coming from strong defensive games, despite difficulties against Mirassol; against Flamengo we had good defensive moments. Today was atypical, we fell short collectively. I can’t blame just the back line, marking is everyone’s responsibility. Our rate of duels won was low; in a classic that’s decisive, it makes things difficult and practically hands the game to the opponent.”

Apathy in Important Matches

“You mentioned that Santos treated the game like a final, and that’s how we prepared our team. I don’t see it that way, because we’ve had good away games, beating Fluminense, Vasco, Ceará, but at home we didn’t always get points. After good moments, sometimes we don’t get into the game as we should. We need to understand these drops and react in the next game, seeking greater consistency in the championship, to give the fans confidence with a positive run of victories.”

Is There Confidence in the Young Players?

“On the contrary, if they didn’t have technical quality, they wouldn’t even be here. We just can’t put all the responsibility on the boys in a classic, go down 2-0 and already make substitutions in the first half. We planned solutions if the initial plan failed, adjusted defensively as trained and, when it didn’t work, we changed at halftime. We have a lot of confidence in these young players; Dorival isn’t afraid to play the youngsters and always bets on them, many from the youth academy playing regularly.”

See more:

Experience the history and tradition of Corinthians at Parque São Jorge. Click HERE and secure your spot!

Former president and current financial manager of Corinthians are indicted by the Public Prosecutor's Office

Public Prosecutor requests that Andrés Sanchez return almost half a million reais to Corinthians after complaint

Andrés Sanchez requests removal from Corinthians’ boards after Public Prosecutor’s complaint

Corinthians News

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