Corinthians defender urges attitude shift after midfielder sent off

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Central do Timão

·24 November 2025

Corinthians defender urges attitude shift after midfielder sent off

By Henrique Pereira / Central do Timão Editorial Team

Corinthians visited Cruzeiro last Sunday night (23), at Mineirão, in a match valid for the 35th round of the Brazilian Championship, and ended up being defeated by a score of 3-0. After the match, defender Gustavo Henrique gave an interview and spoke about the need to have a different attitude in the rematch against the opponent in the semifinals of the Copa do Brasil, in addition to admitting that the result was shameful.

“Everything has to be different from what it was today. We couldn't play, we couldn't do anything. We had difficulty marking the opposing team, we had difficulty playing with the ball at our feet. We know the quality of Cruzeiro, it's a very strong team that has been playing together for a while, it's never easy to play here. For the 10th, we have to learn from the mistakes we made today, study our opponent a lot so that we are stronger.”, he said.

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Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Ag. Corinthians

“If we talk about the result, yes (it was a shame), 3-0 is a very wide score. Given the greatness of both clubs, it should be a much more balanced game. As I said, we didn't play a good game, especially in the first half. We couldn't produce anything with or without the ball. Now it's time to fix things and already think about the next game, understand what we did wrong and correct it for the 10th.”, continued the defender.

Continuing the interview, Gustavo Henrique stated that the squad always talks about the need to have the same attitude in every game and showed discomfort with the persistence of the problems. The defender called for a change in the team's mentality.

“It's even hard to explain, because we talk about it practically every week, it's getting annoying to talk all the time and nothing changes, right? Especially in away games we have to have a different attitude. We have to want the ball more, try to play more with the ball, because we know that away from home, especially in big games like this, the opposing team has quality, with the support of their fans they have more courage to press us, more courage to play.”, he commented.

“So it's the mentality, I think we have to change this mentality and work. It's no use just talking, we have to work tactically as well so that we can play good games, especially away from home.”, concluded the number 13.

The defender also spoke about José Martínez's sending off in the match. The player pointed out that it wouldn't be wise to criticize his teammate right after the match, due to the heated atmosphere of the defeat, but noted that the Venezuelan needs to change his behavior so as not to harm the team.

“Right now everyone is hot-headed, he's professional enough, he knows the responsibility he has, especially when he wears this shirt. No one wants to talk when they're angry, I think we have to review what's been happening so it doesn't happen again.”, said Gustavo Henrique.

“Martínez had his head down, sitting and looking at the ground. It's hard to demand something at a difficult moment like this, in a heated moment, everyone upset for having lost the game. But (Fabinho) Soldado also took responsibility, talked, so we didn't have much time to talk to Martínez.”, he continued.

“But, as I said, he's a super experienced player, there have been plays he could have avoided, which really hurt the flow of the match, but we will talk to him. Now there's no point in pointing out one person's mistake or another's. Everyone is responsible for the loss and everyone wins together. So now I think the team has to unite because there are 20 days left until the most important game of the year and we have to be very strong with everyone.”, finished the defender.

Corinthians' next match will only take place on Sunday (30), for the 36th round of the Brasileirão. The Neo Química Arena will host Botafogo, starting at 4pm (Brasília time), with Timão looking to get back to winning ways.

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