Emily Lima hails Corinthians’ progress, weighs up derby displays | OneFootball

Corinthians secured qualification for the next stage of the Women’s Copa do Brasil by defeating Palmeiras 1-0 on the morning of last Saturday (30) at Allianz Parque. The winning goal was scored by Gabi Zanotti in the final minutes of the match, which decided the spot in a single-leg third-round clash of the national competition.

After the match, head coach Emily Lima gave a press conference in which she assessed the team’s performance, commented on the displays of specific players, explained tactical aspects of the derby, and highlighted the squad’s collective progress since her arrival at the club.

Photo: ©Rodrigo Gazzanel / Ag. Corinthians

Asked about center-back Thaís Ferreira’s performance, Emily said the defender had alternating moments throughout the game, but stressed the importance of evaluating her display from a broader perspective.

“Speaking a little about Thaís, I think it comes in phases. Sometimes we have a good game, an average game, a bad game. I think this was a bad game. I believe she made certain decisions at crucial moments. Then she got back into the game and had a great second half. We have to look more at the overall picture and also at the good things she did. So, there were many situations involving Thaís, a lot of attempts and choices, and that’s what we ask for. It’s just that sometimes, in the final moment of decision-making, she ends up making some choices that make things more difficult.

That’s part of the game and, from there, there has to be an action, which is transition. If I’ve already lost the ball, I have to react. The team as a whole has to understand that this is our proposal and that, if our center-backs look for that pass through the middle, look to carry the ball to pin someone back and find a pass — which was one of her cases in that situation where we suffered a transition — the group needs to understand that it’s an emergency situation and that it has to solve that problem. But overall, I think not only she, but the team as a whole played very well,” she added.

The coach was also asked about Rafa Rocha’s absence from the squad list and reinforced the competitiveness within the group.

“Rafa is a player who keeps working. I repeat — and I’m being repetitive here because the questions have also been repetitive —: one time it’s one player, another time it’s another. We have a very competitive squad, and the weeks will determine who will be in the matches. You always talk about Manu. Why not ask about her today? Manu was in the squad. It’s the work they do during the week among themselves that will earn them their call-ups. That’s our way of working. And it’s worth highlighting Manu, because she was here in a group facing a game that felt like a final. Rafa keeps working. Rafa has not been ruled out, just like none of the players have.”

When commenting on the preparation for the Derby, Emily explained that Corinthians kept the structure used in recent matches and prioritized continuity in the work developed over the past few weeks.

“Actually, we continued the work. It’s a week as important as all the others we’ve worked through here at Corinthians. We don’t change the system; we keep playing in a diamond 4-4-2. It may be that, at some moments, because of Palmeiras’ movements, we end up adjusting, but from the start we didn’t change the system. We focus much more on strengthening our game model, much more on our behaviors, as in all the other matches. But today things happened the way they had to happen. We came away with the win and we need to keep strengthening our game model.

I believe that with each game, they understand a little more and trust a little more in every moment. They worry a lot about whether or not they have the ball, but that in itself is very vague. So we try to give them confidence. In the attacking phase, we have to be attacking; the attacking phase is about going for goal, about having the ball. Once we lose the ball, we move into another phase of the game. Then it’s about defending with everything, because we no longer have possession. So it’s more a matter of giving and transmitting that confidence to them, while continuing the work. I think it was a key match, but the work during the week was precisely to continue what we had already been doing,” she added.

Another topic addressed was the hug with Vic Albuquerque after the final whistle. Emily explained that the gesture symbolized recognition for the work the players had put in during the week.

“I think that with Vic and all the others, we end up hugging because we know the day-to-day work. Only we and the players know what we go through every day. So it was a hug of relief, not only with Vic. Yesterday, we called her in to talk, we spoke about the importance she has because of the history she has built at Corinthians, we reinforced that we trust her and that we are by her side. And if at any moment we need her — not only Vic, but speaking specifically about her now — the players need to be ready. They need to be prepared to come in, change the game, or keep the match going the way it is. That’s it. I think the group is becoming more and more united and understanding a little better what we want to bring to Corinthians. For me, that hug wasn’t only with Vic; it was a hug of relief with everyone. It was a very stressful game, but thank God everything worked out.”

Finally, Emily Lima was asked whether she considers this Saturday’s Derby Corinthians’ best performance since her arrival in charge of the team. The coach highlighted how balanced the women’s game currently is and praised the collective display shown against their rival.

“I’ve come back and I see a much more competitive game. When I left, there were two or three teams, at most four, at a higher level. Today, even the middle of the table is extremely competitive, and even the teams a little lower down can fight among the best in Brazil. Today was another complicated match that we faced. Palmeiras are a very competitive team and, in my view, Rosana is doing a very good job. Our first match against Palmeiras since our arrival was also very complicated. We had an almost perfect first half, but in the second we offered many situations for a comeback. I believe it happened at the right time. I’ve said this before: we needed to get to know them a little more in difficult situations so that we could adjust some things.

Today, I believe it was a very competitive game from start to finish. And, in a match decided by details, we were able to capitalize on one of them. There was a great play by Jacques down the right and an incredible movement by Zanotti, pulling the center-back inside and attacking the space behind the defense so that she lost her reference point, since she was watching the ball. These are situations where, many times, individual quality makes the difference in a game like this. But without failing to value the collective aspect and the connection that existed today among the group of players, the coaching staff, and even the players who were not in the squad and followed the match from inside the dressing room,” she concluded.

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