Emily Lima worried about Corinthians defence after Paulistão draw | OneFootball

Corinthians drew 2-2 with Santos on Thursday night at Fazendinha, in the third round of the Paulista Women’s Championship. After the match, head coach Emily Lima analyzed the Brabas’ performance and admitted concern over the number of goals the team has conceded in recent matches.

According to the coach, Corinthians managed to control much of the match, especially at the start of the first half, but once again showed difficulties in defensive transitions.“I think that at the beginning of the game, early in the first half, we managed to control the match a bit, having more possession of the ball. We conceded a goal from a contested ball, it wasn’t a ball that was under our control, and we put it into dispute. We suffered in transition, with players filling the box, with gaps, and we’re talking about Santos, right? In the end, we conceded that goal, and then had to chase the result again at home,” she said.

Photos: Rodrigo Gazzanel / Agência Corinthians

The black-and-white coach also commented on the substitutions made during the match and explained that the intention was to physically preserve some players who have been on a run of consecutive games.

“Then we managed to level the match again. Anyway, in the second half we started making some substitutions, not because the team was playing badly, no, but really to rotate the players, including those who are playing in the Brazilian Championship. We controlled the team again and suffered in transitions,” she said.

Emily highlighted that the main warning sign for the coaching staff right now is the team’s defensive behavior, especially in transitions without the ball.

“What worries me most in the matches is the number of goals we are conceding. So that worries me a lot, because we are very detail-oriented when it comes to defensive transition and organization. And that has been creating some discomfort, and it’s something we need to emphasize much more in training,” she stated.

The coach also revealed that the adjustments will not be made only on the field, but also through video analysis and strategic changes.

“And not only in training, but with videos too. We need to change the strategy a little, especially when we don’t have the ball. It’s something we talk about a lot, a lot, a lot in defensive transition, which is closing down the ball, especially against teams that play in a low block. Their only way out is quick transition, looking for space where we leave it, which is in the wide channels, behind the defensive line, which was also very much what happened in our Brazilian Championship match,” she added.

Despite the draw, Emily acknowledged positive points in Corinthians’ performance, but admitted that Santos came closer to scoring a third goal at certain moments of the match.

“I think that, all in all, it was very positive. I can’t say that because of the result, which is a draw, but we should have left here today with the three points. I think that, overall, in the match, I see many phases of what happened positively, many moments of what happened, and I really point to our defensive transitions, because Santos was much closer to scoring the third than we were,” she declared.

The coach also commented on the physical condition of Agustina and Thaís Regina, who are still in the recovery process. According to Emily, the medical department has been acting cautiously to avoid new physical issues, and she said she hopes to have the players available to the squad again soon.

“We are being very cautious, the medical staff is being very cautious in this transition for them. They are already in the transition phase. And we are trying to take as much care as possible, because the matches demand very high intensity from the players. Agustina and Thaís are in that phase. More than anyone, I hope they return quickly, as soon as possible, but while respecting the medical staff. They are already doing the warm-up phase with us. Agostina a little less than Thaís Regina, but they are already making that progress, and now it’s about being patient and waiting,” she explained.

Emily also mentioned the plan carried out with Ana Vitória to manage the player’s minutes during her return to the pitch.

“What we did with Ana Vitória was negotiate her minutes in each game, because her situation was also very delicate. So we went little by little: transition, training, minutes in a first game, a little more in a second game. She still can’t complete the full 90 minutes, and all of that is planned with the physiology staff,” she commented.

Another point raised by Emily Lima was Corinthians’ difficulty defending set pieces, an area which, according to her, has always been one of the strengths of the teams coached by her.

“We are conceding goals from set pieces too. It’s something we are very precise about, very detail-oriented, and it has really caught my attention, because I work on both free kicks and corners in zonal marking, and we used to concede very few goals,” she said.

Emily also assessed Corinthians’ start in the Paulista Women’s Championship. After three rounds, the Brabas have one win, one draw and one loss, and have yet to win at Fazendinha.

“It’s been a bad, worrying start. We need to be in first or second place to go straight to the final stage, and that’s something we need to sort out right away,” she said.

According to the coach, the first half of the year served to observe the squad and distribute playing time, but the tendency is for the team to begin taking on a more defined shape as the season goes on.

“This first half of the year, after our arrival, was much more about observation and managing minutes, and now I think we need to narrow down the team a little more and focus on the competitions as a whole,” she concluded.

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