Fernando Diniz on tactics, pitch and Corinthians in Copa do Brasil | OneFootball

After the goalless draw between Corinthians and Athletico-PR on the night of last Thursday (30), in the 21st round of the Brazilian Championship, head coach Fernando Diniz gave a press conference and analyzed the team’s performance, the injuries suffered during the match, the conditions of the Neo Química Arena pitch, and the preparation for the clash against Internacional in the Copa do Brasil round of 16.

With the draw, Corinthians reached 29 points and provisionally sit in eighth place in the Brazilian Championship, with seven wins, eight draws, and six defeats, as well as 22 goals scored and 20 conceded. Now, the black-and-white squad turns its attention to the domestic knockout competition. The first match against Internacional takes place this Sunday (2) at 7:30 p.m. (Brasília time) at Beira-Rio. The return leg will be played at Neo Química Arena on Wednesday (6) at 8 p.m.

Photos: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians

In the coach’s assessment, Corinthians controlled the match but found it difficult to turn that dominance into clear scoring chances. Diniz also linked part of the difficulty to the condition of the pitch and explained the strategy adopted with the rest of the season in mind.

“What I had in mind worked for the match. The team didn’t play badly; it was a difficult game. A game with few opportunities. Athletico is statistically one of the teams that gives up the fewest scoring chances. So it was always going to be a game with few chances created. We had six shots, four on target, and they had only one. We had the clearest chances to decide the game and we couldn’t put it away. But the team showed good movement; we lacked a bit of depth and needed to create a little more. And we created little because of a few factors: this team’s lack of games and rhythm. Atlético is a team that defends well. And the pitch did not help us at all.

So when you add all that up, we had more difficulty creating. And as for the injuries, as I always say, because of the load management we did. I’m not really someone who likes to do a lot of load management. But it became very clear that in the Bahia match we felt a bit of the impact of having played on Thursday and then playing again at this restart, because deep down we are almost restarting a new season; we went two months without playing, the players had almost a month off.

If we had played today with the same players and then gone to Porto Alegre for a decisive match, we probably wouldn’t have had the players in the best condition. And taking this opportunity to say that the player who, based on load management, was in no way supposed to get injured was Yuri. Because he played on Sunday and then had very controlled training sessions on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. And after 20 minutes on the field, he ended up feeling a muscle injury. So there are other factors at work in the world of football. Not just this one that people become obsessed with—load management—which supposedly determines whether a player gets injured or not. And Labyad’s injury most likely has to do with the field, unfortunately.”

Neo Química Arena pitch

Asked whether the condition of the pitch may have influenced the injuries suffered during the match, Fernando Diniz showed dissatisfaction and said the current surface is below the historical standard of Neo Química Arena.

“It’s frustrating because I always played here as an opponent and the field was always a weapon for Corinthians. I’m not a field specialist, but this pitch is the worst it has been since the arena was built. I play here every year, since the arena was inaugurated. And if the field was going to be like this, they should have warned us. When the field came back, it was going to be like this, it wasn’t going to be in good condition, it was going to be dangerous, there was going to be sand, players were going to scrape their knees—today five players had scraped knees. And it can catch and cause injuries. So I think the board is pushing, everyone here is trying to do their best.

And the people responsible for the field need to get moving because the field wasn’t even better than it was last Thursday for playing. The field didn’t come back better than when we stopped, and from last Thursday until now it isn’t any better. So I think the people who take care of the field need to take action so they can deliver the field Corinthians has always had.”

Copa do Brasil and focus on Internacional

The coach also spoke about the start of the title defense in the Copa do Brasil. For Diniz, Corinthians are fully focused on facing Internacional and pursuing a place in the quarterfinals.

“The road in the Copa do Brasil is always difficult. When you get to these stages, when things narrow down, there are a lot of big clashes. One of them is now against Inter, which is also a traditional team. And we will try to do our best. We are very focused, very connected with this competition. We are the reigning champions and we’re going to start this tie at full strength.”

Gui Negão earns praise and remains on the radar

During the press conference, Diniz commented on the situation of forward Gui Negão, who recently returned after a spell out injured and may receive opportunities with the first team.

“I’ve been following him... When I arrived, he was injured. So I’ve been following Gui Negão now after his return. He’s fully fit. I had sent him and Diego down to play some matches in that category, the Under-20s, so he could gain a bit of rhythm. And he’s there. And at any moment he can get his opportunity. He’s a guy who works very hard.

He was very intense in training. Today he could even have come on when I made my last substitution. I put André in place of Carrillo. One of the options was to put Gui Negão in place of Lingard. But we were losing a bit of marking in midfield. At that moment I raised the pressure. And I thought I needed to put in a player with more energy there, so we could keep the pressure on and try to win the ball back higher up the pitch.”

Lingard as an option leading the attack

The Corinthians boss also explained the use of Jesse Lingard as the main attacking reference during the match.

“Lingard is a player who has already played in that position at Manchester United, when Mourinho was the coach. And he had already trained in that role a few times with me. He trained there and he feels comfortable doing it. He played as a more mobile ‘number nine.’ And although today we didn’t have the kind of attacking output with many clear chances for him to appear in the box, in terms of mobility he helped the team a lot in controlling the game. He’s a very technical, intelligent player. So he is an option to play in that position.”

Injuries raise concern for the clash at Beira-Rio

Fernando Diniz also commented on how the possible absences of Yuri Alberto and Zakaria Labyad could affect the planning for the match against Internacional.

“Deep down, we did everything so this wouldn’t happen, so there wouldn’t be injuries and so the team would also arrive physically whole to start this tie. Obviously both cases are concerning, although Labyad didn’t start every match, he’s a player who, after I arrived, was gaining more and more importance, so he was someone I really counted on to come into the game in more than one position. And Yuri Alberto is one of the most important players on our team, both defensively to start the press, because he is a very strong, very fast player, and in the tactical-offensive aspect, because he’s someone who attacks space, is always in the box, bothers center-backs, and also links up with the other players because of his mobility. So it is an absence that really worries us, and we will try to find the best solution for Sunday.”

Finally, the coach expressed confidence in the return of Matheus Bidu and Fabrizio Angileri for the clash against the team from Rio Grande do Sul.

“I believe so, and Angileri should also return normally and be available. So it was an improvised solution in a sense... but it wasn’t something random, because Matheuzinho trains there from time to time, using his weaker foot, in that position, just as Bidu trains on the other side.”

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