Five areas Corinthians must focus on during their free week | OneFootball

Corinthians will have a free week to prepare for the match against Vitória, for the 30th round of the Brazilian Championship. Timão returned to training this Monday and has four more training sessions before the match in Salvador.

During this period, coach Dorival Júnior has important points to work on. Below, Gazeta Esportiva has listed five of the main aspects that need the club’s attention in the coming days.

(Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians)

Getting the duo up to speed

Corinthians should have two new faces to face Leão: defender André Ramalho and midfielder André Carrillo. Both have completed the physical transition phase and returned to full training with the squad.

The duo, however, needs match rhythm. The next few days will therefore be crucial for the players to regain the best possible physical condition before being named in the squad again.

It’s worth remembering that Carrillo underwent surgery on his left ankle and has been away from the pitch for over two months.

Choosing Matheuzinho’s replacement

Dorival should also use the free period to run tests and decide on the replacement for Matheuzinho, who is suspended.

Corinthians does not have an immediate backup for the right-back position. Therefore, the coach will need to improvise or turn to the youth ranks. The options are: defender Félix Torres, midfielder Charles, left-back Hugo (playing on his weaker foot), or the youngster João Vitor, known as ‘Jacaré’.

Preparing Martínez for his return

Another player who should be back in the squad for Corinthians is midfielder José Martínez. He missed the team’s last two matches because he took too long to report back after the FIFA break. The Venezuelan cited issues with his son’s documentation, but was punished by management for the delay.

The player has a good chance of returning as a starter in midfield. That’s because Maycon received his third yellow card and will also serve a suspension. Therefore, this week’s training sessions will be important for Martínez to make up for lost time and return in good shape.

Getting the GYM trio in sync

The free days can also help Dorival get the GYM trio in sync (Garro, Yuri Alberto, and Memphis Depay). The team’s three main players have missed many games due to injury this season and have played together very little.

They started together in the win over Galo, but especially Garro and Memphis were still coming back from injury. The expectation is that they will be even better against Vitória.

Sharpening finishing

Finally, Dorival needs to use the week to sharpen the squad’s finishing. Against Atlético-MG, Corinthians missed the chance to win more comfortably due to poor finishing.

The team created chances and could have had a bigger scoreline, but failed to finish well. They had nine shots, but only one on target. The only shot on goal was the one scored by Maycon, from long range.

Corinthians’ next match

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