Five factors behind Corinthians’ slump in the Brasileirão | OneFootball

Corinthians are in freefall in the Brasileirão, with four straight defeats, a first since 2007, the club’s sole relegation year. The gap to the bottom four has narrowed.

Since 16 August they have lost to Cruzeiro, Coritiba, Santos and Chapecoense, three of them at Neo Química Arena with crowds above 37,000. As reported by Globo.com, Fernando Diniz has apologised to supporters.

Off the pitch, the club is in the worst financial crisis in its history, with delays in image-rights and bonus payments to players.

An extensive injury list is the central issue. Yuri Alberto, André, Zakaria Labyad and Kayke are in the treatment room, while Vitinho is nearing a full return.

Last Sunday, Diniz also lost Raniele, Gabriel Paulista and Hugo Souza to suspension, all regular starters.

With a lean squad and three active transfer bans, the club cannot recruit, so staff keep seeking internal fixes each week.

On taking charge in April, Diniz kept settled XIs, producing a seven-match unbeaten run. Now the churn is constant, with 19 starters across the four losses.

Attacking inefficiency has been decisive. The side scored four in those four league games, averaging 17 shots, over 58% possession and 617 passes, yet execution has faltered.

Defensive solidity has dipped too. Despite the third-best record in Série A, 27 conceded in 26 rounds, they have shipped seven in the last four.

The instability also coincides with the Libertadores knockouts. Corinthians visit Estudiantes in Argentina on Wednesday in the quarter-finals.

Source: Globo.com

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”