Raniele surprised by Memphis exit, praises Corinthians in Libertadores | OneFootball

Corinthians left Argentina with their Conmebol Libertadores round-of-16 tie still wide open. On the night of last Thursday (13), Timão drew 0-0 with Rosario Central at Estádio Gigante de Arroyito in the first leg of the continental competition’s knockout stage. With the result, the Corinthians side now needs a simple win in the return leg to advance to the quarterfinals. If the aggregate score is level again, qualification will be decided on penalties.

After the final whistle, Raniele spoke to the press in the mixed zone and addressed different topics related to Corinthians’ current situation. The midfielder analyzed the team’s approach in Rosario, spoke about the squad’s surprise at Memphis Depay’s non-renewal, explained his tactical role alongside Allan, and commented on the experience of facing Ángel Di María in a Libertadores atmosphere. According to Sofascore, Raniele received a 7.3 rating for his performance against Rosario Central.

Photos: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians

When evaluating the team’s performance in Argentina, the No. 14 highlighted the collective effort and said the draw does not guarantee any real advantage for the second leg.

“I think that’s what the fans demand from us. I think the least we can do is give everything and run for this shirt. We know Rosario are a very quality team, with players like Di María himself, a world-class player, and we know that any space we gave them, they could create something and score. I want to highlight the concentration of the whole team — we stayed strong, we kept fighting. I think that was important. And today’s result is important, while being aware that it guarantees nothing, that it’ll be a war in the second leg and we have to be ready to play an even better match at home.”

Surprised by Memphis’ departure

Raniele was also asked about how the squad reacted to Corinthians’ decision not to renew Memphis Depay’s contract. The midfielder admitted that the outcome caught the players by surprise, especially given the scenario that had previously been presented by people at the club.

“Yeah, like you said, from what we talked about with people, from what was being passed on to us, from the interviews Diniz and Marcelo gave, we already knew it was well on track, and we were really caught by surprise, just like I believe every Corinthians fan and the whole fanbase were. So we regret it because he’s a player who was very important for us, he really was very important.

We hope he has a wonderful future and, God willing, one day he’ll play for Corinthians again and have a successful spell here. But we were focused on the match, we were focused on our trip, and of course we regret it. For me and for all the players, it was a pleasure to have Memphis in the squad, but we had to stay focused because we knew we had a battle ahead of us, and the way we stayed focused, the way we put in a fair performance, I think that was important.”

He was then asked whether the way the negotiations were handled and the timing of when the news reached the group caused any discomfort internally. Raniele dismissed the idea of any bad feeling.

“No, I wouldn’t say bad feeling. I think any issue involving contracts, that kind of bureaucracy, has to be handled between the board and the player — the player himself, the board and the player’s staff. I don’t know if the board should be telling us, ‘hey, we’re renewing,’ or ‘hey, we’re not renewing.’ I don’t see it that way. Of course we expected him to stay, a hugely important player, but I don’t know, I don’t think it created any bad feeling.

I think we have to be focused on playing our game, we have to stay focused on the pitch, because if we sometimes complain about our rights and that’s already seen in a somewhat wrong way, imagine if we said, ‘oh no, we lost the game because they didn’t renew with the player.’ I think that would look bad, and no way, I don’t think it created bad feeling. Of course, we needed Memphis, he’s a hugely important player, but that’s up to the board, they know what they have to do and it’s really more their responsibility.”

Role alongside Allan

From a tactical standpoint, Raniele explained the movement between himself and Allan during Corinthians’ buildup play. At certain moments, the former Flamengo player dropped deeper to help with construction, while Raniele occupied spaces farther forward. According to the midfielder, however, there is no fixed instruction for one of them to always stay deeper.

“As for playing with Allan and being a bit more advanced, that’s very situational. In the Bragantino game itself, our strategy was the same. We knew Rosario pressed very quickly and we needed to drop quickly as well. And, depending on the moment, Allan was sometimes closer to the back line, so he dropped and I had to take his place, just like against Bragantino, when sometimes I dropped and he occupied that central area.

So it’s more about convenience, it’s not a rule like Allan drops and I play further forward. We understand each other well on the field, just like it is with André or Bidon too. He’s a player of tremendous quality, he helps a lot with our possession and our control of the game, and I’m happy he’s having this moment in a Corinthians shirt, but it’s really more situational.”

Raniele celebrates the Libertadores experience

In the same answer, the player spoke about the atmosphere at Gigante de Arroyito and showed excitement about playing matches of this magnitude. Raniele highlighted the atmosphere created by the Argentine fans and compared it to what Corinthians supporters create at home games.

“As for the Libertadores, I absolutely love living experiences in my life. I really like it, like, I want to tell my grandchildren later, tell my kids what I played, I at least want to be able to say, ‘I was there’ and all that. And when I was walking onto the pitch, I already saw the paper shower, the atmosphere and all that, just like at our home too, with our fans putting on an incredible show.

So I love living these moments and I was very happy, I wanted to enjoy the game, and I think I did. Of course, there’s a lot to improve individually and collectively, but I think we managed to put in a fair performance. And I think, at the very least, what the fans demand is that we run and give everything, and we did that and brought home an important result.”

Call to the Fiel

With qualification set to be decided at Neo Química Arena, Raniele also spoke directly about the role of the fans in the second leg. For the midfielder, the atmosphere in Itaquera should surpass what Corinthians faced in Argentina.

“There’s no need to ask them for anything. They know the kind of support they bring, they know the power they have. The Fiel, by itself, already knows how to create an atmosphere in the stadium that intimidates the opponent. So I think our party has to be even bigger than theirs here, because it’s the Libertadores, it’s an important match. We expect it to be done well, just like they’ve done in every home game.”

Battle with Ángel Di María

Finally, Raniele commented on the experience of sharing the pitch with Ángel Di María. The midfielder stressed the Argentine’s quality and explained that Corinthians had to pay special attention not only to the attacker but also to Rosario Central’s other offensive threats.

“No, before the game we knew it would be a difficult match. I think Rosario, in itself, has a lot of quality players. Campaz is very quick, Copetti protects the ball very well, battles a lot, and we had to be alert to that. And of course Di María is an exceptional player, a guy who can go 90 minutes without touching the ball and then, in 30 seconds, get it and decide the game.

So we had to pay extra attention to him, but that was the job. It wasn’t just me — I think everyone, Bidon, Bidu himself on that side, who played more over there, also managed to neutralize him in the moments we needed. And I think it was a job well done, and I’m happy to be playing, to be on the field with players of that world-class level.”

After their Libertadores fixture, Corinthians now turn their attention to the Brazilian Championship. Next Sunday (16), at 7:30 p.m. Brasília time, Timão host Cruzeiro at Neo Química Arena in the 23rd round of the national competition. Corinthians currently sit in seventh place with 32 points, from eight wins, eight draws, and six defeats. The team has scored 24 goals and conceded 20.

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