Why Garro can't replicate his 2024 form at Corinthians | OneFootball

The midfielder Rodrigo Garro has been struggling to rediscover the form that shone in 2024 for Corinthians. The Argentine went scoreless again last Sunday in the 2-2 draw against Botafogo and has not been able to replicate last season's performance so far.

Garro hasn't found the net since September 10, while his last assist was a month ago this Tuesday. He has gone four matches without contributing to a goal for Timão. According to coach Dorival Júnior, however, the poor performance is a direct reflection of the injuries suffered by the number 8.

The midfielder struggled with tendinopathy in his right knee at the start of the season and played the final stretch of the Campeonato Paulista "in sacrifice." He was sidelined for about two months and only returned to a sequence with Alvinegro in mid-July this year.

Amid the technical staff's attempts to manage Garro's game load, the athlete ended up with another injury, this time a grade 2 calf strain on his right leg. The proximity of physical problems, combined with the pain the number 8 still reports feeling, has led to the player's poor performance, according to Dorival.

"It's very difficult for me to make a comparison, as I wasn't here inside, but I followed from outside. That really happened. We can't forget that he had practically two very close and very delicate injuries, which are not simple for an athlete to recover from and find his best form again," analyzed the coach.

For comparison, Garro has two goals and seven assists in 34 games this season, with four games still to play. In 2024, the Argentine, who still wore the number 10 jersey, was one of Corinthians' main players, with 13 goals and 14 assists.

The technical staff's dilemma with Garro

Due to the injuries Garro suffered this season, the technical staff has faced a dilemma between resting the midfielder to prevent the pain from worsening or using him in as many matches as possible, as the Argentine needs game rhythm for the decisive stretch of the year.

"We live in this situation. Keeping him on the field all the time, demanding as much time as possible from the athlete, perhaps overexerting him because he is not yet fully in his best condition. It's a dilemma we have to live with. Believing that at any moment a player of this level will return to play at his best," explained Dorival Júnior.

Garro also has to deal with the short recovery period between games, as the Brazilian football calendar often doesn't allow for rest.

"He still feels some things, at least that's what he reports, and we are trying to cope with this type of situation by providing the best possible condition for him to be recovered for the next game. And always trying to demand a little more from him in training. That's as far as we can go. After that, we have to work with time, which is not always favorable, but believing that at any moment he can be fully fit," concluded Dorival.

Garro acknowledges poor form

Rodrigo Garro himself acknowledged that he is below what he has shown for Corinthians at other times. The midfielder made the statement after the 3-0 defeat to Cruzeiro at Mineirão, in the 35th round of the Brazilian Championship.

"It's hard to say this. When Garro plays well, I don't think I'm the best. I know my performance is below what I can deliver, but it's football. I also understand the media's stance, I know I'm below, but we still have games, the Copa do Brasil. The important thing is how it ends," he said in the mixed zone.

Despite the bad moment, Garro reached an important milestone for Corinthians by playing against Botafogo. He became the Argentine with the most games in Timão's history, with 97 matches, surpassing midfielder Fausto Vera, who left the club in June 2024.

Garro's numbers in 2024 vs 2025

Upcoming Corinthians matches

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