William Batista hails Corinthians U20 win, through, eyes Palmeiras derby | OneFootball

On the morning of this Sunday (5), Corinthians beat Sertãozinho 1-0 at Fazendinha in a match valid for the fifth round of the group stage of the Paulista Under-20 Championship. Even playing part of the game with one man down, Timão secured all three points with a goal from Luiz Eduardo from the penalty spot and moved into second place in Group 1 of the state competition.

After the match, head coach William Batista gave an interview and assessed the team’s performance. The coach acknowledged that Corinthians could have delivered a better display, but highlighted the positive outcome of the match and already turned his focus to the derby against Palmeiras in the quarterfinals of the Brazilian Under-20 Championship.

Photo: ©Rodrigo Gazzanel / Ag. Corinthians

“The performance could have been a little better than it was. I can understand that somewhat because of the lack of training sessions. I think one thing is connected to the other. In the end, winning is important, playing a little better football is important too, but there’s also the issue of minutes. So we put several things together, and the overall balance is positive. Now it’s exactly about switching gears and thinking about Palmeiras in the Brasileirão. It’s one match—actually two matches—and we know how important that is.

We’re happy because Corinthians hadn’t qualified in the Brasileirão Under-20 for three years. I think we managed to do that well, to take the team out of the situations of the last two years, when it was near the bottom of the table, and put the club back in a position to qualify was very important for us. Now we go with a lot of humility to seek the next step, which is advancing to the semifinal.”

Asked about the possibility of players who are eligible for the Under-20 team and currently train with or play for the professional squad reinforcing the team in the next stage of the Brazilian championship in the category, William explained that the decision will still be discussed internally by the club.

“We’re happy about qualifying. Corinthians hadn’t qualified, I think, for three or four years in this category. We came out of what I think was a very complicated situation over the last two years, especially in the Under-20s. There were few sporting results, little individual appreciation for many of the players, and a lot of criticism aimed at the category.

I think it’s a very honorable qualification, one of great merit. We built, with a lot of drive, what we did during the Brasileiro. We went almost the entire first phase unbeaten away from home. We only lost the last match. So we’re happy about qualifying. I think Corinthians’ place is to qualify every year.

That also ties in with player development. If you qualify, you get higher-level matches; if you get higher-level matches, you develop better players. We’re happy for those reasons. It will still be discussed tomorrow. We don’t have a decision on who is coming, whether someone is coming or not. That will be discussed internally and then we’ll follow the plan for Wednesday’s game.

Our minds were also very focused on Sertãozinho, because we want to have a better campaign than last year in the Paulista, so that the decisive matches are played here at Fazendinha and not away from home, as happened against Santos in the round of 16.”

Lastly, the coach took the opportunity to call on the Corinthians fans to attend the match against Palmeiras, stressing the importance of support from the stands in a decisive derby.

“It’s a derby, and the presence of the Fiel is important to us. I think that motivates and creates enthusiasm in our players. We know their strength. So the invitation goes out to all Corinthians fans to be here with us, to help us so that we can do whatever is possible, play a great first match, and give ourselves a good chance going into the second game at our opponent’s home.”

Corinthians return to action next Wednesday (8) at 3 p.m. (Brasília time), when they host Palmeiras, again at Fazendinha, in a match valid for the quarterfinals of the Brazilian Under-20 Championship.

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