Analysis: decline ends in exit, but Dorival leaves Corinthians better | OneFootball

Corinthians football director Marcelo Paz gave a brief statement to the press minutes after the dismissal of head coach Dorival Júnior. The executive said the coach’s work had reached its ceiling, and he is not wrong. The regression and lack of alternatives turned Timão into an extremely predictable team and ultimately led to the downfall of the black-and-white side’s manager.

Dorival Júnior’s work at Corinthians has many merits. After all, he led Timão to a Copa do Brasil title, ending a long drought without national trophies. He also won the Supercopa Rei against powerhouse Flamengo. At various moments, the team showed it could go toe-to-toe with its rivals, at least on the pitch. However, the convictions that worked last year seemed to gradually fade away.

The defense improved under Dorival, that is true. The attack, however, suffered the opposite. During this run of nine matches without a win, the players felt the pressure and looked lost on the field. Timão managed just two shots on target against Internacional, at home, over the full 90 minutes. Even with training time, the team seemed to regress.

To be clear: the blame for this poor run does not fall entirely on Dorival Júnior. The coach made mistakes, yes, but the players are also responsible for the bad results. The Fiel Torcida understands that as well. It is no coincidence that the protests after the final whistle against Inter were aimed at the players, not the now former coach.

Dorival leaves Corinthians with a win rate just below 50% (49.7%, with 25 wins, 19 draws and 19 losses). Despite a spell of ups and downs and the nine-match winless run, the manager showed important virtues, such as when he took a stand against the sale of youngster André, and won titles that certainly will not be forgotten by the black-and-white supporters.

How did the match go?

Coach Dorival Júnior lined up Corinthians with six changes from the team that lost to Fluminense. The main new faces were in midfield, with Raniele returning and Matheus Pereira coming in, offering greater ability to retain and improve possession. Up front, Lingard started as a second striker alongside Yuri Alberto.

With the ball, Corinthians built up with three center-backs, with Raniele dropping deeper to perform that role. Matheus Pereira played as a holding midfielder, tasked with feeding Bidon and André, who were positioned further forward. The match began as a very cautious affair between the two teams, with many midfield duels and plenty of circulation, but no real chances.

The initial feeling was of a Corinthians side with very passive possession, struggling to find space in Internacional’s compact marking. Defensively, Timão performed well and managed to contain the main attackers of their rival from Rio Grande do Sul until the 25th minute. The attacking system, however, failed once again. Yuri Alberto was very isolated and received few through balls, while Lingard and the midfielders were practically invisible.

In short, the first half featured a Corinthians side with little connection between the players, heavily stifled by Inter’s good marking and with no alternatives to build from the back. Timão, on a night with very little technical inspiration, ended up relying too much on direct balls from Hugo Souza to Yuri Alberto. Not even set pieces worked. It was a very poor first 45 minutes from the black-and-white team.

Second half

Dorival, unhappy with the team’s performance, made a change at halftime, something he does not usually do. Matheus Pereira came off and Garro came on. As a result, Bidon paired up with Raniele, with Lingard drifting more to the left side. Even so, Corinthians looked toothless on the pitch, with very slow ball circulation at the back and not a single passing exchange between the team’s main midfielders.

On top of that, Internacional began threatening Corinthians’ goal more often, earning more corners and free kicks in their favor. It is true that Colorado created little real danger, largely because of the defense’s good aerial performance, but that is still a warning sign for Timão moving forward this season, especially for failing to control the game at home.

It was only in the 18th minute that Corinthians created their first clear scoring chance, with Angileri switching play to Ramalho. The center-back headed it on to Gustavo Henrique, who shot wide. Aside from that, Alvinegro was a complete desert of ideas, with zero sense of urgency. Garro came on very poorly and contributed nothing, misplacing simple passes and holding on to the ball too long at times.

And in the 32nd minute, Corinthians paid the price for their lack of urgency at home. After a misplaced pass in the final third, Inter regained possession and launched a counterattack. The black-and-white defense failed in its pressure, and Carbonero managed to turn and find Vitinho. The forward then played in Bernabei, who struck a beautiful shot from outside the box. From that point on, Timão remained disorganized on the pitch and tried a late push, but offered nothing different and walked away defeated.

Who will be the next coach?

Corinthians have already begun the search for a new head coach and are in a hurry to make a decision. The club believes it will not have enough time to carry out a deeper analysis because of the decisive stretch of the season and has outlined a profile for the desired target: they want someone who already knows the club so as not to waste time adapting.

Timão, however, will only be able to hire a new coach after paying Dorival Júnior’s termination fee. The club is seeking an agreement with the coach to settle the amount equivalent to three salaries for the coaching staff, around R$ 6 million.

League table situation

The result was terrible for Corinthians, who saw their winless streak increase to nine matches, with four losses and five draws in that span. Timão also dropped places in the table and moved closer to the relegation zone. The black-and-white side sits in 16th place with 10 points — two more than Chapecoense, who open the Z4.

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Corinthians’ next matches

Platense-ARG vs Corinthians (Libertadores first round) Date and time: 04/09 (Thursday), at 9 p.m. (Brasília time) Venue: Estádio Ciudad de Vicente Lopez, in Buenos Aires (Argentina)

Corinthians vs Palmeiras (11th round of the Brasileirão) Date and time: 04/12 (Sunday), at 6:30 p.m. (Brasília time) Venue: Neo Química Arena, in São Paulo (SP)

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