Dorival Jr explains decision to rest Memphis Depay in Corinthians draw | OneFootball

After the 0-0 draw between Corinthians and Chapecoense in the 2026 Brazilian Championship at Arena Condá for the 7th round, coach Dorival Jr. provided explanations in a press conference detailing his decisions during the match.

Initially, Dorival analyzed the match, stating that Timão deserved a better outcome in the confrontation: “A difficult, contested match. Corinthians did not shy away, they sought goals from the first to the last minute. A game where the ball was constantly in play, interesting to watch, with both teams trying to attack each other. We played a match within a reasonable condition. The team is in a process of continuous improvement.”

Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Ag. Corinthians

“It's the sixth away match out of eight played. The result we wanted, which was a victory, did not happen. Chapecoense is a tough team to beat, I know the potential they have here. Our team sought the goal from the first to the last minute. We were not fortunate. We could have had better luck,” the coach added.

Dorival Jr. was questioned about the decision to rest forward Memphis Depay and detailed how the physiology department works in preserving players: “Memphis has been playing with knee difficulties. So, we have to be very careful with him, otherwise, we might lose him. And then, when you lose a player for a month, like what happened with Yuri? Look at how long Yuri was out. Look at the cost we pay for not having a forward with Yuri's characteristics in the team. So you have to be as careful as possible so that, with this sequence of games, you don't end up losing more and more players. Yesterday we couldn't bring them. So I have to deal with all of this.”

“How is this load control done? Physiology provides us with data. The data warns of a possible injury to the athlete. When not, the athlete was already in the medical department, as happened on Monday, already being treated, so I have to respect this period. I can't do it, it's not magic.”

“Dorival doesn't want to put the players on the field. What nonsense. Now, two and a half days after this match, almost ending the next day, we will be on the field again, simply against Flamengo,” the coach added, explaining the need for a more rested team for bigger matches, like the one against Flamengo this coming Sunday (22), at Neo Química Arena, at 8:30 PM (Brasília time), where Memphis Depay is expected to participate in the match.

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