Ex-Corinthians youth coach Nenê hails André, assesses young squad | OneFootball

Former Corinthians center-back and a member of the youth academy coaching staff until the beginning of this year, Nenê shared his view on some of the youngsters developed at Parque São Jorge who are now part of the first-team squad. In an interview with the podcast Resenha Alvinegra, the former defender highlighted forward André as the player who, in his opinion, made the most of the opportunity to move up to the senior team.

Nenê explained that he closely followed the development of players such as Dieguinho, Gui Negão, Bahia, and Bidon during the period when he worked in the Alvinegro youth setup. “Dieguinho and André were the ones who stood out the most. André, in my opinion, was the one who truly took his opportunity and wore the Corinthians shirt. Dieguinho is still trying to find that space. Gui Negão ended up being inconsistent because of his injury, but for me, the one who really established himself was André.”

Photo: Rodrigo Coca / Agência Corinthians

The former center-back also said that the forward faced difficulties during his development because of physical problems, but managed to change the course of his career once he reached the senior team.

“He had a patellar tendon injury in his knee and it took him a long time to recover. A lot of people even thought he wouldn’t be able to improve. But the senior level is different. He made the transition, put on the shirt, and delivered on the pitch. There are players who dominate at youth level and, when they get to the senior team, can’t maintain that level. With André, the opposite happened.”

Nenê explains Jacaré’s situation

Another player mentioned was right-back João Vitor, known as Jacaré. For Nenê, the youngster has important physical attributes, but still needs to improve technically in order to earn a definitive place in the first-team squad.

“It’s a difficult question, but I’ll answer honestly. Jacaré spent time with the senior team, went back to the academy, and has been facing technical difficulties. He’s a strong player and has the potential to become a great athlete, but he has also suffered from injuries. In my view, he is still a little lacking in technical quality. That’s why he has difficulties both at Under-20 level and in getting opportunities with the senior team.”

Nenê then said that the technical development of players needs to be valued more during their formative years.

“Sometimes they want to speed up the process and end up skipping important steps. In my day, there was a lot of work on fundamentals: first touch, heading, crossing. That needs to continue. Then the player arrives to play in a packed Neo Química Arena. If he doesn’t have the technical quality to handle that environment, he’ll hardly be able to play.”

For the former defender, wearing the Corinthians shirt requires complete preparation.

“Anyone who plays for Corinthians needs to be prepared in every aspect. It’s not enough to be a good player. You have to be technically and emotionally ready. If you’re not, it’s very hard to stay.”

During the interview, Nenê also praised goalkeeper Kauê, who recently renewed his contract with the club. Although he pointed out that it is not his area of expertise, he believes the youngster has the potential to take on an important role in the future.

“Kauê helped us a lot at Under-20 level, especially in the Copa São Paulo. He showed character, saved penalties, strikes the ball very well, and has technical quality. He’s an excellent goalkeeper. It’s not my position, but from what I followed, I see Kauê ahead of the other academy goalkeepers.””

When analyzing Corinthians’ defensive unit, Nenê highlighted Gustavo Henrique’s characteristics and explained why he considers the center-back an effective player.

“Gustavo Henrique is very intelligent. He positions himself very well and practically doesn’t need to chase after attackers. That is one of a center-back’s main qualities: knowing how to anticipate plays, occupy space well, and predict where the ball will arrive. Since he is tall, he always needs to be well positioned. If he starts running after the attacker, he will run into difficulties.”

As for André Ramalho, Nenê believes the drop in form may be related to competition for his spot and the psychological aspect.

“I don’t know exactly what happened, but the arrival of another center-back can affect the psychological side. Until then, he was the undisputed starter. When someone shows up to compete for your place, some players feel that pressure more. If you’re not mentally prepared, any mistake increases the pressure. You need character to overcome that moment.”

Even so, the former center-back stressed that competition for places is part of any athlete’s career.

“Competition will always exist in football. Some players deal with it better, while others feel it more. It all depends on each person’s personality.”

Finally, Nenê commented on center-back João Pedro Tchoca’s situation and said that players developed at the club usually face even greater pressure when they reach the first-team squad.

“I like Tchoca. The problem is that a player coming from the academy needs to show results very quickly. If he takes time to establish himself or makes a mistake, the pressure increases a lot. He went out on loan, came back, and any mistake ends up getting enormous attention. A young player needs to maintain a very high level all the time, because one mistake can mark his path. The pressure is huge. Even great center-backs in history made mistakes.”

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