Why Carrillo started for Corinthians after two months out injured | OneFootball

Coach Dorival Júnior surprised everyone by starting André Carrillo for Corinthians against Vitória last Saturday, in the 30th round of the Brazilian Championship. The Peruvian had recently recovered from a left ankle injury that required surgery.

The ankle surgery kept Carrillo off the field for just over two months. The player suffered the injury in the first leg of the Copa do Brasil round of 16, against Palmeiras, on August 6. His immediate return to the starting lineup, in this context, drew attention.

Dorival, however, justified the decision in a press conference. After completing his physical transition, Carrillo trained with the rest of the squad throughout the week. The coach explained that, in his view, the Peruvian could play at least 45 minutes. Corinthians, it’s worth noting, was without Maycon, who was suspended.

“We’re monitoring his progress. He had been working very hard and I felt he could give us 45 minutes, maybe even a little more. I’m happy about that, he came back playing in his usual style,” the coach explained after the 1-0 win in Salvador.

The Peruvian did feel a bit of a lack of rhythm and made some mistakes he doesn’t usually make. According to data from the Sofascore platform, the midfielder completed 40 out of 46 passes (87% accuracy) and only completed one out of four long passes. In 56 actions with the ball, he didn’t complete any dribbles and lost possession ten times.

Defensively, Carrillo recorded one interception, one clearance, and recovered the ball three times. He won one out of nine ground duels and one aerial duel.

Even though the Peruvian is still far from his ideal rhythm, Dorival values the midfielder’s return and hopes for even greater improvement in the upcoming matches. “Now, it’s a continuous process, looking for evolution, for improvement. He’s another player who can help us and support us at such an important moment,” said the coach.

Back after his injury, Carrillo is aiming for a run of games with Corinthians. This season, the midfielder has three goals and three assists in 43 matches, 30 of them as a starter.

Corinthians’ Position in the Standings

With this result, Corinthians achieved their second consecutive victory for the first time in the Brazilian Championship. Timão climbed to ninth place in the standings and reached 39 points, moving away from the relegation zone and, at least for now, appearing in the upper part of the table.

Upcoming Corinthians Matches

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