Allan hails Corinthians progress under Diniz, eyes key Brasileirão run | OneFootball

Corinthians won again in front of the Fiel Torcida after nearly two months away from Neo Química Arena. On the night of last Thursday (23), Timão beat Remo 3-0 in the 19th round of the Brazilian Championship, reached 27 points, and moved up to seventh place in the table.

After the match, defensive midfielder Allan gave an interview and spoke about the importance of the result, the team’s progress under Fernando Diniz, the competition for places, Memphis Depay’s situation, and the upcoming challenges of the season. The player began by highlighting the weight of the win in the return to Neo Química Arena and said the squad still has room to grow throughout the competition.

Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

“We knew how important it was to win the game, to give this joy to the fans, to ourselves, to our families. Coming back with a win is very important to keep the work going. We know we need to improve in some areas, but this is the first game, so we need more rhythm. I believe that in the next game we’ll be even better.”

“And about the pitch, I may be biased when talking about the Neo Química pitch, which is one of the best in Brazil. It’s the best. But I think because of the weather, they said it still needs another 15 days to run the machine over it and get it back to the level it always was. But it’s good, the pitch is good. There’s just a bit of sand underneath, which is why it sometimes holds up, and people are getting scraped up quite a bit. But in two weeks, I think it’ll be back to the pitch it always was,” he began.

Next, Allan commented on the training period during the break in the calendar and explained how important that time was for Fernando Diniz to implement his methodology.

“It was important. Diniz didn’t have time to train. When he arrived, it was already game after game, so there was no time to put things into practice. His work needs time, and this training period was very important. We absorbed well everything he passed on to us, and now it’s about putting it into practice more and more. We’re already full of the information he gave us, he and his staff, and now it’s about continuing to improve and play better.”

Asked about his relationship with the coach, the midfielder praised the black-and-white team’s boss and highlighted Fernando Diniz’s human side.

“He talked to everyone. Diniz is like a father figure to everyone, he talks to everyone. He takes care not only of the player, but of the human being as well. I may be biased when talking about him. Diniz is a spectacular guy, not only as a coach but as a person too, and he’s adding a lot for us,” he continued.

Another topic addressed was Memphis Depay’s situation. Allan said the squad hopes the forward stays, but stressed that the decision is up to the player and the board.

“We’re hoping it works out, because Memphis adds a lot for us. Corinthians is also a reference for him. So we hope it works out, but that’s up to the board. They know what’s best for Corinthians and what’s best for Memphis. Memphis knows what’s best for him, but we’re rooting for it to work out and for him to come back as soon as possible to help us.”

Regarding the battle for a place in midfield, Allan made a point of praising Raniele and said he will keep working to help Corinthians whenever he gets opportunities.

“Raniele is already an established guy at Corinthians. His titles and his history have to be respected. But I’ve been working too, trying to help Corinthians in some way. Since he didn’t play today, I was available to help Corinthians. And it’ll be like that until the end of the season. The competition will be good.”

The midfielder also commented on the friendly played during the mid-season break and emphasized that the win over Remo can serve as a boost for the decisive stretch of the season.

“Of course we had to go there and win the game. We owed that to the fans. Our families knew it, we knew how important that game was there. It was a friendly, but I don’t think we should take that game too much into consideration, because the conditions were not the best. It’s not an excuse, it’s reality. I think you were there, you saw the state of the pitch, and there were no conditions to play.”

“But the return was important, the win on the return, because this win will mean a lot for our run. Now it’s one decisive match after another and we can’t slip up, because everything is very tight here in the table. Any slip and we go back to where we don’t want to be, down there. We’ve climbed out now and we want to stay up there until the end, more and more.”

When asked about possible reinforcements, Allan preferred to leave the subject in the board’s hands.

“There’s not much we can do about that part. That’s the board’s decision, they work on the reinforcements side. But when players arrive, the team improves, the level rises. That’s good not only for us, but for Corinthians. The team gets better and better. But the board knows how to do that, how to solve that.”

To wrap up, Allan acknowledged that despite the emphatic scoreline, Corinthians still need to improve in some aspects to keep fighting near the top of the table.

“Yes, we do. We have that in mind too, that we need to keep improving more and more. We know it wasn’t a perfect game. Even though the result shows, in a way, a great match, we know there are some things to correct. And we’ll keep correcting them, raising our level and, in that way, winning victories and titles,” he concluded.

It is worth remembering that Allan is on loan from Flamengo to Corinthians until the end of the current season. His contract with the Rio club runs until December 2027. If it wants to sign him permanently, the club from Parque São Jorge will have to pay two million euros (just over R$11 million at the current exchange rate). Signed in February, the defensive midfielder has already made 24 appearances in a Corinthians shirt (13 as a starter), with 11 wins, seven draws, and six defeats — a 55.6% success rate.

After beating Remo in Itaquera in the national competition, Corinthians are preparing for their next commitment in the 2026 season. On Sunday (26), at 4 p.m. Brasília time, Timão face Bahia at Fonte Nova in a match valid for the 20th round of the Brazilian Championship. A win could cement Alvinegro’s place in the fight for the tournament’s top five.

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