Dorival hails solid Corinthians debut, praises Bidon: "Can't lose him" | OneFootball

Dorival Júnior was more than satisfied with the performance of Corinthians in the first round of the Campeonato Paulista this Sunday. Even with some absences, Timão played well at the Neo Química Arena and kicked off with a 3-0 victory over Ponte Preta. The coach praised the team’s consistency.

“Overall, the team showed consistent, mature football, generating volume. We worked for this. It’s just one win, there’s still a lot to improve going forward,” the coach emphasized in a press conference.

Dorival acknowledged that Corinthians had finishing problems in the first half. The team created many chances but couldn’t convert them into goals. However, he pointed out that the team found their aim in the second half and performed well throughout the entire match.

“I liked the infiltration work that was done, we didn’t just focus on getting closer. We had volume, good opportunities. In the first half, we had trouble finishing, but that wasn’t the case in the second. The team was very well positioned throughout the game. I’m happy for it being the first match, with all the behaviors being respected. That was an important factor for us,” he assessed.

Bidon on the Rise

The Corinthians coach also heaped praise on Breno Bidon. A standout in 2025, the young midfielder has attracted interest from other clubs in Brazil and Europe, but Dorival does not want to lose him.

“If they’re keeping an eye on him, it’s well deserved. I hope he keeps it up. He shows a lot of consistency. I said I never saw Bidon as a defensive midfielder, to me he’s always been an attacking midfielder. He gets forward, knows how to score, exchanges passes in the box. He has many positive qualities both offensively and defensively. He’s living a great moment, he’s in a development process. He’s an important player, I wouldn’t want to lose him or any player, especially since I’m only now starting to get reinforcements,” said the coach.

Corinthians admits the need to make sales this year to balance the books. However, as reported by Gazeta Esportiva, the club’s board plans to negotiate starting players only at the end of the season. The club will only consider letting a player go if they receive an offer deemed irresistible.

Timão is also relying on the high release clause set in Breno Bidon’s contract. The amount for Brazilian clubs is set at R$ 370 million. For foreign clubs, the figure is 100 million euros (R$ 628 million at the current exchange rate). The “Filho do Terrão”’s contract is valid until the end of 2029.

(Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians)

Standings Situation

With this result, Corinthians begins the State Championship in second place in the standings, with three points. The alvinegro team is only behind leaders São Bernardo, who thrashed Capivariano in their debut.

Corinthians’ Next Match

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