William Batista: Corinthians’ Copinha nerves, praises team spirit

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Central do Timão

·5 janvier 2026

William Batista: Corinthians’ Copinha nerves, praises team spirit

By Fabio Luigi / Central do Timão Editorial Team

Corinthians faced Trindade from Goiás last Saturday afternoon (3rd) at Zezinho Magalhães Stadium, in the first round of the group stage of the 2026 São Paulo Junior Football Cup, and won 1-0, with a goal scored by striker Luiz Fábio in the second half of the match.

Right after the final whistle and with Timãozinho's victory confirmed, coach William Batista gave an interview to the press and analyzed the match. In his answers, the Timãozinho coach spoke about the team's anxiety in their debut, mentioned the tall grass in Jaú, and discussed the team's slow passing, especially in the first half.

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Photo: Rodrigo Gazzanel/Agência Corinthians

“Anxiety has several factors. The grass was a little high, so it made the game a bit slower than we wanted. We wanted to play a faster game, with quicker passing. I think the plays would have been in tighter spaces. In the end, we couldn't do that as much. Let's see if they cut the grass a bit for the second game, so we can increase the pace, and the field feels a bit bigger. When the grass is higher, the distances increase a lot between the passer and the receiver. I think that influenced the game, and we adapted a bit so we wouldn't lose possession in our build-up zone and not give Trindade counterattacks.”, he began.

Next, just like Luiz Gustavo Bahia, he praised the quality of the team from Goiás, who were the Under-20 state champions in 2025. Despite the difficulties of the match, he also highlighted the importance of winning in the Copinha debut and already projected the adjustments needed for the next games in the competition.

“Even so, I think they had some chances from winning the ball back. It's a team that won the Goiás state championship. We expected it to be a bit difficult. I think the Goiás Championship is a competition with three teams that are always in Série A or Série B, which are Vila, Atlético Goianiense, and Goiás, so they deserve credit for winning the championship and being in the São Paulo Cup. But considering all this, the anxiety, the debut, the result was important for us, because starting strong is important for the competition. Now we need to make the necessary adjustments so we can create more goal chances and give up fewer quick attack chances to the opponent like we did today.”

He then analyzed the players who were with the professional team and came down to play in the São Paulo Cup, among them: right-back João Vitor ‘Jacaré’ and midfielders Thomas Lisboa and Luiz Gustavo Bahia. Midfielder Gui Amorim, 17 years old, also trained with the main squad after the end of the Under-17 season and was even listed by coach Dorival Júnior in the last round of the 2025 Brasileirão.

The coach also reviewed the performance of some players, such as Luiz Gustavo Bahia, Gui Amorim, João Vitor Jacaré, Guilherme Pellegrin – who replaced Jacaré in the second half – and the movements of winger Luiz Fernando on the right side of the field.

“Yeah, it was nice because Bahia managed to play the whole game. That's a tough thing to do in a hot debut like this, with the grass as high as it was. So Bahia has the ability to sustain the whole game, which is tough in this competition, given the number of offensive and defensive transitions for both teams. Amorim participated well, I think we could have passed to him a bit more, he was the free man at times, because Trindade's two midfielders marked our two midfielders, so Amorim was free as a number 10 in the center, but we managed to get him the ball only a few times. Now I'll also review our game. I don't know if it was because of the grass height, the speed of the pass, or the distance, but that will give me a better idea. I think it was good for a first game, and we know the team will evolve in the competition.”

“Debut, first game, it's always important to do what we did, win the game to take away some of the anxiety from all of them, and then have a positive run in the championship. (Jacaré) It was good, since he's a very strong, very fast guy, it's a game of depth, he had good opportunities in the final third for crosses. I subbed him because I wanted a full-back who would come a bit more inside, like Pellegrin did, or attack a bit more from behind the pressure line, but more open than Jacaré was. And Pellegrin gives that and a lot of overlapping runs inside. There's a good connection between Pellegrin inside and Luizinho playing passes from outside to inside to him. There were a couple of plays down the line. And then Jacaré gave a bit more depth, so you have to bring Luizinho inside. So we varied in that sense, I think that's what Jacaré is: a lot of strength, a lot of drive, speed, a lot of defensive duels, and a lot of overlapping runs. He's a very generous and supportive guy to do all that,” he continued.

William Batista also analyzed the performance of the center-back duo Fernando Vera and Iago Machado, and mentioned the team's tactical variations throughout the 90 minutes, from a three-man build-up to a back four.

“Sometimes we build up with three. So, if the ball is more on Pires' side, we bring Vera inside. If the ball is more on Jacaré's side, we bring Iago more inside, and then the ball's position determines a bit more who will be inside and who will be outside. But it's very circumstantial with the game. I think what happens gives them a bit of freedom to build from there, so that's why sometimes you see Iago a bit more inside or outside, sometimes Vera a bit more inside or outside, and that also depends a lot on how the opponent's pressing is adjusted.”

Finally, the Corinthians Under-20 coach gave an assessment of Guilherme Pires' performance as left-back. Originally a midfielder, the 19-year-old had been used as a full-back during preparations for the Copinha and is competing for the position with Robert Lopes, also a midfielder by trade but who, since the end of last year, has been playing as a left-back. During his answer, the coach mentioned the difference in characteristics between the two players.

“Pires is approved, but I hadn't put him in before. But I like him because he's strong, he's fast, he's a guy who wins duels, he can drive one-on-one inside, as he did in some plays that broke the pressure that way. Robert has a slightly different characteristic, looking more to build from the base of the play, building from behind. I think we needed a strong left-back like Pires, and a more skillful one like Robert, so that gives me a bit more game variation. So I think I liked it, I know Pires will grow during the competition too, both physically, which is important, the game rhythm, for all the players and for him too, as well as structurally for the team”, he concluded.

The Corinthians Under-20s will return to the pitch this Tuesday (6th), at 7:30 pm (Brasília time), at Zezinho Magalhães, against Luverdense, for the second round of the group stage of the 2026 São Paulo Cup. If they win the three points, the Alvinegro secures a spot in the knockout stage and will face either the first or second place from Group 7, depending on their final position in Group 8.

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