After draw, André Ramalho urges patience and focus for Corinthians | OneFootball

Corinthians drew 0-0 with Chapecoense last Thursday night (19th), at Arena Condá, during the seventh round of the Brazilian Championship. After the match, defender André Ramalho gave an interview in the mixed zone and commented on the team's current situation, addressing fan criticism and the club's focus for the season.

The defender began by acknowledging the fans' dissatisfaction with recent results but assured that the team is not giving up on the Brasileirão and continues to treat all competitions with equal importance. André Ramalho then emphasized the need for patience and confidence in their work, reminding that football is marked by fluctuations throughout the season.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Ag. Corinthians

“Guys, I think we understand the disappointment of not getting the results and the fans eventually being disappointed, angry with us, but the truth is that at no point did we discard the Brazilian Championship, and this has been the case since last year. You mentioned that often the start of the championship shapes what the season is like, and I disagree, I think there are many moments, many situations where this changes very quickly for better or worse”, he stated.

“The truth is we started the first two, three games with relatively good results and now it's not the case anymore. If we remember in 2024, the sequence of nine victories, I believe no one imagined it. So what we need is patience, as difficult as it may be. We have been working, analyzing, pushing ourselves, trying to correct the details so that victory finally comes”, he added.

The defender also reinforced that Corinthians does not work with the idea of prioritizing competitions and highlighted the ambition to improve their campaign in the Brazilian Championship compared to last season, when the team finished in the lower half of the table.

“There's no point in constantly beating ourselves up. Of course, we are disappointed with ourselves, but we have to stay positive and keep working. At Corinthians, there's no such thing as choosing a championship. Every championship is important. We made it very clear that we need to finish this year's Brasileirão in a much better position than last year, because it doesn't match our squad and our quality”, he declared.

During the interview, André Ramalho also commented on an incident involving the refereeing and revealed his annoyance with the yellow card he received after questioning a criterion adopted by the referee. The player was booked after the end of the first half when he approached the referee to talk.

“I was disappointed with the referee because the refereeing knows me. I'm a guy who tries to be respectful, to avoid talking all the time. I went to question his criterion in a situation: Fabrizio committed a foul and got a yellow card, then Vitinho suffered a similar foul and there was no card. That's all. And it seems we can't talk. I went calmly, waited for the right moment. I think it was unnecessary”, he said.

Additionally, the defender spoke about his role as a leader within the squad and highlighted the importance of maintaining a positive environment, especially in moments of pressure like the one the club is currently experiencing.

“We have to stay positive. I strongly believe that words have power. If you keep focusing only on the negative all the time, it doesn't help. We have to take what was good in the game, reinforce it, and adjust the details. There is already a lot of external and internal pressure, so the best thing is to help our teammates gain confidence”, he pointed out.

Finally, the black-and-white player discussed the physical preparation of the squad and emphasized the role of physiology in managing the players throughout the season.

“As athletes, we have to be ready for every game. But there is physiology, data, load control. Sometimes what we feel is one thing, but the numbers show another. There is an exchange between players, the coaching staff, and physiology. This is extremely important, it's science in our favor”, he concluded.

After drawing with Chapecoense, Corinthians remains focused on the Brazilian Championship. At 8:30 PM this Sunday (22nd), the Alvinegro will host Flamengo at the Neo Química Arena for the eighth round of the national competition.

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