Diniz explains makeshift defence, hits out at pitch after Corinthians draw | OneFootball

Corinthians wrapped up the friendly played this Sunday against Cascavel with a 1-1 draw, in a match held at the Jacy Miguel Scanagatta Regional Olympic Stadium, in Paraná. After the game, coach Fernando Diniz said the match served its purpose in the team’s preparation during the mid-season break, but lamented the condition of the pitch, which, according to him, increased the risk of injuries.

“(Cascavel was a team) that was very competitive. Obviously, the condition of the pitch is very difficult. It gets in the way, so I was concerned. We train and play on a field that is in excellent condition, so the state of the pitch really hurt what we could do. The players are not in ideal condition. We’re coming off a very long stretch of training, many of them in two sessions a day, and this was an opportunity to gain a bit of rhythm and also protect the players from the risk of injury. So in that sense, I think it was positive. We made a lot of mistakes because of the field and, at times, because of a lack of concentration, but overall, it was worth being here and managing to play this match,” Diniz said at the post-match press conference.

Photo: ©Rodrigo Gazzanel / Ag. Corinthians

To start the match, the coach lined up Hugo Souza; Matheuzinho, André Ramalho, Gabriel Paulista and Matheus Bidu; Raniele, André Luiz, Breno Bidon and Rodrigo Garro; Kaio César and Yuri Alberto. At halftime, with the aim of sharing minutes among the players, Fernando Diniz made nine changes, keeping only André Ramalho and Gabriel Paulista on the field.

Timão managed to open the scoring in the 16th minute of the second half, when Matheus Pereira found the net. Shortly after, in the 18th minute, Diniz made an unusual change by taking off Gabriel Paulista and bringing on defensive midfielder Charles. The improvisation ended up being decisive in the equalizer. In the 25th minute, Charles was beaten by Cirilo, who crossed for Cleiton to level the score.

Asked about using the defensive midfielder in central defense, the black-and-white team’s coach explained that the choice was made solely because of the squad’s limitations in that position, since Gustavo Henrique and João Pedro Tchoca remain sidelined under the care of the medical department.

“In principle, (the choice) was because of necessity. We didn’t have either Gustavo Henrique or Tchoca, there were no more center-backs to put in. We’re coming off a very intense run of training sessions, and playing Ramalho and Gabriel Paulista more than they did today would have meant risking an injury, which I didn’t want to do. So Charles trained there, Allan trained there a bit out of necessity, Alex Santana as well, because Gustavo Henrique is out and Tchoca is coming back, so we have to work him back gradually. So it was specific to today’s game, basically that’s it,” the Corinthians coach explained.

Despite the difficulties encountered during the match, especially because of the state of the pitch, Fernando Diniz made a point of highlighting the warm reception from the fans present in Cascavel. The coach thanked them for their support and said that both he and the players felt very welcome.

“It was great, the fans’ affection, a full stadium, it was a great pleasure to be here, the players felt very welcomed,” the coach added.

This Sunday’s match marked another Corinthians visit to the Regional Olympic Stadium. In 2024, the team beat Londrina 3-0 at the same venue. Years earlier, Timão had also played at the stadium in a friendly against the now-defunct Cascavel Esporte Clube, a match that ended in a 1-1 draw.

Now, the Corinthians delegation returns to the capital of São Paulo to continue training ahead of the resumption of the season. The next official match will be on July 23, when Corinthians will face Remo at 7:30 p.m. at Neo Química Arena in the 19th round of the Brazilian Championship.

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