Dorival Júnior on Corinthians draw: pressure and squad management | OneFootball

After the goalless draw between Chapecoense and Corinthians last Thursday (19th) at Arena Condá, during the seventh round of the Brasileirão, coach Dorival Júnior held a press conference and discussed various aspects of the team's current situation. Commenting on the pressure for results and the relationship with the management, the coach emphasized that he remains calm about his position and reinforced his commitment to the work being done.

"You can talk to the club's management. I'm doing my best, giving my best. From the moment the management wants a change, I know my way home. I'm calm about that. I'm giving my best for Corinthians, just like last year. The demands were high, even knowing we didn't have new signings and 12 players in the medical department. Then they celebrated, didn't they? What's important is how the championship ends, not how it starts. If they (management) believe, trust, you can be sure the results will come. I know how to do it, to get there. I've shown many times that I know how to reach the finals of competitions," he said.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Ag. Corinthians

Following that, the coach of Alvinegro Paulista analyzed the team's behavior during the match in Chapecó, especially regarding the balance between attack and defense in moments of greater exposure.

"The problem is when you open up in a game that was very open, and suddenly, you get caught at the back. You have to be careful. There are moments when the game requires a bit of caution. Our team was on top, we finished the game creating good opportunities. Yuri gives us a wide range of options, he's a player who defines. That's the importance of an athlete like him; things change with him on the field. We gain an important option due to the importance he has," he commented.

The coach also spoke about the season's planning and the need for adjustments throughout the rounds, due to the initial preparation and squad management. Dorival also commented on the physical condition of the squad's athletes, mentioning the case of Memphis Depay and the care taken in his return to the field.

"You can be sure this year will be very difficult for us because we didn't have an initial period of work. We are now speeding up the processes so we can compete in all games with the best possible team on the field. Changes will happen in every round, you can be sure of that. I also mentioned this at the beginning, maybe you don't remember, but I pointed it out. That's why I would like to have a slightly more composed group, precisely so that the changes would be less felt, but they will happen. Already at the beginning of the year, we had three or four players in the medical department," the coach pointed out.

"Memphis, which was brought up, was your question, wasn't it? If I'm not mistaken, about Memphis, sorry, back there. Memphis took a while to return, to start working. He had to first solve the knee problem, which wasn't allowing him to be on the field working. So it's natural that we have to be a bit more careful with the player. I prefer to err in this way, without being negligent. I prefer to intervene at this moment so that I can have the player on the field for a longer time. And without him running a big risk of a possible injury," he added.

Addressing the management of minutes and the impact of absences, the coach also mentioned forward Yuri Alberto and the player's influence on the team's offensive performance. The forward hadn't played since February 19 due to a muscle injury and returned to play in last Thursday's match.

"It happened with Yuri, and we paid a very high price because Yuri is a player who has a unique characteristic in our team, unique. When he's on the field, you saw how many chances, how many opportunities we had. So that's how it is, we have to live with it," stated Dorival.

Finally, the Corinthians coach commented on the team's moment in the competition and the expectation for the recovery of players who were out, highlighting the impact of this on the collective performance throughout the season.

"The results will soon come, we had a sequence where we performed well without results. That doesn't justify it, we are working hard. We are now starting to have the entire squad available. Today we had the inconvenience of Kaio, Carrillo, and Memphis, who was preserved due to the difficulties we will face later. Players who will be important. We are starting to recover all those who were out, we gain firepower with the whole group available," he concluded.

After drawing with Chapecoense, Corinthians remains focused on the Brazilian Championship. At 8:30 PM this Sunday (22nd), 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.