Matheuzinho praises Zakaria Labyad: “He came to help us” | OneFootball

Provider of the assist for Zakaria Labyad’s goal in Corinthians’ 1-0 win over Atlético-MG, right-back Matheuzinho spoke about the Moroccan after the match and highlighted the player’s quality. In an interview with Cazé TV after the game, the player addressed issues related to the No. 52’s adaptation to Brazilian football and emphasized the attacking midfielder’s credentials.

“Zaka is a player who showed his qualities from day one. He’s a very technical guy, and it’s no coincidence he played for big clubs in his career, he was developed at a big club. He has a lot of experience, and we knew it… those of us who see the day-to-day know when a player arrives to add something, and from the first day he showed that, that he came to help us,” he began.

Corinthians Agency

“Football is about adaptation. A guy who came from Europe, it’s a different style of play, a different type of pitch, a different environment, heat, there’s all of that, so it depends on the person whether they can adapt faster or take a little longer. But technically, he never stopped showing it in training, he never stopped working. We knew his opportunity would come, it’s what the coach says, he says everyone has to be ready because sooner or later the opportunity will come, and for him there’s no starting team. He says the starting shirts are up for grabs, and whoever wants one just has to show it day by day and seize it. Everyone is there to help Corinthians. Maybe this week Zaka got his ‘baptism,’ and I hope he starts helping us more and more,” he added.

More crosses

In the interview, shortly before speaking about Labyad, Matheuzinho commented on his style of play and the demands coach Fernando Diniz made of him during the match.

“He demands a lot from me, so much so that in the second half he asked me to send in three... four crosses, and I ended up putting one in and getting it right. But that’s one of my characteristics, he knows I have a good pass there in the final third. If he asks, it’s because he knows I’m capable, so today I was happy to be able to help,” he revealed.

Corinthians return to the pitch this Wednesday (27) against Platense in the final round of the Libertadores group stage. Playing at home, Timão will try to finish the first phase on a high note. Already qualified in first place in the group, Alvinegro is still fighting for the competition’s top overall seed.

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