Corinthians boss explains Kayke start, talks Garro and opener prep | OneFootball

Corinthians faced Platense of Argentina on Thursday night (9) at the Ciudad de Vicente López Stadium in a match valid for the opening round of the 2026 Conmebol Libertadores group stage, and won 2-0. Alvinegro’s goals came in the second half, scored by Kayke and Yuri Alberto. The result put Corinthians at the top of Group E with three points. The club from Parque São Jorge also ended a run of nine matches without a win.

Moments after the final whistle, head coach Fernando Diniz, making his debut for Corinthians, gave a press conference and was asked about several topics. The manager explained why striker Kayke was in the starting lineup — he had not started a match since February — commented on Rodrigo Garro’s improved form, analyzed the victory, and praised young midfielder André Luiz, a product of Corinthians’ academy.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians

The Corinthians coach also broke down his teams’ style of play, which gives players more freedom to move around, something different from what had been seen under Dorival Júnior, an advocate of positional play. Diniz also detailed the preparation for the match against the Argentine side, looked ahead to the possibility of Alvinegro winning the Libertadores title, and answered questions about his expectations for the Derby in the Brasileirão next Sunday (12), at 6:30 p.m. (Brasília time), at Neo Química Arena, for the 11th round of the national competition.

Check out Fernando Diniz’s answers from the press conference below:

Kayke starting after two months

“For me, it’s a joy. I’ve always had a special eye for academy players. Kayke and Bidon, in fact, played futsal with my son in Penha. And Kaique’s goal, he had a bit of luck — I don’t know if that’s the word, but maybe it can be used here — because in that Corinthians vs. Vasco game, 3-2, last year, he played and played very well. So I had a very vivid image of him; he really caught my attention. And sometimes a player doesn’t get continuity because Corinthians has a lot of players, quality players. In that game, Yuri Alberto didn’t play, Memphis didn’t play, so when they come back and there are signings, sometimes the player doesn’t get that continuity. But I had that image of him very present in my mind. I looked a bit at his recent history — he hadn’t played much, but he had a good match, a very good second half against Capivariano.”

“And with André moving into midfield, he was one of the possibilities I thought could happen. Then in the first training session I had him rotate a bit, and I liked it. In the second training session I had already chosen him to start the game. I also got a lot of information from the staff, from the people at the club, and we got it very right. He’s a player with a lot of talent. I hope he can keep up the level. Because besides scoring, in my opinion, he played well the whole game. Even in the first half, when he didn’t have much possession, he was super important tactically. The game was difficult. It was very tight, with a lot of physical battles and a lot of double-marking, and he was being a productive player. Then in the second half we managed to settle into our possession game better.”

Talk with the squad to restore confidence

“From the middle of the first half onward, we started dropping our defensive lines too much, and there was no need for that. Then their team pushed us back and we had little possession in the attacking half. That was the adjustment we made at halftime, which we showed on video with the clips we selected. But I think the most important thing, as you mentioned about the fans, is for the team to reconnect with the fans, because that combination is what will make Corinthians very strong. We have to respect the fans’ frustration, which is justified. And the fans can also be sure that the players work very hard and are very dedicated. Sometimes things don’t happen for various reasons, but the players are giving their all so that wins can happen frequently again.”

Details of the preparation for the Libertadores opener and, consequently, his first game with Corinthians

“I think the players received my arrival very well, and I felt that. And in fact the emotional factor was decisive, especially because the team already had work behind it. It’s not a team I found deserted, quite the opposite. It’s a team that won two titles three months ago. It was about restoring the players’ confidence and spirit. I obviously made some small adjustments. I think mostly in positional changes, Kayke’s promotion, Garro’s return, and probably the biggest one was putting André in a position in a back four, a 4-4-2 line, so he could play close to Raniele, but that didn’t stop him from getting forward the way he likes to, arriving from deep instead of already being there. Tactically, we worked a little as well, but I didn’t want to confuse the players and I let them feel comfortable doing what they felt most at ease with in the game. I think it went very well. But what really counted today was the players’ commitment, especially in the first half, when technically we didn’t really find ourselves in the game, but defensively the team was very supportive.”

Thoughts on the Derby and the dream of a second Conmebol Libertadores title

“It’s the biggest derby for Corinthians, and we know it’s a traditional match, and Palmeiras are in very good form, they’re leading the Brasileirão. It’s a game we’re going to approach the way Corinthians vs. Palmeiras must be approached. We always have to believe. The Libertadores is a dream for Corinthians fans. The club has almost 120 years of history and only one Libertadores title (2012). So we’re going to do everything possible. The team has quality and the conditions to dream of this achievement. That’s the minimum we have to do: believe and fight for it.”

Match analysis

“It was a difficult match. This team (Platense) won the Argentine championship last season. And I think the most important thing in the game was the team’s commitment. They knew how to defend very well. And when needed, Hugo also made two good saves. My outlook going forward is very positive. I think the team will improve a lot with training. I think it’s a team with a lot of quality and players who really want to work. You can already see that from coaching against them. And in the first contacts, that’s very clear. It’s a very hardworking team that really represents what Corinthians’ fans are all about.”

André Luiz’s role in Corinthians’ tactical setup

“Actually, I think the position André feels most comfortable in, and where he has an even greater career projection than he already had, is this one. I think he’s a classic No. 8. His future, to me, is brilliant. We’ll make the most of him while he’s here to help Corinthians. But I think he’ll only keep improving. He has a lot of strength, technique, he’s very dynamic, and he can cover the whole field with great ease. And he also has the Corinthians profile.”

Rodrigo Garro’s recovery

“I think he’s a rare talent that Corinthians has. I know he was going through a phase that wasn’t as brilliant as it was at the start of his time here. But he has everything it takes to recover. I think he’s very talented. And I’m going to do everything I can to make him feel increasingly comfortable in the game and more and more integrated into the ideas I have about football, and we have everything to build a very good relationship, not only off the field — we’ve already started that relationship — but also in sporting terms. He’s a player I have great respect for, because creating in tight spaces has always been difficult. It takes a lot of creativity, and he’s also a player who works very hard. So he has everything to come back. I think today he already started to show that he can once again perform at the level he knows he can.”

Would fielding an alternative lineup be ‘disrespectful’ to the Libertadores? — this week some Brazilian teams used alternative squads in Conmebol tournaments, especially in the Sudamericana

“Each club has a different squad from the others. There are some clubs in Brazil whose first team and second team are on a similar level. You have the possibility to rotate and choose games, which changes nothing. I don’t see any club in Brazil disrespecting the Libertadores in any way. Even because every Brazilian team dreams of winning the Libertadores. Any player, coach, executive, or fan — if you ask which competition they would most like to win in the year, among those who have the chance to play in the Libertadores, it will be the Libertadores. It’s South America’s Champions League. So I don’t see that at all — quite the opposite. In Brazil, everyone has great respect for the competition.”

On positional play (Dorival Jr.) vs. more mobility (Fernando Diniz)

“That’s a characteristic that is part of my work: a mobility-based game. And we’ll need to train all aspects, all phases of the game, make defensive adjustments. Actually, for today’s match, with the time we had, I put greater emphasis on the defensive aspect, trying to sustain a higher defensive line, which we managed for most of the game, and adding a bit more of the mobility game. I think the team will benefit from it. There are players with very particular characteristics who like possession. Garro is one of those who, even with little time, already benefited from the little possession work we had for this match. Bidon is another player who will benefit. But many players here at Corinthians are suited to this kind of game. The mobility game serves for certain moments when the team is playing with a very low line.”

“We also have to play a more positional game, because when there isn’t much space you can’t create movement as freely. So we’re going to work on all fronts, but the mobility game you asked about requires constant training, and circumstances make the team better and better at it. It’s a more open game. It’s not a game where you just give freedom and everyone is loose. On the contrary, it takes more work in training to build different combinations. It looks a bit more chaotic on the surface, but it’s a chaos the team can control. So it requires a lot of training and constant improvement. We’re going to work on it little by little, very gradually, because at this first moment with Corinthians we won’t have time to train, there’s no way around it. There won’t be a free week until the break. But it’s something that should happen gradually, this mobility game.”

Importance of winning the opener and getting back on the path of victories

“As for Corinthians’ current moment, it’s something that happens. This same Corinthians team won two important titles three or four months ago, the Copa do Brasil and the Supercopa do Brasil. So it was a moment to get back to winning. It’s a team with a lot of quality, and I think today was an important step for us to put together a good run this season.”

Next match

Starting this Friday (10), Corinthians resume their efforts for the Brazilian Championship. Next Sunday (12), at 6:30 p.m. (Brasília time), Alvinegro will face Palmeiras at Neo Química Arena in the 11th 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.