Corinthians boss rues missing midfielder in Fluminense win

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Central do Timão

·14 settembre 2025

Corinthians boss rues missing midfielder in Fluminense win

By Fabio Luigi / Central do Timão Editorial Team

On the evening of last Saturday, September 14, with a goal from right-back Matheuzinho, Corinthians defeated Fluminense with a score of 1 x 0 at the Maracanã Stadium, in a match valid for the 23rd round of the Brazilian Championship. The result placed the Alvinegro in ninth position with 29 points (seven wins, eight draws, and eight losses – 24 goals scored and 28 conceded).

After the match, coach Dorival Júnior held a press conference and commented on the last-minute absence of midfielder Rodrigo Garro. The number 8 participated in the warm-up on the field but was cut at the last minute from the bench, citing calf pain, according to SporTV. The player has been dealing with physical problems this season. Between March 27 and May 27, he was away from the field to treat patellar tendinopathy in his right knee.

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Photo: Rebeca Schumacker/Agência Enquadrar

“It's difficult, measuring pain is very difficult, there's no way to do it. Today it wasn't anything related to the knee, if my memory serves me, it was in the right calf. So, first, he will undergo an evaluation, and then we will have an idea of what has happened, but our concern for him is great. We are trying to manage as much as possible so that he can be on the field most of the time and able to help us,” he began.

The coach emphasized the need to control the player's time on the field given the recent physical problems: “In some matches, he (Garro) will inevitably start on the bench, just as we have done with the vast majority of players. It's impossible to put them in consecutive games like we did, Wednesday and Saturday. The recovery time is short, and depending on the players who play on the opposing team, it's natural that you will be at a significant disadvantage.”

He then took the opportunity to appreciate the entry of some players in the match, such as left-back Hugo Farias and forwards Ángel Romero and Talles Magno, given the large number of absences in the team (Raniele, Charles, José Martínez, Breno Bidon, André Carrillo, Rodrigo Garro, and Memphis Depay).

The left-back, in fact, played improvised in midfield and hadn't played since May 3, as he was recovering from inguinal hernia surgery.

“We have a very large number of players out of action. Today, unfortunately, we lost Garro even before the start of the match. Now we may not have him at the weekend along with Gui Negão, who also received the third yellow card. We are dealing with an unusual situation with many problems, trying in every way to find solutions within our squad, within our group.”

“I highly value the entry of very experienced players, such as Talles (Magno), (Ángel) Romero, and Hugo (Farias), who, after a long period of inactivity, return and help us. Talles made the play that led to our goal, in a ball recovery. Romero came in and also contributed. That's what we want,” he continued.

He also added: “Now, sometimes it's very difficult to have, as we had in previous games, possession, dominance, the creation of goal opportunities, and not finish the matches. So I think at some point we would also have this condition. I'm happy with the moment, it's been a long time since Corinthians won here, and I think that's something we have to value a lot. We have gained in some important aspects, the team is maturing, gaining important confidence, but it's still very little compared to the moment we are experiencing in the standings.”

Finally, he was asked about a possible opportunity for midfielder Gui Amorim, who has been the main player in Corinthians' Under-17 category in the 2025 season and who recently received a salary increase and an increase in his release clause due to interest from other clubs in his football. In the current season, the 17-year-old scored 20 goals in 30 matches, 19 for the Under-17 and one for the Under-20 (he played one match with the older team).

“This boy is being observed and hasn't yet had a real opportunity to work with us, and we have been waiting to get to know him a little more. At every moment, we are always looking for six, seven players in the categories and gradually putting them there. We will look, we can't do everything at once. The sequence of games we had until the other day is absurd. Now maybe with an open week, but perhaps we will have a little more peace to observe not only him but the vast majority of the boys who are there,” he concluded.

Now, after defeating Fluminense away in the Brasileirão, Corinthians will have a free week for training. The Alvinegro will return to the field only next Sunday, September 21, at 5:30 PM (Brasília time), to face Sport at Ilha do Retiro, in a match valid for the 24th round of the national competition.

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