Corinthians Women boss on playing at Itaquera, right-back reshuffle | OneFootball

Corinthians faced América-MG on Monday night (23) at Neo Química Arena, in a match valid for the fourth round of the first stage of the Brazilian Women’s Championship, and won 4-0. The goals for Alvinegro were scored by midfielder Gabi Zanotti, center-back Erika, and midfielder Andressa Alves. The result moved the Brabas up to fifth place in the national competition with seven points — two wins, one draw, and one loss — with nine goals scored and five conceded.

Minutes after the final whistle, head coach Emily Lima spoke to the press in the mixed zone and commented on the feeling of playing and winning in her debut at Itaquera. She also stressed the club’s need to get back to its best in the women’s game. The Brabas began 2026 as runners-up in both the Copa das Campeãs and the Supercopa do Brasil — the latter after losing the final to Palmeiras.

Photo: Rodrigo Gazzanel/Agência Corinthians

“I think that, regardless of anything else, we have to understand and be grateful for the opportunity to be playing here. We’re very happy to be able to make our debut here in front of the Corinthians fans with a win. I think we still have a lot to improve, we’re still evolving. But we have to enjoy this moment; I think these are three important points. Corinthians has to get back to where it belongs, where it deserves to be. And we’re getting there little by little, working very hard. I think playing here is a unique feeling; only those who are here know what that feels like. I think that’s it — enjoy the moment,” she began.

She was then asked about forward Carol Nogueira’s situation. In yesterday’s match, she played out of position at right-back and was substituted in the 21st minute of the first half after feeling pain in one of her knees. On social media, she posted lamenting the possible injury. The player had not featured for the Brabas since August 2025, as she had faced personal issues and, after returning normally to training, had not been used by Lucas Piccinato, who recently left the position.

“Right now, nothing. We have to wait for imaging tests, right? We can’t work based on guesses, so we have to try to reassure her in the best way possible. What we can do is let the medical department do its job, their specialist work, right? Be patient, stay calm. Of course, we know it’s a scare, right? Being away from the game itself for such a long time and now coming back, getting the opportunity. So I think that’s what’s affecting Carol more right now, on the psychological side, but she’ll get another opportunity again. We’ll wait until tomorrow to get a more accurate diagnosis and work from there.”

Soon after, she spoke about having won a match again as a coach after nearly a year. Previously, her last victory had been on April 4, 2025, when she was still in charge of the Peruvian national team, which beat Cuba 3-2 in an international friendly at Estádio Iván Elías Moreno, in Villa El Salvador, Lima. Since then, there had been one draw and 15 losses in 16 matches. While coaching Levante of Spain, she suffered 11 losses in 11 games.

“I don’t work based on results, okay? First of all, people need to know what my previous projects were. My previous projects weren’t about winning, they were about the development of two national teams where women’s football didn’t exist. I’m not anxious for victory; I’m anxious to work. The work will lead me to victory. So I’m not an anxious person because of that. I like winning, and that’s why I work very hard to have that result as close to me as possible, right?”, she continued.

Later, she explained the makeshift solutions she has been using at right-back. The coach said she has not ruled out continuing to test Carol Nogueira and Ivana Fuso in that role. After the No. 77 was injured in the first half, the English player came on in her place and took on a defensive role on the right side. At the moment, the position has Gi Fernandes and Rafa Rocha as natural players for the role.

“We have been studying that right side, yes. It’s not about ruling out Gi (Fernandes); I think Gi is a great player, but we can’t rely only on Gi, because one day Gi can make a mistake and catch us by surprise. So Ivana and Carol spent this whole week working at right-back with a lot of conversations, videos; in training there was always that rotation between the two. So we’re studying that side a lot, just as we’re also rotating some other pieces, and we still need to get to know these girls even better.”

“So the minutes Carol played were very good, very good training sessions, and Ivana as well. So we’re able to assess them a little better in a game context. So I think nothing will happen by chance. We plan the work we prepare for the match very carefully. Improvisations sometimes happen due to injuries, due to the number of substitutions, due to the very complex context of the game, but those two substitutions, those two players in positions that are not their natural ones, were prepared.”

Finally, she commented on players who have been getting fewer opportunities, such as midfielders Ana Vitória and Paola García. She said she is still getting to know the squad and that the idea is to rotate the team because of the high number of matches this season. The Brabas will compete this season in the Brazilian Championship, the Paulista Championship, the Copa do Brasil, the Conmebol Libertadores, and the Teal Rising Cup.

“I’ve only just arrived and this is now our second match, so I was able to understand a little from the game against Palmeiras. I’m now understanding a little more from the game against América. We’re making substitutions precisely to change the training context and the game context a little. But we’ll try to use and rotate the squad as we start to get to know them a bit more. So that’s one of our ideas — this is a highly qualified squad, and we have to make the most of it and rotate. We still have four competitions ahead of us, and it’s important to give everyone that game time and get to know each player thoroughly.”

“We’re being a little more patient in keeping possession, but keeping possession always has to have a purpose, and we’re evolving. I think it’s still too soon for us to get carried away by anything; I don’t think we can erase each player’s technical quality and put everything on the coaching staff — I think it’s quite the opposite. They help our work much more, and we try to be facilitators so they can make better decisions.”

After thrashing América-MG at Neo Química Arena, Corinthians remain focused on the Brazilian Women’s Championship. Next Friday (27), at 7 p.m. (Brasília time), at Nilton Santos Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, the Brabas will face Botafogo in the fifth 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.