Dorival Júnior owns Corinthians defeat, reacts to midfielder sending-off | OneFootball

Corinthians were defeated 3-1 by Fluminense on Wednesday night at the Maracanã, in a match valid for the ninth round of the Brazilian Championship. After the final whistle, head coach Dorival Júnior analyzed the team’s performance, addressing everything from the game plan to the impact of absences and the need to respond for the rest of the season.

Before the match in Rio de Janeiro, Timão had an unusual preparation period, with about nine free days due to the FIFA international break at the end of March. The pause was seen as an opportunity for tactical adjustments and physical recovery, but according to the coach, what had been planned did not translate onto the pitch, especially after a promising start.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Ag. Corinthians

“Each match has its own story, and each situation requires a different approach. We really did have a plan for today’s game, but the execution was not good enough. We even started well; however, after the first 15 minutes, we lost ourselves in some movements. Even with our marking in place, we conceded two goals, which made any comeback more difficult”, he said.

The situation became even more complicated in the second half, when defensive midfielder Allan was sent off after a VAR review. The player made an obscene gesture toward the opposing bench shortly after getting into an altercation with Lucho Acosta, an incident that had already resulted in a yellow card. With one man less, Corinthians found it even harder against an opponent that valued possession.

“The situation became even more complicated when we had a player sent off right after the break. With one man less and facing a team with good passing combinations, the difficulties increased”, Dorival said.

The coach also commented specifically on the sending-off incident and showed dissatisfaction with the gesture made by the Corinthians midfielder. Dorival Júnior pointed out that the player knows he made a mistake and that the situation will be discussed internally.

“I do not agree with the way it happened. If it had been a play or a challenge for the ball, I would understand it, but not the way it was. Allan knows he made a mistake, and we ended up being harmed by the absence of an important player. I believe all of this will be discussed internally,” he stated.

Even in the face of such an adverse scenario, Dorival took responsibility for the team’s performance. The manager stressed that, just as had happened at another point in the season, the team fell below expectations compared to what had been worked on in training.

“I take responsibility for the performance. The game against Coritiba was far below expectations and today, although the dynamics were different, we also did not execute what had been planned. We had a clear idea of what to do, but in practice we fell short,” he pointed out.

Corinthians also had to deal with a number of important absences. Still sidelined in the medical department are Memphis Depay, with a strain in his right thigh; Gui Negão, with a grade 2 injury in the back of his right thigh; and Kaio César, who is being treated for inflammation in the same area. Hugo Farias is also out after surgery on the lateral meniscus of his right knee. In addition, goalkeeper Hugo Souza and midfielder André Carrillo were away with their national teams, while Raniele was serving an automatic suspension.

Given those absences, the coach opted for a more crowded midfield setup, seeking to strengthen the marking against an opponent strong in passing exchanges. Even so, the strategy did not produce the desired result.

“In football, everything is collective. I will never point the blame at anyone; I would rather take responsibility than do that. I was the one who selected the team and trusted that the players would show on the pitch what they had shown in training. Unfortunately, that was not what happened,” he said.

Regarding the tactical approach, Dorival Júnior explained that the idea was to compensate for the absence of Raniele, an important piece in protecting the edge of the box. He also detailed the attempt to reorganize that area during the match.

“The goals happened even with our marking in place. Fluminense are a team that plays a lot through the middle and has good passing combinations, so much so that the second goal came that way. Today we did not win our duels, and that made the difference. In most matches, we perform strongly in that aspect, which allows us to recover the ball quickly after losing it; but today, that did not happen”, he analyzed.

“The players’ positioning was designed precisely for that. We lost Raniele, who protects the edge of the area very well, and the idea was to have one more player occupying that sector to increase coverage. We already used this strategy against Santos, when we controlled both matches playing with practically three midfielders and one forward. The proposal was the same; but in other games, we had more commitment and responsibility in the execution. Today, that did not happen and, after we conceded, we ended up becoming disorganized in relation to what had been planned”, he added.

The result extended Corinthians’ negative run, as the team reached eight consecutive matches without a win, with five draws and three defeats in that period. Dorival acknowledged the delicate moment and said he is experiencing an unprecedented situation in his career.

“It is the first time, it is a new situation, but I need to understand what is happening. I believe a scenario like this can only be reversed with work, commitment, repetition, and by getting the players to believe again that we can find a way forward. I think that is the way”, he concluded.

With the defeat, Corinthians remain in 11th place in the Brazilian Championship with ten points, and could move closer to the relegation zone depending on the other results of the round. For the next match, against Internacional on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. at Neo Química Arena, the team will have the confirmed absences of Allan and Matheus Bidu, both suspended, while Raniele will return and be available again after serving his suspension.

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