Emily Lima explains rotation, rues Corinthians loss in Paulista opener | OneFootball

Corinthians were defeated 2-1 by São Paulo on the night of last Saturday (9), at Alfredo Schürig Stadium, known as Fazendinha, in the opening round of the Paulista Women’s Championship. After the match, head coach Emily Lima gave a press conference and assessed the Brabas’ performance, highlighting the team’s attacking volume and explaining the strategy of using an alternate lineup.

The coach emphasized that the match served to observe players with fewer minutes and said that, despite the negative result, the performance brought important takeaways for the coaching staff. Before commenting on the squad rotation, Emily analyzed the match and lamented the chances that were wasted.

Photo: ©Rodrigo Gazzanel / Ag. Corinthians

“Besides that, I think that, in general, players who have had fewer minutes gave a positive response within the two training sessions we held focused on this match. That allows us to understand what our path is in the Paulista Championship and what our path is in the Brazilian Championship. I truly believe that we did have more attacking volume, especially in the second half. We can’t be forgiving at home, but situations happen where sometimes the ball just doesn’t go in. I don’t like talking about refereeing, but there were criteria used at one moment and not at another.”

“Overall, we had the ball and, at certain moments, we could have been a little more patient in moving it around, switching play, breaking lines and looking for through balls, something we use a lot. When we did that, we managed to gain depth and create scoring chances. I think the overall takeaway is positive because the players had few minutes. The negative side is leaving with a defeat in a derby against São Paulo. But on Monday we’re back, it’s another opportunity, another competition, and I hope everything goes well,” she added.

Emily also commented on the situation of midfielder Agostina, who recently returned to training and experienced physical discomfort.

“She felt some discomfort in her calf, but that’s normal when returning. There was no new injury. She was out for a long time and we’re being cautious with Agostina. It’s about giving it time, and soon she’ll be back with us again.”

The coach explained that the alternate lineup was planned together with the fitness and physiology departments, aiming to preserve players and expand observation of the squad.

“We always think about our athletes as a whole. They are not machines. And it wasn’t only Corinthians who fielded an alternate team; São Paulo also used several players who had not been playing. Unfortunately, we still have to deal with this in women’s football: playing São Paulo today and then playing São Paulo again on Monday. This has already happened in other years and it’s part of the calendar. The idea was to use players who have had few minutes so we can understand them better. Many times we can’t use them in the Brazilian Championship. In the Brazilian Championship we have five substitutions; in the Paulista, seven. That allows for much greater rotation. The Paulista is still important. At Corinthians, we have to win everything. But we also need to give players minutes to balance the squad and reach the decisive stages with a prepared group.”

Emily cited the gradual work with younger players as an example.

“Rafa is a girl who still cannot and should not be used in the Brazilian Championship. Today she showed a little of that. We can’t burn the player out. We need to work to help her. Manu is also a player in development. We have to understand each one’s moment so as not to harm them, but rather help them evolve.”

Looking ahead to the rematch with São Paulo in the Brazilian Women’s Championship, Emily said Corinthians should maintain the same game idea.

“Today was an atypical match, different from the run we had been having in the Brazilian Championship. The ideas are the same: depth, ball circulation, midfielders playing inside, full-backs supporting the attack. What changes is the game rhythm, and that is directly linked to the players’ minutes. The Paulista also serves this purpose, so they can compete and arrive even more prepared.”

Finally, the coach was direct in pointing out the main reason for the defeat.

“What was missing were the goals. We failed in chances we cannot waste. We created a lot, but the ball didn’t go in. São Paulo’s chances, meanwhile, often came from our own mistakes. That is something match time will correct.”

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