Dorival hails Corinthians’ bravery, backs calls against artificial turf | OneFootball

Dorival Júnior admitted that Corinthians did not play a good match against Athletico-PR this Thursday, in the Brazilian Championship, but praised the team's bravery. Timão withstood the pressure and won 1-0 at Arena da Baixada.

“The match was not what we expected. Up until the moment we scored the goal, we had control, we were trying to do things the right way. I believe few teams will manage to get a result here. On a night when things didn’t go as we wanted, the team was vibrant, brave, and faced a very complicated situation. It was an important result,” analyzed the coach in a press conference.

The coach also explained his choice of Vitinho in the starting lineup. The forward replaced Yuri Alberto, who was injured and is expected to be out for up to three weeks.

“It’s an interesting option, he was important in some matches. Vitinho needs this run of games. I hope we can have him in better condition going forward,” he said.

Criticism of the synthetic pitch

Dorival was also asked about the synthetic pitch at Arena da Baixada. After the match, the field was criticized by midfielder Rodrigo Garro. The Argentine said that the artificial grass “goes against the body” of an athlete.

The coach broadened the discussion and joined the call for the end of synthetic pitches in Brazil, comparing it to the movement happening in European football. He also raised a warning about the increasing number of foreign players in Brazilian teams.

“This has been my opinion for a long time. If it’s authorized by the CBF, we don’t have to keep discussing it. The advantage is huge for the home team, the game is much faster, very different from a natural pitch. In much of Europe, this is no longer allowed, we should take that into consideration. We’re always going against what’s happening abroad. Athletico has had this field for a long time, I’ve been in favor and I know the advantages. But it’s an attitude that should come from those who run football,” he commented.

“I also think it’s time to intervene in the number of foreigners on a team. We are penalizing a generation, and in the future we will pay a high price. Italy paid a high price in two World Cups. These are two factors that conflict with what we’ve always done: developing players and having pitches in good condition. In London, they go almost 50 days without sun and the pitches are perfect. It’s not possible that we can’t achieve this in our country,” he added.

(Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians)

The coach emphasized that the artificial turf will make recovery more complicated for Corinthians as they look ahead to Sunday’s match against Portuguesa, in the quarterfinals of the Paulista Championship.

“Certainly, physically we will not be up to the demands of Sunday’s match. We are not used to playing on a pitch like this. Our recovery tomorrow will take longer. I have no doubt it will have a significant impact on Sunday’s game, our difficulties will be greater. That’s why I keep insisting that we need a more complete squad, with more alternatives, so we can have a recovered and well-trained team, that’s fundamental. We’ve changed almost every match, and the team has responded positively. The accumulation now will weigh heavily. We will have many difficulties, but we will try to overcome them,” he concluded.

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Standings

With the win in Curitiba, Corinthians overtook Athletico-PR itself and entered the G5 of the Brasileirão. Timão is now fifth in the table, with six points earned.

Corinthians’ next match

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