Dorival slams Corinthians, but hails Dieguinho v Ceará: “Made the difference” | OneFootball

Coach Dorival Júnior did not hide his dissatisfaction with Corinthians’ performance in the 1-0 defeat to Ceará at the Neo Química Arena this Sunday, during the 33rd round of the Brazilian Championship, but he also made a point of highlighting the performance of the team’s big new feature: Dieguinho.

The young player, only 18 years old, was Dorival’s bet for this Sunday’s match, making his debut as a starter for the professional team, and he showed plenty of personality, especially in the second half, when he became more involved in the game and was responsible for creating the few clear goal-scoring chances for Timão.

“When you have the kind of volume we had, you need to have a bit more composure, know how to work the ball, choose the right moments to break through, and unfortunately that didn’t happen. We weren’t having an inspired day, and when that inspiration is lacking, it’s natural to try to force things and skip all the processes,” commented Dorival Júnior.

“Just one point to highlight: Dieguinho’s performance, which made the difference. He was an active, creative player and, if we had any clear plays in the final third, it was largely due to this kid’s involvement,” he added.

Dieguinho had already been called up by Dorival Júnior on other occasions. Before this Sunday’s match, the youngster had played eight games for the professional team, but always coming off the bench with only a few minutes left before the final whistle. This time, however, he had the chance to show his worth by starting the match against Ceará as a Corinthians starter.

“The kid has quality, potential to develop, he went through a very well-structured preparation process and now it will depend exclusively on him. If he keeps performing like this, he will definitely find his place,” assured coach Dorival Júnior.

Corinthians’ next match will take place on November 20, after the FIFA break, against São Paulo, at the Neo Química Arena. Since it’s a derby, the Corinthians coach may opt for a more experienced team, leaving Dieguinho on the bench, but the tendency is that from now on the youngster will get more and more minutes wearing the Timão shirt.

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