Corinthians boss hails academy, may use centre-back at full-back | OneFootball

On the evening of this Wednesday, the 27th, Corinthians returned to the field for the Copa do Brasil. In a match valid for the first leg of the quarter-finals of the competition, the Alvinegro went to Ligga Arena, in Curitiba, to face Athletico-PR. In a balanced game, which featured important saves by Hugo Souza, Timão won 1-0 away, with a goal by Gui Negão in the second half.

After the match, coach Dorival Júnior gave a press conference, where he praised the moment of the Alvinegro's number 56: “The work he has been developing and executing, the dedication, the commitment, giving his all. This has been crowned by the beautiful work. I just ask for calm and patience. Let's wait for development in a very natural way, without forcing anything. We have to be careful. He is a promising boy who is fighting for his space. I hope he is very happy in his career. As long as he understands that it's just a good start.”

Photo: Ciro Hey / Central do Timão

The coach also praised the other athletes coming from the youth academy, who are training with the professional group. “They are delivering a lot, dedicating themselves and showing up to play. Regarding the full-back position, we recently brought in Jacaré, who is starting to work with us. It is still very little compared to what has been worked on and developed with the other players. It's the case of Bahia, Gui, Kayke, André. He still needs a bit more experience, more work to seek some important behaviors for the role”, he said.

Dorival spoke again about using defender Félix Torres as a right-back, praising the athlete's “humility” in accepting to play out of his position, something he said is not simple: “I ask the fans to have patience and understanding that it is necessary for us to encourage athletes to believe more and more each day, that they are capable of performing situations on the field. With Felix, it's no different. We are trying to work as much as possible so that he feels comfortable, so that he can deliver everything we need. It is an important role.”

The coach concluded the topic by explaining the impact of Matheuzinho's absence in the sector. “We found a way to play with the presence of both full-backs more offensively. All of this has been giving us a very positive return. Losing a player like Matheus is a big loss for a squad that is quite weakened, with six or seven players completely out of action”, he concluded.

Now, Corinthians shifts focus to the Brazilian Championship. Next Sunday, August 30, the Alvinegro hosts Palmeiras in Itaquera, for the 22nd 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.