The chance of Corinthians winning the classic against Palmeiras and reopening the dispute for the Brazilian title goes through everything that happened in the middle of the week. There are serious problems for Vítor Pereira to correct, either to regain the confidence of his players in his work or to overcome the loss of Willian, one of his best athletes.
On the other hand, the tiredness of Palmeiras will be on the lawn of Neo Química Arena. The only chance of not showing up will be to replace players who are too worn out, a difficult decision for the short squad he decided to work with.
Gustavo Gómez is an example. He looked exhausted in the final minutes against Atlético-MG.
Pay attention to the table. With a six-point advantage, Palmeiras has a huge chance of consolidating itself as the only candidate for the Brazilian title, if they win in the next three rounds, against Corinthians, in Itaquera, Flamengo, at Allianz Parque, Fluminense, at Maracanã.
On the other hand, if you score less than six points, you will be looking ahead with a very tough table. Of the top eight, the leader will visit six: Athletico-PR, Internacional, Atlético-MG and Bragantino, in addition to Corinthians and Fluminense.
You will only receive Flamengo at your home.
The difficulty in Palmeiras is fatigue, added to the next trips. The Corinthian is much more serious. Willian will return to England, moved by the scare of his family, with threats from fans, violence from the city and intolerance towards the Brazilian.
Losing William as a citizen is a great defeat for the country. It also represents one less piece for Vítor Pereira and a sign that the players are not moved by the work of the Portuguese coach.
Willian travels to London after claiming he never had problems with Pereira. But if he saw inevitable success approaching, he would wait for the end of the World Cup, then satisfy the wishes of his wife and children and return to Europe.
It is no coincidence to hear from Corinthians players that Sylvinho owes nothing to Vítor Pereira. It’s less about praising the old boss and more about the lack of certainty in the Portuguese’s decisions.
Had there been more conviction and, perhaps, Willian would have looked at the Corinthians table, inverted in relation to that of his great rival. Six of the eight best in the Brazilian will play in Itaquera in the return: Palmeiras, Fluminense, Athletico-PR, Atlético-MG, Internacional and Bragantino. Away from home, only against Flamengo.
It means that winning the Derby will do more than bring the gap that today is six points closer to the leader. It will push for a possible sprint driven by travel to face the weakest and rest to receive the strongest.
Crisis is a word used by football vocabulary and does not need to be used to define what is experienced in Parque São Jorge, after the elimination of Libertadores. The situation, however, requires looking in the mirror, to understand where the real problems are and why investing in signings results in a team that bets more on kids than stars.
The Derby will say a lot about the continuation of the season. It seems easier for Palmeiras to overcome the fatigue, of having climbed a steep mountain, to win on penalties against Atlético-MG, than for Corinthians to build a new foundation for the work of Vítor Pereira, in time to have a team capable of reacting in the Brazilian.
Palmeiras can start to decide the championship in three rounds. Corinthians can lose the entire season in five days.
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