Opinion – PVC: The Corinthians formula for the final of the Copa do Brasil against Flamengo

Flamengo had a hard time beating Internacional and drew 0-0 in a game in which Mano Menezes blocked the scoring in the middle, took Rodinei’s runner and forced the red-black to play on the left. It’s not comfortable for Dorival Júnior’s team.

Corinthians will do the same.

There is no team in South America capable of building as many and as good plays in the central lane of the field as Flamengo. There are five, sometimes six stars in this sector of the field, sewing rival defenses with short passes towards the goal.

At any moment, a plate goal is born.

It’s impossible to be sure of success in the defensive strategy, but everyone already knows what it takes to try to avoid red-black success.

Athletico will repeat Internacional’s strategy in the Libertadores final. For Corinthians, it’s a little more difficult, because the formation finally found by Vítor Pereira likes to have the ball, exchange passes and will hardly find it easy to do that against their rivals in the Copa do Brasil.

The team design has only one midfielder, Du Queiroz plays as a midfielder a little behind Renato Augusto. To mark the central lane and close Rodinei’s corridor, Du will have to retreat and Roger Guedes will need to unfold.

Fausto Vera will score De Arrascaeta, Fábio Santos will chase Éverton Ribeiro, João Gomes will be joined by Du Queiroz, Renato Augusto will touch Thiago Maia, Guedes will need to scare Rodinei, sometimes with tackles, sometimes with lunges behind his back.

Willian said goodbye to Parque São Jorge in the defeat of Maracanã to Flamengo, elimination of Libertadores. Since then, Corinthians has played thirteen matches. Roger Guedes is the only one in all of them. He scored four goals and offered a pass, went on to form a fine-tuned duo with Yuri Alberto, author of nine goals and one assist in this period.

Of the 21 goals scored in these last thirteen matches, Roger Guedes and Yuri Alberto participated in fifteen (71%). If Corinthians knows the formula to block Flamengo – and this does not guarantee success – the converse is true.

But Dorival Júnior will not be specifically concerned with the task of marking Corinthians, because his team always attacks, anywhere. Even in recent defeats, against Fluminense and Fortaleza, the red-black spent more time exchanging passes than chasing opposing attackers.

While pressing and threatening all the time, Flamengo gives way. There are holes between the two defenders and the midfield, also on the two sides, which Corinthians will try to exploit with Roger Guedes and Mosquito, or Ádson.

Vítor Pereira took a while, but he found his ideal formation. The 4-3-3 does not have two defensive midfielders side by side. It looks more like an old button-down football table, with the right half occupied by Du Queiroz and the left by Renato Augusto.

The latter, the thermometer of the new Corinthians. He is the one who gives the temperature of the game, says when to increase or decrease the pace.

Champion of the Copa do Brasil with Flamengo’s number 10, which was Zico’s, Renato is now trying to win his personal championship wearing the number 8 Corinthians, by Socrates.

Corinthians has a chance to be champion. Mainly because he knows Flamengo is better.