Opinion – PVC: Corinthians shows that mixing can be the way forward in the Brazilian

Of Corinthians’ five tackles in the first twenty minutes of the game, four took place in the attacking field. It was time to make it 1-0, Paulinho’s goal, in an infiltration typical of his best days.

Mano Menezes, a colleague of Vítor Pereira in the UEFA coaching course, used to say that Paulinho leaves the midfield and reaches the penalty spot at the same time you blink.

That’s what happened: Corinthians 1 to 0.

Of the eleven chosen by Vítor Pereira, eight were under 30 years old. The other three were Cássio, Paulinho and Willian.

Usually, Corinthians scales six or seven over 31 years old. Younger, Corinthians had a good performance, heavy marking, ball recoveries that became exchanges of passes towards the goal.

The classic in Rio mixed Botafogo’s frustration, realizing that it will not be enough to hire good players at the last minute to assemble a team, against the Corinthians hope, of having enough quality to rest veterans and have the vitality that Vítor Pereira needs.

There is no modern game without pressure and there is no pressure with seven players over 31 playing twice a week. Reality arrived for the Portuguese coach, from Corinthians, after seven matches, with only two victories, and against two relegations from the Paulista Championship, Ponte Preta and Novorizontino.

His eighth time, against Botafogo, was his sixth away from home.

During this period, the Portuguese got to know the strength of the fans in São Paulo, at Morumbi, and Palmeiras, at Allianz Parque, the heat of Novo Horizonte, the altitude of La Paz, the long journeys and the death threats to their players.

Also charges for results, as if he played every day at Estádio do Dragão, in northern Portugal.

There will not be the marking that the Portuguese coach wants, if there is no rotation of the squad, playing 60 matches in 207 days – the sum of Libertadores, Brasileiro and Copa do Brasil results in these numbers.

For the first time, Vítor Pereira gave the notion that he understood this, by putting Renato Augusto and Gil on the bench and reaching just one veteran over 30 years old in the first 15 minutes of the second half.

Period in which Corinthians lost income. The reason is clear. The young Corinthians still don’t look as mature as those from São Paulo or Palmeiras. There was a moment when there were eight Corinthians players on the field: João Victor, Raul Gustavo, Piton, Du Queiroz, Roni, Adson, Giovane and Mosquito.

The team gets younger, offers more vitality and has less quality. Everything in life has its ups and downs. At Parque São Jorge, the cast favored former idols. They are fantastic, but the team does not reach the level of competition adequate to the philosophy of Vítor Pereira.

Mixing with boys is indispensable, even if it brings momentary problems.

Corinthians hired the right coach and assembled the wrong squad for him. The victory against Botafogo shows that Vítor Pereira realizes that he needs to find the middle ground. It was not a homogeneous performance, good from start to finish. But he gave the notion that there could be good campaigns in the Brazilian, Libertadores and Copa do Brasil. With the right mix and always with the wisdom that the current Botafogo is not a parameter.

Science x Travel

Palmeiras lost to fatigue, against Ceará, but their health and performance department understands that they can mitigate the preparation made to reach the apex in the World Cup. It will not be easy. Palmeiras will suffer for having tried to win the World Cup and could fall in the middle of the year.

guardiola

The CBF president says he has not made a proposal to Guardiola. He says he will only think about replacing Tite if he needs to, after the World Cup. Correct decision. The news from Marca points to a proposal with half of the Catalan coach’s current salary. Does not make sense.