Author: Soorya G
Corinthians had some positives to take home, despite losing to Copa do Brasil champions São Paulo. As expected, two days were not enough for Mano Menezes and his coaching staff to make significant improvements at Corinthians. However, assistant coach Sidnei Lobo had a positive first impression, despite the 2-1 defeat to São Paulo at the Morumbi.
“We were happy with a lot of things that happened, especially the tactical behavior of the team, the defensive posture and the possession of the ball, trying to overcome the opposition. When we scored, it was clear that São Paulo were going to come at us. We struggled a bit and they took their chances, although I thought there was a foul on the second goal” said Sidnei Lobo, who replaced Mano Menezes due to suspension.
Corinthians got off to a better start than expected in the derby, with Ángel Romero opening the scoring in the third minute. However, São Paulo dominated after that and secured the comeback in the first half. In the second half, not even Renato Augusto managed to turn things around. The team must now focus on the most important game of the season, against Fortaleza on Tuesday in the Copa Sudamericana.
“Judging by their expressions, the players were upset by the defeat. Losing a derby is always difficult; Corinthians fans are used to winning. We’re working on their mentality; we’ve seen a lot of good things, and the next step will be better. When we’re together tomorrow morning, we’ll be even stronger. Overall, despite the result, despite the problems, despite not playing, despite everything, the response wasn’t bad. I liked it and I think we’ll improve a lot from now on” said Lobo, expressing optimism.
Corinthians used just six first-team players during the derby. Cássio, Gil and Maycon started the game, while Renato Augusto and Wesley came on in the second half. Therefore, the line-up was completely alternative in the derby.
“We planned to make the substitutions in the second half; it was normal. Many players weren’t playing and had to be brought on. We were very pleased with many of the things we saw. Does the team need to improve? Yes, you do. We practically only did one training session with players who hadn’t played together. But I was happy. We’re going to work to keep evolving and win victories“, concluded Sidnei Lobo.
Mano Menezes’ coaching staff will have a total of three training sessions with the first-team players from their arrival last Thursday until the Copa Sudamericana semi-final on Tuesday.