Corinthians Under-20 coach analyzes draw in Brasileirão and praises defender

- By Fabio Luigi / Central do Timão Editorial

Corinthians faced, on the afternoon of last Thursday (25), Flamengo, at the Alfredo Schürig Stadium, Fazendinha, in a match valid for the 18th and penultimate round of the classification phase of the 2026 Brazilian Under-20 Championship, and was tied by a score of 2 x 2. Alvinegro's goals were scored by defender Yago Melo and striker Nicolas Araújo. The result left the Corinthians team in eighth place with 29 points - eight wins, five draws and five defeats - 31 goals scored and 24 conceded. Only the top eight go to the quarterfinals.

Moments after the final whistle, Filhos do Terrão coach, William Batista, gave an interview to the press and analyzed Timãozinho's draw, highlighting that he is confident in the team's passage to the knockout stage. Furthermore, he praised defender Yago Melo, who scored for the second time this year, and once again took stock of his work in charge of the Parque São Jorge club. The professional also explained why he accepted Corinthians' proposal in August last year and praised Rayan, a striker with whom he worked at Vasco da Gama, and who now plays for the Brazilian team in the World Cup.

Photo: Rodrigo Gazzanel/Agência Corinthians

Check out the coach's responses below in a press interview at Fazendinha:

Analysis of the draw against Flamengo and confidence in qualifying for the quarter-finals of the Brasileirão U20

"We knew it was going to be a difficult game, it's worth qualifying for us, it's also worth it for our opponent, Flamengo had an obligation to win the game to try to pass us, get into the classification zone. We were in a position to be able to play and qualify in this round with both a draw and a victory, we really wanted to win to guarantee classification today, but we're happy because I think the draw gives us the conditions to go to the last round, depending only on our strength. When we get to this situation of championship, depending only on you, to conclude that what we need is good."

"About the game, I think Flamengo managed to find two attacking moves that their attacker was very happy with, I think it was based a lot on their transition against our pressure after losing the ball. We managed to be successful for a large part of the game, but in those two that they had as an escape, they were very happy. Second half we had a lot of volume, volume of attacks in the area, volume of finishing, we think we managed to arrive with a lot of people inside the area in the second half, which increased our ability to do a little goal. We wanted to have turned the game around, but we know that a draw is not ruled out given our condition now, in the next round of the Championship."

Praise for defender Yago Melo

"If there's a law that works in football, it's that of the ex. So, it's cool to see him (Yago) scoring a goal, his second, in the second game in a row, they're decisive goals against Cruzeiro and today too. It's cool to see, because he's a player who was Flamengo's captain for almost the entire period he was there, he left due to some issues that brings more to the moment, perhaps, of that player's moment, and today he's a player who helps us, helps the group."

"He's a hard-working, dedicated guy, he deserved the goal he scored today. I think it's us, the committee, the players, everyone is very happy for the goal he scored and also for his game, a consistent game. And I think Corinthians wins for having a defender of Yago Melo's level, as there are others who didn't play, the others are good players. We're happy for his goal and for his game as a defender too."

Rayan in the Brazilian National Team

"I am privileged to have worked with Rayan. Rayan is a little privileged to have worked with me, he has to pull a little on my side. Rayan is a very special player, a very special person, a very hard-working guy, extremely talented, very talented and I think he deserves what he is experiencing. I had some cool stories with Rayan, I had a game where Rayan wasn't doing some things I wanted and I scolded him hard, I'm trying to provoke him to do more and such."

"To see if he would get angry, Rayan doesn't get angry, after the game I went to tell him to get angry. He said, 'No, I can't be mad at you, William.' And I think it's cool to see all of that. I make my debut as a professional team coach at Vasco against Cuiabá, after Vasco went nine games without winning. And Rayan was a starter in that game, we won 1-0 in Cuiabá. So, there are some things that speak well in this story."

"I'm happy, flattered, it was the work of a lot of people at Vasco, a lot of coaches, it's important to highlight that. I participated in a small part and with great humility knowing that what he did, where he is, is the result of his work and that of many people who helped him get to where he is."

I work at Corinthians Under-20s and the reason I agreed to return to work with youth teams

"I have to share the work I have done as a coach with people, with the committee, with Di Fábio, assistant, with Moisés Campos, goalkeeper trainer, with Íbson, analyst, Fernando, physical trainer, Emerson, physical trainer, with Damiani, who is our director, who has given us support. At first it was a lot of diagnosis, what we could do, have in relation to the players, I said another time that I stayed... It was complicated at the beginning because I stayed at the club for four months from August to December, until the Copinha, but I only played five games. So it was a low number of games, with high demands in the Copinha, knowing little about the squad, now that I've been at the club for almost eleven months. Then I already have a much better diagnosis in my head. The people, as I said, my committee, which also provided a lot of support, are important in our evolution. In the next round, if we win, we can reach 32 points. In the last two years, Corinthians scored 36 points, adding the championship of 24, the Championship of 25, in the Under-20s, there were 36 points, in one season they can be almost four points behind the two campaigns combined."

"So I think it's a good job, we improved the player individually, then we improved defensively, we have improved a little more now our way of attacking. Little work, it's not easy, little by little, having to evolve a lot in the team to make the team competitive, to develop our player, to make him even more active in the club and to return sporting results. I think it's important to discuss these three things at Corinthians a lot, because it is a club with high demands in terms of results, but also in terms of development, so that when they reach the professional ranks they are more prepared. I think that for all these reasons, I think that the work of both me and everyone I mentioned is very significant and of reconstruction, in fact, of what is the basis of Corinthians."

"In terms of returning to the twenties, I enjoy it a lot and I get a lot of fulfillment from being a coach, I really enjoy being a coach, so I enjoyed it a lot when I was at Sumaré's Under-15s, 13 years ago. I had a lot of fun when I went to Atibaia, which is a small club, 12 years ago. 2016, the same way I enjoyed it a lot when I was at 13, at Chapecoense and at Profissional do América. I could have perhaps made the choice to continue in the Professional, at the Serie C club, or maybe even B, but I always had a dream of working at Corinthians because of the size of the club, because of what the club represents. So, when the opportunity came in August last year, I think it was a moment in my career, due to a recent pain of leaving América. I think that even in a way that I didn't deserve to have left, because I was runner-up in Minas Gerais, we eliminated Cruzeiro in a semi-final, where only Gabriel Barbosa cost my team in América."

"We play the final with Atlético, Meca hadn't beaten Atlético in Mineirão for 25 years, we won in the last game, 1-0, and then I'm three points behind G4, then four in the round in which I'm fired. Then. So, I spent a moment there two months before arriving at Corinthians, which was also a bit difficult to reflect on, and then I saw the under-20s at Corinthians also suffering a lot, so when it comes to that, do you think these two things can go together well, both me and Corinthians, my desire is also long-standing to work here at the club, to make this dream come true, and take advantage of this and help the players."

"And I think it's a great moment for the club's base too, where we have the freedom to do what we want, we can build our ideas, we can keep the best players in the category, we can release those who needed to be released from the club. And there are some curious facts, including the players who left the club, no player who left the club has been successful so far at the club, so I think that says a lot about how we were, how we are today. And it was necessary to have this analysis, this deep reflection as it was done and we are looking a little now both in 20 and 17, but I think that Coelhas' medium and long term vision of what has been achieved could be even brighter for the club."

Next appointment

Before visiting Juventude next Wednesday (1), for the last round of the Brasileirão qualifying phase, Corinthians will have a classic for the Campeonato Paulista U20. Next Sunday (28), at 3pm, Timãozinho will visit Santos, for the third round of the first phase of the state championship. Alvinegro won the first two matches, against Mirassol and Portuguesa Santista, by 1 x 0 and 2 x 0, respectively.

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Source: Timao Central