William Batista minimizes Corinthians' taboo against Palmeiras in the Under-20s and exalts the professional's double mentality

- By Fabio Luigi / Central do Timão Editorial

Corinthians entered the field at the Alfredo Schürig Stadium, in Fazendinha, during the afternoon of last Wednesday (8), in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the Brazilian Under-20 Championship, to face Palmeiras, and were beaten 1 x 0. The result forces Alvinegro to win by at least one goal difference in the return game to take the match to penalties. In case of victory by two or more goals difference, the Parque São Jorge club advances directly to the semi-finals. The teams will meet again next Thursday (16), at 8pm, at Arena Barueri.

Coach William Batista spoke to journalists in the mixed zone a few minutes after the final whistle and minimized Corinthians' long taboo against their Under-20 rival. Timãozinho has not beaten Alviverde in the category since September 25, 2019, when they triumphed 1 x 0, with a goal from defender Raul Gustavo, who would later be promoted to the professional ranks, in that year's Brasileirão. Since then, there have been four draws and 11 defeats - seven goals scored and 29 conceded, accumulating a success rate of just 8.89%.

Photo: Rodrigo Gazzanel/Agência Corinthians

Throughout his response, he cited the lack of sporting results in the U20 category in recent seasons, especially in the last two years, in which the team struggled at the bottom of the national tournament table. Filhos do Terrão have not qualified for the knockout period since 2023, when they were eliminated precisely by Palmeiras in the semi-final. The professional also mentioned that Timãozinho was discredited and that few believed in the team's qualification for the knockout stages of the competition. Alvinegro ended the first phase of the Brasileirão in eighth place with 29 points - eight wins, five draws and five defeats - 31 goals scored and 24 conceded.

"The Corinthians Under-20 was a category that suffered a lot in recent years. I think the Corinthians Under-20 suffered more than the 17, more than the 15, more than the 14. I think that in the last three, four years it was players and the category itself that suffered a lot. One thing this team did during the year was to prove that the impossible is a matter of opinion. It was impossible to classify, because it was a team with little belief. We managed It was impossible for some players to play for Corinthians U20 and represent the club well. They went there and played. There are those who believe that it is impossible to break the taboo. We believe a lot in our work, in what we have done, built during this year, in this reconstruction of the category.

"I think the last time I even faced Corinthians, it was Corinthians and América in 2023, if I'm not mistaken. It didn't pass in 2024, it didn't pass in 2025. So, we have broken the logic quite a lot in the category, with a lot of strength, a lot of willingness, a lot of commitment. Really a reconstruction of the club, believing a lot, shielding us a lot. So, that's been cool. It could also give the Under-17 a chance to be with the best players in the category, being able to have a good campaign, as they are doing, without weakening them with the early promotion to our Under-20, having to take on the responsibility that is not necessarily theirs. It ended up that we managed to stay strong in the 20 and classify Corinthians", he began.

He continued: "The 17 is strong, the 15 is staying strong. And we are building a line of succession for the coming years. As for the taboo, I was not the coach when I was here. These players, some of them were, some were not. But it is there to be broken. So, for us, it is a reason more for motivation than for concern. Palmeiras has the responsibility of having to hold the score in the return game, it has the responsibility and weight of having to qualify because He won against us. And we, knowing that the impossible is a matter of opinion. So, if we are Corinthians, we believe until the end. In 1990, Corinthians played in the Brazilian championship, finished eighth and became Brazilian champions. So, I repeat, the football graveyard is full of favorites. So, we are there to break this logic."

Later, he was asked how midfielder Dieguinho (18 years old) and striker Gui Negão (19 years old) faced this descent from professional to the Under-20 category. Both made their debuts for the main team in mid-2025. The first has two goals and two assists in 33 matches, being part of the Copa do Brasil (2025) and Supercopa do Brasil (2026) victories, against Vasco da Gama and Flamengo, respectively. Gui Negão won the same titles, but played a more relevant role in this segment. In the quarter-finals of last year's Copa do Brasil, he scored two of Timão's three goals in the knockout duel against Athletico-PR. In 36 games for the top team, there are six goals and two assists in 36 games.

"It's very positive. Firstly, in addition to being great players, Dieguinho and Gui (Negão) are phenomenal people. In fact, they are very different human beings. They came down with a lot of joy, a lot of energy, a lot of commitment. This connection between the 2006, 2007, 2008 generation between them is very strong, so they are very friends, the guys like each other a lot. This ends up helping to create belonging between them and it becomes something very natural, especially for me as the Under-20 coach. It makes me very happy to see players wanting to play in a game, because most of the time, in other places, and I've been through this, the player who goes from top to bottom comes down believing that he is doing a favor for the team, for the club, for the category. And they didn't, they went down as if they were another base player, another player who was there to help. It's nice to see this, it's nice to see how they represent Corinthians and their desire to represent Corinthians."

"So I think Corinthians are well served with two huge potentials who have already performed in the main team. Gui already scored a decisive goal in last year's Copa do Brasil. Dieguinho also has an absurd talent. And behind all this talent, there are two great people. So I think it's a perfect marriage between athlete, talent and person. You can't separate one thing from the other. When they are like this, everyone wins. Corinthians win, they win, the professional wins, we win. And it's cool to see their joy and it helps the main team and us again", he concluded.

The post William Batista minimizes Corinthians' taboo against Palmeiras in the Under-20s and exalts the professional's double mentality first appeared on Central do Timão.

The content William Batista minimizes Corinthians' taboo against Palmeiras in the Under-20s and exalts the professional's double mentality appears first in Central do Timão.

Source: Timao Central