President Duílio Monteiro Alves significantly improved Corinthians’ situation throughout 2021.
From undoing the terrible actions of the past administration to implementing a new structure at the club, Corinthians went from the lower part of the table to a title candidate.
In addition to clearing millions from the wage budget, Duílio also signed several new commercial deals.
The most significant being the partnership with the agricultural trading company Taunsa, which allowed them to sign the former Barcelona and Tottenham player, Paulinho.
Other stars such as Willian, Giuliano, Roger Guedes, and Renato Augusto have also been brought in, remarkably strengthening the squad.
Despite having a very strong squad, Corinthians were still not impressing under the previous manager, Sylvinho.
The Brazilian’s formation-based tactics had far too many weaknesses, most notably the inability to create quality chances.
At the beginning of this year, Duílio decided to make a change and bring in the Portuguese Vitor Pereira.
The appointment was a surprise, as Pereira was heavily linked with the Everton job and still had opportunities in Europe.
The Portuguese is a certified winner, having won league titles in three different countries.
His time at Porto was the most impressive, during which he lost only one league match in 68 played.
Vitor Pereira will look to hit the ground running as the Copa Libertadores and Brasileiro Série A start next month.
In this tactical analysis, we will examine Pereira’s tactics throughout different phases of the game.
We will also take a look at how, if possible, to play Corinthians’ five stars together under Pereira’s system.
Vítor Pereira Style Of Play
Pereira’s teams are defined by their structural organisation and movements.
The directness of play and tempo are largely inconsistent and dependent on opponents and situations.
As a result, certain indexes, which are meant to identify a style of play, are consistently inconsistent.
From match to match, metrics fluctuate, showing their flexibility and adaptability.
This must not be seen as either good or bad but simply different.
They adapt to the opponent and what the situation calls for.
Whether they must play direct football and exploit spaces or patiently retain possession until a situation arises will depend on the situation.
A few key metrics below highlight this constant change in mentality.
In five matches, the match tempo has gone from 13 to 18.
Average passes per possession also display how they may patiently retain possession at times (6.01) or be very direct (2.53).
Similarly, the long pass % will change accordingly.
In the match where they averaged 2.53 passes per possession, 14.29% of their passes were long.
At any rate, Pereira’s teams still go about their business in a structured and organised manner.
They have consistent patterns of behaviour and movement that allow for a larger organisation and a defined strategy.
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