Finally about to make his Corinthians debut (Getty Images)
Adriano is finally set to make his debut for Corinthians this Sunday, six months after signing for the club. The player is only 20% near his ideal physical condition (in his own words) but is set to take his place on the bench in the clash against Atlético GO at the Pacaembu stadium on Sunday.
In a frank interview, Adriano said: ”I’ve practically been out for a year and three months and that makes difference. If I have the opportunity to play 15 minutes, it will be like 90 minutes for me. I’d like to play the full 90 but unforuntately I don’t have the condition to do so. I’m only at 20% of my ideal condition right now which is far from ideal”. He probably would have waited a little longer if it weren’t for the injury to Liedson and suspension of Emerson. But the Corinthians fitness coach says he can play 30 or 45 minutes if required. He also added that the player weighs 101 kg!
So, what do Corinthians fans make of his long awaited debut? Can he make a big impact in these last eleven games and win Corinthians the title? Should he really be playing if he’s only 20% fit? Are any readers going to the game? There’ll be full house and fantastic atmosphere that’s for sure.
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Granted, I am not a Corinthians fan, but I am an Adriano fan. I think he will do well for Corinthians, and he just may play more than 45 minutes in his debut. I remember him debuting for Flamengo vs Atletico-PR and the fitness coaches said he would barely last 45 minutes. End result? A goal in around 65 minutes of play. Vanderlei Luxemburgo made a BIG mistake not bringing Adriano back to Flamengo when he had the opportunity. It could be the move that costs us the title and wins Corinthians their 5th.
Interesting insight Andrew…. At the time I personally thought Luxemburgo did the right thing by not bringing Adriano back. He was trying to create a culture of teamwork and discipline. Adriano, although unstoppable on his day, would have ruined all of that don’t you think? Obviously Adriano is deadly if he’s in the mood. He seems to have knuckled down at Corinthians to get back into shape (or at least 20%). I’m sure he’ll be fully motivated to prove the doubters wrong in these last eleven games. Good news that for Corinthians.
Given his history, I would agree. In 2009, he was on very good behavior while at Flamengo. His problematic year was in 2010, where we failed to produce quality games in the Libertadores, leading to our elimination.
Luxemburgo didn’t try to go after another striker after turning down Adriano. Sure, we went after Kleber, but look at what he is doing at Palmeiras — nothing. He never was a goal scorer and that’s what we need in our scheme — a #9. Deivid hasn’t been cutting it and still continues to play poorly.
I just have a feeling that Adriano is going to bounce back and perform superbly. Maybe I am biased because of what he has done for my team, but I have been following him for his entire career — since he came up through the youth ranks at Fla — and you can sort of get a feeling as to what he may do based on his body language and actions. I understand why someone would be skeptical after the mess he left behind in Italy.
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