Qualifying for the 2024 President’s Cup Final, Arema FC Coach Joel Cornelli Leaks Instructions in the Dressing Room

Surakarta, Todaysgist.com – Arema FC coach Joel Cornelli admitted that his team had difficulty developing their game in the first half of the match against Persis Solo in the 2024 President’s Cup semifinals at Manahan Stadium, Solo, Central Java, Wednesday (21/7/2024).

“The first half was quite difficult. For the first 15 minutes, Persis Solo played well and managed to pressure us. However, in the second half, we quickly changed our strategy so that the players’ performance improved. We started to apply high pressure which resulted in the first goal and continued to 2-0 to win the match,” he said in a press conference after the match.

The Brazilian coach said the second half was a key moment for Singo Edan, Arema’s nickname, to win the match. He emphasized the importance of improving the formation so that Persis Solo could not increase the intensity of its game.

“In the dressing room, we gave clearer instructions and the players started to understand what was expected. As a result, in the second half, we were able to move forward and our strikers were able to play more freely, resulting in two goals,” Joel explained.

The difficulties experienced in the first half were also acknowledged by Arema FC player Thales Lira. He said that many balls were lost and the team had difficulty scoring goals because of pressure from Persis Solo.

“We struggled in the first half, but in the second half we were more prepared and managed to get into good positions so we could win the game,” said Thales.

On the other hand, Persis Solo coach Milomir Seslija admitted that his team needs to evaluate their performance after the less than satisfactory result. However, he still praised the hard work of his players, especially in the first half.

“In the first 45 minutes, Arema had no shooting opportunities and we created two chances. However, in the second half, we were late to respond, one of the reasons being the foreign players who had not reached their peak fitness,” Milomir said.

Milomir emphasized that the defeat in the 2024 President’s Cup semifinals should be a lesson for the future.

“Every defeat must be evaluated. We will make improvements in the next training, especially in terms of connectivity between players which still needs to be improved,” he concluded.

Arema FC will meet Borneo FC who have secured their place in the final after defeating Persija 2-1 on Tuesday (30/7/2024). The 2024 President’s Cup final will be held at Manahan Stadium, Sunday (4/8/2024).