Corinthians coach Tite has hailed the club’s supporters after their 1-0 Club World Cup final win over Chelsea on Sunday.
The Brazilian outfit clinched the title in front of approximately 15,000 Timão faithful who had travelled to Japan from Brazil for the match.
The 51-year-old boss said: “The supporters have been great since we left Brazil.
“All the way into the stadium we heard them the whole time, we really made it this far because of them.
“Each time we snatched a ball they cheered us so much. The supporters played with us, they are like players.
“I don’t know where they get the energy, but when the team is running out of stamina, the supporters inject energy into us. They really are so passionate.”
Paolo Guerrero’s 69th-minute header was enough to settle the game against the European champions, and Tite has revealed his side’s recent defensive record left them full of confidence as they prepared to take on Rafa Benitez’s men.
He added: “We respected Chelsea, but we charged into the game confident that we conceded very few goals in recent games.
“The first half was quite balanced, we had opportunities and Chelsea have agile players who counter-attacked well. Also they used long balls. They ran a lot and quickly, so we adjusted our marking system to stop them, as we did not want to give them space to run.
“In the second half we were getting tired, but we were able to score. We could have killed the game, but we did not, but we stayed calm.”
Tite has remained humble despite being considered Corinthians’ greatest-ever manager, after guiding them to their first global title one year after claiming the Copa Libertadores.
“I don’t think I am the greatest coach in the history of the club, there were other great coaches before me,” he concluded.
“There were hard times and the club always supported me. At times, coaches get changed when things don’t work, but they trusted me, invested in me. I am very grateful.”
