It was a second 15th-placed finish in a row for Coritiba, who will once again be pleased to have avoided relegation. They went through three different coaches during the 2016 campaign, but ultimately emerged through the other side with their Serie A status still intact. Gilson Kleina was the man to lead Coritiba into the season, but a 4-3 loss against Chapecoense in June – already his third loss of the season – saw him sent on his way. Pachequinho was promoted to the role on an interim basis and steadied the ship a little, losing just five times in the 13 matches he took charge of. That was the point at which 67-year-old Carpegiani was brought back for a third spell at the club and his experience and his simple 4-4-2 formation carried the Curitiba-based team all the way to safety. Pachequinho was rewarded for his time in charge with an assistant’s role and the two-man team kicked off with a five-match unbeaten run. When Carpegiani arrived, the club was in the relegation zone, but after defeating Ponte Preta 3-1 in his first match, they never spent another week of the season in the bottom four. While Carpegiani deserves plenty of credit for keeping the team in Serie A, the fans should also be praised for their role. Their support at the Estadio Major Antonio Couto Pereira proved so useful that the Coxa-Branca lost just three home matches in the whole season, one of which was in the final home match when there was little left to play for.
The team’s main source of goals over the campaign was Kleber, with the 33-year-old striker coming up with nine goals over the course of the campaign. Unfortunately for Coritiba, he suffered a lengthy two-month injury between August and October, but they were able to survive that setback largely thanks to Colin Kazim-Richards. He arrived from Celtic in the June and quickly fitted into the side as the second striker alongside, and often just behind, Kleber. But when Kleber went down injured he raised his game to another level and became the focal point of the team’s attack. There were also some impressive performers further back in the formation, as you would expect from a team that conceded the eighth-fewest goals in the division. Goalkeeper Wilson was outstanding, averaging three saves per match, many of which were highlight reel-worthy. In front of him Juninho, Juan, Dodo and Lucas Claro all had good seasons and all played over 2,000 minutes of league football.
With Carpegiani staying on for the 2017 Serie A season, Coritiba stand a good chance of once again avoiding relegation and they may even be able to finish in mid-table, rather than just above the drop zone. They will need to do some work in the off-season, though, as Juninho and Juan may not be around by the time next year starts, while Raphael Veiga – who played well for the team in midfield in 2016 – has already confirmed his switch to Palmeiras. If Kleber can stay healthy, though, and with Kazim-Richards sticking around, Coritiba will have a strike force capable of firing them out of trouble.
