Manager chooses anxiety as the main culprit for the below-average performance of the red-black boys in their debut in the Copinha

Fabricio Costa Rio de Janeiro

BalloonSport

var midiaEmbed = { theme: "darkgray", image: '/GMC/foto/0,,16255566-EX,00.jpg' , band: 'TIPO_TXT' , backgroundColor : "FFFFFF", fontColor : "000000", linkColor : "FF00FF", borderColor : "00FF00", autoStart: false, midiaId: 943957 }; var embed = new GMCEmbed(midiaEmbed); embed.print(); The frustration caused by the draw with União Barbarense (1-1) in the debut of the São Paulo Junior Football Cup is a thing of the past. Without criticizing Flamengo's juniors - but aware that the boys did not perform as expected -, the coordinator of Flamengo's youth divisions, Rivelino Serpa, chose the team's excessive anxiety as the main reason for the drop in performance of the team led by coach Armênio Moura (watch the video of the goals from Rubro-Negro's first match in the Copinha).

With that, the match against ABC, this Wednesday, at 18 pm, for Group E of the Copinha is seen as the chance for redemption.

"We played well in the first half. But we missed a lot of goals in the second half because the kids were so anxious. I think debuts are always difficult. In the second round, we'll be able to make a more accurate assessment of the team. I believe Flamengo will perform better on Wednesday, without the initial nervousness of the entire competition," says Rivelino Serpa. The fact that Flamengo signed only two players (midfielder Willians and defender Douglas) for the 2009 season may not be a cause for celebration for coach Cuca. However, it does make the club's youth players dream of being part of the list of homegrown talent who will train at Granja Comary from January 9th to 22nd with the main squad.

Rivelino Serpa is being secretive about which youngsters will make the trip to the mountains, but admits that the Copinha has gained momentum due to the club's difficulty in bringing in reinforcements. "We always work to ensure the youth team nurtures the senior squad. But for now, I can't guarantee who will be promoted to the main squad. I'm supposed to meet with the football leadership this week to resolve this. In the meantime, the juniors will try to prove they can overcome their opponents," the coordinator of the Flamengo youth divisions says. "On Saturday, the 10th of this month, Flamengo faces Hortolândia, in the city of the same name, at 16 pm, at the Nelson Cancian Sports Center. This will be the club's third and final match in the first phase of the São Paulo Junior Football Cup."