Brazilian National Team Coach Emily Lima watches the Flamengo/Marinha game
Emily spoke exclusively to the Official Website about the Brasileirão Feminino
By Mariana Sá* - inFlamengo/Marinha had a notable spectator in Gávea for the final round of the Brazilian Women's Football Championship, when they defeated Vitória-BA 3-0. Emily Lima, coach of the Brazilian National Team, watched the match and spoke with the Official Website. She took the opportunity to assess the competition.
"It's more than an obligation to watch the Brazilian Championship games while leading the Brazilian National Team, both Series A1 and A2. Today I came here, but my assistant was at Ponte Preta vs. São José, our coach was at Portuguesa vs. Botafogo-PB, another assistant was watching Corinthians vs. São Francisco. So we need to work. We're observing, doing a general mapping," said the coach.
Emily also commented on the importance of analyzing all the athletes. "It was very interesting to watch this match, as we believed Ricardo (Abrantes) would rest some of the players, and we had already watched their last match against São José, when they forced cards and started the second phase with a clean sheet. We knew other players would play, and we want to observe everyone. It's our obligation to monitor this competition. Whether they'll be called up or not is another question. In the last list, seven athletes who play in Brazil were called up. The competition is fierce, and this is very good for the national team and for me," she said.
The coach also commented on the changes in the Brasileirão in 2017, which included two divisions and well-placed teams in the men's tournament earning spots in Série A1, in addition to making an assessment of the first phase.
"I saw that the teams wearing the shirts that weren't prepared and arrived believing everything would work out ended up being negatively surprised. Some teams contacted me repeatedly to get more information about what to do and what not to do. This was really cool, breaking down the barriers that existed between clubs and the Brazilian national team. Unfortunately, some were relegated, like Vitória and Grêmio, who had already started in Série A1. This new format only reaffirmed the competitiveness, especially for spots in the next stage. There was a change in behavior. This was the second Flamengo game I've watched, and I saw significant progress. We need to work together toward a greater goal," concluded Emily.
*Under supervision of Isabela Abirached
*Under supervision of Isabela Abirached