Abel praises the group and highlights the strength of the Nation
Coach gave a press conference after the rout over Cabofriense
By John Peter Granette - in
The 4-0 rout of Cabofriense on Sunday afternoon left coach Abel Braga very pleased with the red-and-black squad. After the match at Maracanã, the manager held a press conference, spoke about his work with the group, and described the work environment created at the beginning of the year as "pleasant."
"Today we talked about how both joy and sadness pass, so there were moments of great satisfaction last year, but the sadness of not winning a title. That's passed, they're trying a new path, a different strategy. I'm not the protagonist, but the fans, who are breaking records, are. It's a great pleasure to be part of this group. I hope it continues for a while longer."
The last goal of the match featured the participation of Gabigol, De Arrascaeta and Bruno Henrique, and Abel Braga highlighted the speed of the play carried out by the three reinforcements.
"The three of them were great at the last goal. It will depend a lot on strategy, whether you want movement, more position changes, or more verticality. I gain through passes with Arrascaeta, and with the others, speed."
The standout performer in the match against Cabofriense was midfielder Willian Arão. The number 5 scored a goal, provided an assist, and was applauded in the second half. Abel spoke about the player and was full of praise.
"I'm not going to use (one match as an example) because he'll still perform better. He's a player I trust a lot. He recovers well. There was doubt about whether he would stay, but I asked him to stay. A coach can't promise anything, but I wanted him to know how much I admire him. And the fans understand. He has reading, feeling, timing, he knows when to project himself and when to wait."
Finally, the red-black commander praised the versatility of his players in performing more than one function within the match.
"I loved Arrascaeta's inside run last game, and I loved his wide run today. Today I didn't put Gabriel on the right, but rather deep. He's a very fast player. Gabriel's run, Bruno Henrique's... At very high speed, was fantastic. It's the strategy that will define it. It's important to have players in the group who can switch."