Anyone who watched the match between Flamengo and Duque de Caxias this Sunday afternoon at Maracanã saw a different Andrade than everyone is used to. Electric, the coach gestured, yelled, gave numerous instructions from the sidelines, and made numerous changes to the team right at halftime. All of this shows that, despite the victory, the coach still has a long way to go before he can form the ideal team. Which is more than normal, after all, the year is still early.

\

Despite this, the red-and-black team could already have several new players in the second round of the State Championship. While Willians, with a sprained ankle, and Alvaro, suspended, will be unable to face Volta Redonda, the red-and-black coach will be able to count on three key reinforcements next Wednesday. Defender Ronaldo Angelim, scorer of the sixth-title goal, is already fully fit and should be in the starting lineup. Adriano, recovering from a blister on his left foot, is also keen to play, and newly signed Vagner Love could play if he is cleared in time by the board.

\

"Of the players who didn't play today, Angelim should be back, Adriano said he wants to play, and Love is pending the arrival of his medical documents. It will be great to have these players available; the team will be stronger. However, we'll only be able to hold the team accountable in a few games; for now, things are still a bit heavy," Andrade explained.

\

Regarding Sunday's game, the coach says he didn't expect so many difficulties. According to him, Bruno Mezenga's introduction changed the team's style of play and improved their performance. Despite this, he believes he won't be able to fully assess the team until three or four rounds from now.

\

"We expected difficulties at the beginning, but not this much. We had a lot of absences, the players are still out of rhythm, we didn't play any training matches... In the first half the team was too slow. Obina was isolated, so I brought on Bruno Mezenga to play with him. I think it had an effect. We went forward and scored two goals quickly. In the second half we improved significantly and the result was fair," he concluded.