Andrade guarantees seriousness in the semifinals
Coach says early qualification won't make the team relax in the coming days
By From the team at Flamengo's official website - in
Coach Andrade doesn't want his players to relax. Flamengo advanced to the semifinals of the Taça Rio early, but the coach assures the team that they won't let their impressive record from this first stage of the competition go to their heads.
Aware that the dream of a fourth Rio championship title could end in just 90 minutes, the red-and-black commander has already spoken to the group about the importance of maintaining seriousness in activities until the semifinal.
"Qualifying only brings motivation, but it doesn't bring relaxation. Everyone here knows that participation in the championship can be decided in a single match. If you play poorly in the semifinals, you can't turn it around. We're happy, but we'll work hard to repeat our good record in the decisive matches as well," he explained.
Andrade hopes his team can repeat the good performance from the final stage of the game against América, this Sunday, in the next matches of the season.
"Basically, in the first half they pushed us back into our own half and we couldn't really defend ourselves. In the second half, it was the opposite. We tried to push them back, keep them in their half, and we were doing just that when their player was sent off. Then we started to dominate the game and managed to turn the game around," he added.
Before the final stage of the second round of the Campeonato Carioca, Flamengo still faces Friburguense, away from home, in the last round of the Taça Rio.
Aware that the dream of a fourth Rio championship title could end in just 90 minutes, the red-and-black commander has already spoken to the group about the importance of maintaining seriousness in activities until the semifinal.
"Qualifying only brings motivation, but it doesn't bring relaxation. Everyone here knows that participation in the championship can be decided in a single match. If you play poorly in the semifinals, you can't turn it around. We're happy, but we'll work hard to repeat our good record in the decisive matches as well," he explained.
Andrade hopes his team can repeat the good performance from the final stage of the game against América, this Sunday, in the next matches of the season.
"Basically, in the first half they pushed us back into our own half and we couldn't really defend ourselves. In the second half, it was the opposite. We tried to push them back, keep them in their half, and we were doing just that when their player was sent off. Then we started to dominate the game and managed to turn the game around," he added.
Before the final stage of the second round of the Campeonato Carioca, Flamengo still faces Friburguense, away from home, in the last round of the Taça Rio.