Arão recalls good moments against Fluminense and praises Dorival Júnior's work
Steering wheel gave a press conference on Tuesday afternoon (9) at Ninho do Urubu
By Flamengo Communication - in
Preparations for the derby against Fluminense continue in full swing at Ninho do Urubu. Tuesday saw intense training sessions and plenty of activity at the Rubro-Negro training center. Coach Dorival Júnior took the opportunity to work on offensive plays and also conducted a finishing drill with the squad.
After the day of activities, midfielder Willian Arão gave a press conference and recalled the good times he had when he faced next Saturday's opponent.
"I'm very happy playing against Fluminense. I've scored four or five goals against them. I have good memories of playing against them and I've always managed to play well. We'll try everything to score another one next Saturday and get the win."
The derby against Fluminense will be Flamengo's third match under coach Dorival Júnior. Speaking to reporters, the midfielder shared his initial impression of the manager's work.
"The first impression is very good. I had never worked with him, only played against him. The teams he manages always have high intensity and that's what we're seeing, especially in one-on-one matches."
This will be the fourth time Flamengo and Fluminense will face each other in 2018, but only the first time the Rio derby will be played at Maracanã. Arão also spoke about the venue for the match, which will be part of the 29th round of the Brazilian Championship.
"This isn't to take away from states like Brasília, Natal, and others. The Fla-Flu match has to be played at Maracanã, it's a historic venue. It belongs there, and we hope it's with a packed stand and that we can come out victorious."
See other excerpts from Willian Arão's interview
Dangers of Fluminense
We had a brief chat about the derby. We know Fluminense's attack is lean and mobile. We hope to play the same way we always do: pushing our opponents back to their own half, minimizing chances.
Fight for the title
We've never stopped fighting. It's normal to fluctuate, after 38 rounds. São Paulo is going through this now, Palmeiras suffered at the beginning of the championship and could also falter again. In our minds, we've never stopped fighting for the title. Of course, the 3-0 victory at Arena Corinthians and the arrival of a new coach give us a boost. We still have a direct clash against Palmeiras in three rounds.
Moment at the club
I'm very happy with the streak. It's everything a player needs to gain confidence. When you don't play, the team plays differently, and you need to adapt. I'm adapting well with Everton, Pará, and Paquetá. I've been growing day by day and I want to go into matches and do my best.
Playing alongside Lucas Paquetá
Paquetá has incredibly high quality. He shows it to us in every match. He's played as a striker, period, as a holding midfielder, and as a midfielder. He adapts well to all areas of the pitch. We always ask him to move more into the box; we know how dangerous he is there. He shoots well, heads well, and is very important to us.
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