After commanding Flamengo's training this Thursday (May 28.05), coach Cristóvão Borges spoke to the press about his start at Flamengo. Introduced by football director Rodrigo Caetano, he spoke about his expectations for working for the Rubro-Negro and praised what he called a 'great opportunity'.

It fits me very well. I've worked at Flamengo before, so this is my second time here. It's good to be back. I was well received. I'm very pleased and very happy. I feel privileged to have the opportunity to manage this great club. I've already met some people here, and I'm still getting to know others, but I feel very comfortable. I know the size of the club and want to make the most of this opportunity.

I've been trying to do everything as well as possible. I think the sequence of work I've done makes me very proud to be here. Flamengo is a place every professional wants to be. I'm from Bahia, I'm strong-willed, and that's why I arrived this way. No one talked about goals, but there's no need. You came here to win.

Flamengo's face
I have the face of Flamengo. Flamengo's face is victory, titles, and I came here for that. I'll go get it. If I can, I'll soon become Flamengo's twin brother.

He's not a standout player, but because he's fast and tall, he adapted and played there. And with that, he gained another way to play. He excelled playing on the wing, but as a standout, he scored many goals. I think this completes him as a striker. It's great that he can do more than one role. But how we use him will depend on our needs.

We have great, versatile players. The way we set up the team depends on the squad we have, and then we build it according to the needs of what we have at hand. And here we have players like that, who can adapt to different systems and who can play in more than one role if necessary.

The environment is under pressure because we're aware that the team's production hasn't been commensurate with its quality. And we're being held accountable for it. We didn't get the result, and we have to respond. Flamengo is a team I know, one I was playing against recently, and their potential is great. It's not commensurate with their place in the table. And with faith and trust in this, we'll soon get out of this situation.

When I went to watch these games, it was for the pleasure of seeing great games and great players, because I already had the tactical concept, having been studying and researching for some time. Whether I'm away or not, I try to stay up to date on all this. I took advantage of leaving Fluminense and went to study abroad. And what I saw is that we can and should improve on some important things. A team that plays organized, compact, with tactical discipline and movement... That's the way the world plays, and we should follow that.

 It's very short. Because I'm doing my first tactical training session tomorrow, so there will be two tactical training sessions during the day. But we have high-quality, intelligent players, and I'll seize the opportunity. We'll have to bring something to the table. The thought and desire of all of us, especially the fans, is the same: for the team to play well and win. If that happens, we'll be together.

What Wallace said is about results. We'll work to win them back. What we know, and need, is results, and only then will calm come. We need to improve. As we improve, things will calm down. I spoke with the players and I'm very motivated and very happy. Because I played against Flamengo, I saw Flamengo at the beginning of the season, and I saw some very interesting things. So the potential is there. I hope they absorb it, like what I'm going to propose, and then things will fall into place.

None. I won't consider arriving now a disadvantage because I believe in the group. After the reaction I saw, I'm confident in these things. Of course, time is short. But knowing the group isn't an advantage. The advantage lies in whoever is best placed there at the time and has the concentration to do everything.

I'm counting on Cirino and Éverton. I hope they're back now. I hope everything goes well; they'll train tomorrow and Saturday. And judging by their training today, I think everything will go well.