"It's not easy to change so many players and find the same form on the field as we did. We had the best opportunities to open the scoring, but unfortunately we didn't. We're on the right track, and each player who comes on demonstrates why they're on a great team like Flamengo," he said. "We're assimilating Professor Carpegiani's ideas well. The best thing Flamengo did this year was maintain the foundation from 2017. This is crucial for us to achieve the laurels that eluded us by small margins last year. We'll go after titles in 2018," Cuéllar added.

When asked about the performances of the young players in the squad, the player took the opportunity to praise their work at the beginning of the Guanabara Cup. "These kids have a lot of quality to be Flamengo players, that's clear. They're helping us a lot. They've been working for a while and played great games when they needed to," he commented.

Compatriots Cuéllar and Marlos played together for the first time in the red-and-black jersey. Praising the Colombian's quality, the midfielder spoke about his debut for the "Mais Querido" (Most Beloved). "Everyone could see he has a lot of quality. It's no surprise he ended up at Manchester City after only three months playing for Atlético Nacional in Colombia. Marlos came in and was able to show in one or two plays what he can do. He can help us a lot," he praised.

Flamengo returns to the field on Sunday (4), at 17 pm, at the Mané Garrincha stadium, in Brasília. Facing Nova Iguaçu, the Most Beloved plays in the last round of the Guanabara Cup.