Dorival Jr talks about his feet on the ground at a decisive moment in the Brasileirão
In a press conference at the end of the match, the red-black coach highlighted the team's dedication on a daily basis.
By Flamengo Communication - in
On a Saturday marked by extreme heat in Rio de Janeiro, Flamengo overwhelmed Fluminense with an easy 3-0 victory. Uribe scored twice and Léo Duarte added another goal in the classic match at the Maracanã. After the game, coach Dorival Júnior gave a press conference and spoke about the result that temporarily placed Flamengo in second place in the Brazilian Championship, with 55 points.
“Tranquility, balance, and feet on the ground. We know this will be a decisive moment; we have a smaller margin for error than the opponents ahead of us. I am very satisfied with the team's attitude and the simplicity of our playing style. We have created situations that put the opponent in difficulty, and we haven't faced any difficulties ourselves. I hope to continue with calm and balance round by round, trying to reduce the gap. We hope to be a surprise in the final stretch.”
Uribe, who was a standout player in the match with two goals, is gaining prominence under the new coach. Dorival praised the striker and credited his improvement to the training time needed for team adjustments and the adaptation of the number 20.
“The time spent working together has been fundamental. We had recovery time; there were two games, and the second half against Bahia was very high quality. I attribute this improvement to the quality of the players. The coach adjusts, repeats the movements, but the players make the difference, and their individual qualities are showing. Uribe was sought after by several teams, even from outside the country. It's natural that in a change, he takes time to adapt. I have no doubt that he can be the great striker of our team. He has been showing this and will show much more. He already feels much more comfortable because the ball is reaching him, the triangulations are working. The qualities of the team prevail at a moment like this,” the coach highlighted.
In conclusion, the Flamengo coach made a point of highlighting the commitment of the entire squad in achieving the positive result.
The integration shows that we won the match not only with the starting eleven and the three substitutes, but with the entire group. There is seriousness in training and in daily life. Any stumble prevents us from reaching our goal. We are concerned with every detail. The athletes who are by our side have contributed greatly to our recovery in the championship.
The Most Beloved returns to the field next Sunday (21) to face Paraná, at 19 pm, at Durival Britto, for the 30th round of the Brazilian Championship.
Other topics from the press conference:
Play style
Our strategy is clear. We work the ball on one side and then switch it so that we can catch the opponent one-on-one, whether with Vitinho or Everton. We need to have three men who move forward, Pará, Renê, or Arão.
Pressure on Flamengo and Diego's return.
I think we have a natural pressure, all teams go through this, whether it's pressure to get closer to the leaders, to get into the top four, or even to avoid relegation. Diego is in a transition phase and we will evaluate him during the week. If he's fit, he will be integrated. He's a very important player for our team.
Aaron is a starter.
It's difficult to talk about individual players, but the role he's been playing is important; he provides support to our defensive system and greatly assists our attack. It's an important position, and he's been consistent in doing so. He's been doing this in other teams and here at Flamengo as well. Starting positions are relative; players are the ones who earn their place. The coach should interfere as little as possible. In the game against Bahia, we made three substitutions, against Corinthians three more, and today as well. This is good for everyone to realize that they can fight for a place in the team.
Fan support
We are taking advantage of the moment by intensifying the work you have been following. The team has been playing with simplicity. This atmosphere created by the fans, the way the fans carry the team on their shoulders, the way the fans support them. We need this to intensify so that we arrive at decisive moments stronger. Flamengo has been doing this thanks to the participation of our fans. Our distance from the leading teams still remains.
Mauricio Barbieri vs. Dorival Júnior
I was fortunate to have two weeks of work, and that was important. The finishing and penetration drills were planned and scheduled based on what we observed. Mauricio didn't have time to do that due to the number of matches the team had been playing. We had this opportunity, we corrected some positioning so that we could have a quicker approach; our midfielders are fundamental to this. It was a few details that changed the triangulations and the attacks. Vitinho has been growing naturally, just like Uribe and Berrío. It's a chain reaction, one player pulls the other along.
Watch the full press conference with coach Dorival Júnior on FlaTV: