He arrived, got down to business and was introduced! Leonardo Jardim's first two days at Flamengo were intense: he arrived in Rio de Janeiro, went to the George Helal Training Center, signed a contract until December 2027, led two training sessions... And after the activity this Thursday morning (5), the new Mengão coach gave his first press conference at Ninho do Urubu. The 51-year-old Portuguese will have his first challenge this Sunday (8), when Rubro-Negro faces Fluminense, at Maracanã, in the Carioca Championship final. Check out some excerpts from the interview below:

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First words

"Flamengo is a club of global stature, it's among the best clubs in the world. It's a great motivation to be here and to be the coach of the Nation. I want to continue winning. The club lives for titles and results."

Play style

“Every coach has their ideas, but the main virtue is to make the most of their assets. I've worked with transition players, but I need to take advantage of each player's characteristics. Here I have players who possess the ball, but also aggressive players. The game of football doesn't have just one characteristic. We're not going to change it at this moment because we already have something formed. I've passed my message on to the players. I know Flamengo well because we played in the same championship last year. Certainly, the coach won't change the team's DNA. I'll try to put my personal stamp on things in some situations, but we'll certainly take advantage of Filipe's work. He was one of the Brazilian coaches I had a good relationship with; we exchanged some ideas. My goal is to continue and add my personal touch, which is normal.”

Debut in the final

“I think it’s a good game to start with. It’s always an exciting game against a rival. We certainly want to be dominant and win the game. There’s an emotional charge. I remember coming to Brazil more than 20 years ago and seeing a Fla-Flu at the old Maracanã with the atmosphere it had. I recognize the competitiveness, the championship, and our goal is to be champions of Rio de Janeiro.”

Replace Filipe Luís

“In my life I've had experiences. I had a similar one in Monaco, where I left after we beat Lille 4-1 in December 2019. I know it's not an easy situation, but as soon as I received the invitation from Flamengo... You know I'm close to Filipe and I contacted him. In the message, I said: 'If it wasn't Jardim, someone else would have come. I had no interference in the decision to leave. Our relationship, from my side, is the same.' And he replied: 'Jardim, our relationship is the same. The availability in Rio is the same.'"

Watch the full presentation on FlamengoTV: