Maldonado considers it natural to evaluate players
Chilean midfielder says restructuring the group is inevitable and is happy to have a contract for another two years
By From the official website team - inWith a contract with Flamengo for two more seasons, the experienced midfielder Maldonado appears to be one of the pillars of confidence of coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo for the reformulation of the red-black group for 2011. Aware of this, the number 13, who has gone through this process several times in his career, believes it is natural for the coach to observe some athletes in this last game of the year.
In Thursday's training session, Luxa named Fernando, David, Val Baiano, and Fierro as starters. They are expected to play against Santos on Sunday (December 05.12) at Vila Belmiro. For Maldonado, it's important that everyone gets a chance and knows their future as soon as possible.
"These are different players, whom the coach wants to keep an eye on. This is normal at the end of the year. It's part of each club's renewal process. I already have a contract signed with Flamengo for another two years, and that puts me at ease. But I'm also worried about the other players, whose fates are still uncertain," he said.
The player believes Flamengo will come out strong against the São Paulo team, regardless of who is selected. Confident, he believes Flamengo can indeed secure a spot in the 2011 South American Championship.
"The match against Santos is tough, just another one in this Brazilian league, which is so evenly matched. It's an extra challenge for our team. We hope to do what we agreed to and, most importantly, remain calm throughout the match. We know our goal can be achieved, and now we'll fight until the end for this spot in the Copa Sudamericana," he concluded.
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