No favoritism in Gávea
Rogério Lourenço praises Santos and Cruzeiro, but says it is too early to name candidates for the Brazilian title
By From the team at Flamengo's official website - in
It's common to see and hear predictions about the Brazilian champion even before the competition starts. At Flamengo, however, the players and coaching staff prefer not to take any chances. Despite being the defending champion, the Rubro-Negro doesn't want to be favoritism in Gávea.
Coach Rogério Lourenço, for example, praises the football that Santos and Cruzeiro have been playing, points out that Flamengo is always a strong candidate for the titles it competes for, but believes that it is still too early to talk about the matter.
"It's too early to talk about favoritism. Santos has a team that delights everyone, Cruzeiro is also doing well, but the tournament is long and Flamengo always has a big responsibility in any competition. Whenever they step onto the field, it's to win," he analyzed.
To get the competition off to a good start, Rogério doesn't yet know who to field, but he already has some preferences. The national team players Adriano and Kleberson, who dream of a spot in the World Cup in South Africa, are expected to start.
"If Adriano is healthy, he'll play, and Kleberson, given the international football he's shown, will too. I haven't decided on the team yet, but given what he did against Corinthians, he should start. I'm happy because he showed what he's capable of," he said.
In Friday's tactical training session, the coach fielded a team with five midfielders and just one striker and explained that what matters is not a player's position, but rather the role he plays on the field.
"People get too attached to a player's position and not the role they play on the field. In the game against Corinthians, we played with three midfielders in the second half: Juan on the left, Kleberson in the middle, and Leo Moura on the right," he added.
Coach Rogério Lourenço, for example, praises the football that Santos and Cruzeiro have been playing, points out that Flamengo is always a strong candidate for the titles it competes for, but believes that it is still too early to talk about the matter.
"It's too early to talk about favoritism. Santos has a team that delights everyone, Cruzeiro is also doing well, but the tournament is long and Flamengo always has a big responsibility in any competition. Whenever they step onto the field, it's to win," he analyzed.
To get the competition off to a good start, Rogério doesn't yet know who to field, but he already has some preferences. The national team players Adriano and Kleberson, who dream of a spot in the World Cup in South Africa, are expected to start.
"If Adriano is healthy, he'll play, and Kleberson, given the international football he's shown, will too. I haven't decided on the team yet, but given what he did against Corinthians, he should start. I'm happy because he showed what he's capable of," he said.
In Friday's tactical training session, the coach fielded a team with five midfielders and just one striker and explained that what matters is not a player's position, but rather the role he plays on the field.
"People get too attached to a player's position and not the role they play on the field. In the game against Corinthians, we played with three midfielders in the second half: Juan on the left, Kleberson in the middle, and Leo Moura on the right," he added.