After training held on the morning of this Friday (19), in the return of the red-black squad to work at Ninho do Urubu, the red-black football director Rodrigo Caetano appeared at the Victorino Chermont Press Room, where he gave a press conference.

During the conversation with journalists, Caetano lamented the early elimination of Flamengo from the Conmebol Libertadores Bridgestone, commenting on the frustration that also affects players, coaching staff, and management due to the negative result. 

"We were superior against all three of our opponents at the Maracanã, and there's the factor of our fans, who really make all the difference in home games, and the fans who support us in away games. Today, they are frustrated and hurt, just like all of us. That's something I'd like them to be sure of from all of us – the coaching staff, management, and players – because the frustration is immense. We understood that we were fully capable of moving forward. And if the frustration is great, it's because the expectation was also great," he said.

However, the manager assures ambition in the competitions still underway this year. Emphasizing the group's focus on achieving the other goals set for 2017, Caetano outlines Flamengo's upcoming challenges, also aiming for a consistent presence in the continent's most important competition in the seasons to come.

"It's up to us to lick our wounds, and we've already started doing that today. We had an important and, I think, productive meeting because Flamengo will now be judged by the reaction we have from now on. Tomorrow, we continue with the Brazilian Championship and, on Wednesday, the Copa do Brasil. It's Flamengo's obligation to return to the Copa Libertadores in 2018," he commented. "In our understanding, this constant and mandatory presence in the biggest international tournament is what will allow Flamengo to win it again," he added.

Rodrigo Caetano also highlighted the necessary improvements for the rest of the year in the interview. "Our evaluation will always be internal. We greatly respect criticism and external evaluations, but it is up to us to have the serenity to make our own assessments and corrections. We have a very difficult Brazilian Championship ahead of us, and a Copa do Brasil. Our idea is for Flamengo to win more titles this year than just the State Championship, which we won undefeated," he analyzed.