Romulo and Vinícius Pacheco on the rise with the group
Teammates praise players who came through the ranks and are betting on the duo for Wednesday's game
By From the team at Flamengo's official website - in
It wasn't just Flamengo fans who approved of Rômulo's inclusion in the starting lineup. In a poll conducted on Flamengo's official website after last Wednesday's match against Corinthians at the Maracanã, 86% of users voted the midfielder's return to the team "Good. He helped Flamengo's defense a lot, especially by covering for Leo Moura." And the player's teammates agree.
Chilean Maldonado, who forms the defensive midfield duo that protects the red-and-black defense, heaped praise on his teammate and expressed optimism for the second leg of the Copa Santander Libertadores round of 16. While aware of Corinthians' style of play, he still doesn't know how he should position himself at Pacaembu Stadium.
"Rômulo has adapted very well. We don't know yet if we'll need to play differently on Wednesday, because their team can play with three forwards, but either way, I think the team did well. I hope we repeat the good football and show the same connection we had in the first game," he explained.
Vinícius Pacheco is also in high spirits. The number 22 has been training as a starter and is expected to start in place of Michael, who was sent off in the Maracanã match.
"Vinícius helps a lot with game strategy because he's a fast player who drops down the flanks well and can create good counterattacks. But that's not all. He also drops back to score, he's a good midfielder, and that's very important," Maldonado added.
Rômulo and Vinícius Pacheco have very similar career paths at Flamengo. Both emerged as promising players, even performing well in the professional ranks, but ended up being loaned out to other clubs. Both returned in 2010 and only then began to gain more experience at the club. Pacheco has already made 22 appearances this year, 15 as a starter, and Rômulo is making his third appearance for the senior team.
Chilean Maldonado, who forms the defensive midfield duo that protects the red-and-black defense, heaped praise on his teammate and expressed optimism for the second leg of the Copa Santander Libertadores round of 16. While aware of Corinthians' style of play, he still doesn't know how he should position himself at Pacaembu Stadium.
"Rômulo has adapted very well. We don't know yet if we'll need to play differently on Wednesday, because their team can play with three forwards, but either way, I think the team did well. I hope we repeat the good football and show the same connection we had in the first game," he explained.
Vinícius Pacheco is also in high spirits. The number 22 has been training as a starter and is expected to start in place of Michael, who was sent off in the Maracanã match.
"Vinícius helps a lot with game strategy because he's a fast player who drops down the flanks well and can create good counterattacks. But that's not all. He also drops back to score, he's a good midfielder, and that's very important," Maldonado added.
Rômulo and Vinícius Pacheco have very similar career paths at Flamengo. Both emerged as promising players, even performing well in the professional ranks, but ended up being loaned out to other clubs. Both returned in 2010 and only then began to gain more experience at the club. Pacheco has already made 22 appearances this year, 15 as a starter, and Rômulo is making his third appearance for the senior team.