Before the trip to São Paulo, where Mais Querido will face Santos in the penultimate round of the Brazilian Championship this Wednesday (02), coach Zé Ricardo's team ended their preparations for the match in tactical training at Ninho do Urubu. During the activity, the team that will take the field in the match was outlined, making adjustments to the team's positioning and defining the game plan that will be applied against the São Paulo team.

In the final recovery process, attacking midfielder Geuvânio and defender Rhodolfo continued the transition work, coordinated by physical trainers Marcelo Martorelli and Roberto Oliveira, respectively.

At the end of the training session, young athletes Lucas Paquetá, Matheus Savio, and Felipe Vizeu practiced free kicks directly at goal, while Thiago Santos and Darío Conca worked on recovery work on Field 5. On the opposite side of the pitch, defenders Léo Duarte and Rafael Vaz took part in specific training focused on releasing the ball from the defensive sector.

After the field work was over, it was time for the red-and-black number 4 Juan to give a press conference in the Victorino Chermont Press Room. The defender analyzed the Mais Querido's performance in recent matches and previewed the next challenge in the Brazilian Championship.

We have the ball, we always attack, and sometimes we're caught off guard on the counterattack. Sometimes we manage to neutralize the opponent's counterattacks, and other times we don't—things we need to fix. But the schedule is one we already know, and we train very little. We also try to adjust through conversations and videos.

There's not much difference. Santos is a great team on both pitches, as they were on Ilha do Urubu. Santos has a team as good as ours and is always a tough opponent to face.

These are tough games; I think the Championship shows that. Flamengo is a team that worries its opponents, both at home and away. Teams are very attentive to our play. It's important to score points away from home. I hope we can win tomorrow.

I believe it will be another very interesting match, as were the two Copa do Brasil matches, given the quality of both teams. I agree that psychologically, with a spot in the semifinals at stake, the team needs a different preparation for a 180-minute match. However, I think it will be another great match.

We're missing a win, that's what we're looking for. To reach the top of the table, we need to win away from home, and that's a fact. But another fact is that we competed on equal terms against the teams at the top. It's crucial that we continue like this. During matches, there are details that work against us, but we need to value our collective play. Corinthians is the team to beat, the league leader. Playing at their home ground is tough, and there we showed we can face anyone on equal terms.

The second half was highly valued for Flamengo's performance, but I'm highlighting the entire game. It was very difficult from the start. I see people constantly questioning that Flamengo is a very good team. It's normal for us to dominate for a certain part of the game, and the Flamengo fans want to see is the same Flamengo they always have: feisty, unafraid to play away from home. 

We approach this as another big game, like the two previous ones in the Copa do Brasil. Santos is a great team, high up in the standings. Even though we're playing away from home, we need to approach this match with care and responsibility to win another one.

It's not just August, but it was like that in July and will be the same in September. Unfortunately, that's the calendar. When we play for Flamengo, we play to win every match in every competition. Even though we have a competent medical department, it's difficult to control, but Zé has made the right choices and will field whoever is in the best condition.