Vitinho talks about personal pressure and expectations for facing Palmeiras
Player gave a press conference on Friday afternoon (26) at Ninho do Urubu
By Flamengo Communication - in
This Friday (26), Flamengo held its last day of preparation for the match against Palmeiras. Before Dorival Júnior's training at CT Ninho do Urubu, striker Vitinho gave a press conference in the press room and spoke about his personal moment at Rubro-Negro, in addition to commenting on the match against Palmeiras.Going through a good phase at Mengo and with important performances in recent matches, Vitinho spoke about the personal demands and the change in attitude. "I've been trying to be more relaxed in the game, I'm managing to play well. I was a little anxious at first, but I've been finding balance, which was something I needed. I demanded a lot from myself, and that may have hindered me. In the end, I'm the one who makes the decisions, and I need to know how to control them. I believe I put too much pressure on myself, and that ended up interfering. The atmosphere here is different. I also felt pressure at other clubs I played for, but Flamengo is different, and you have to learn to deal with it," commented the number 14.
Looking ahead to tomorrow's match, the athlete described the magnitude of the duel at Maracanã. "It's the most important game of the year because it's a direct clash against the league leaders. By working hard and getting this victory, we'll close the gap on them. It's a big match for us, and we need to win. That would put us even closer to the title race. We have to perform like we were playing. They're a tough opponent, and repeating our previous performances is crucial, as it gave us a boost in the championship. We have to maintain this attitude; that way, we'll win the fans over to us, just as they already are. Our attitude on the field will be crucial," stated Vitinho.
The Most Beloved takes to the field this Saturday (27), at 19 pm, when they host Palmeiras at Maracanã. The duel, which is a direct confrontation for the leadership of the Brazilian Championship, is sold out.
Check out other topics from the press conference
How I liked to watch Flamengo play when I was a fan
We like the beautiful game, the spectacle, the quality of both teams. Winning a game where Flamengo creates a lot of chances and shows it in goals—the passion that Flamengo fans love to see. This match has everything to be what I always imagined: passion, desire, and a beautiful win.
Field positioning
I feel comfortable playing; that's what matters. This way, I can help my teammates and Flamengo. I've played left wing since I was a kid, mainly because of watching players I admire, like Ronaldinho, Neymar, and many others. So we develop a certain image based on what we see, and we want our game to have the same characteristics. In today's football, we move around a lot and change positions constantly. The most important thing is that we can fulfill the roles we're assigned and create difficulties for our opponents. This also allows us to participate more in the match.
Dorival's work
Changing lineups improves team chemistry, for example. You can see that we played well against Corinthians, Fluminense, and even better against Paraná. I believe Dorival has given confidence to those who play and even those who aren't. Opportunities don't just tell you, they just arrive. So he always makes it clear that he's counting on everyone, and I'm sure we're ready.
Defensive performance
We're trying to play a compact defense, always marking, and allowing the attack to develop in the opponent's half. Dorival sees that we're very dedicated in this regard; we try to disrupt the attack as much as possible up front to make it easier to disarm those coming in behind. He's been praising us a lot for our aggressiveness on the field. Against Palmeiras, it won't be any different. They're a high-quality team with good players. We have to be alert, but we'll maintain that focus and aggressiveness in the game.
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