After the activities of this Friday (25) at CT George Helal, the red-black commander Zé Ricardo spoke to the journalists in the press room. Among the topics covered, the coach spoke about the group's motivation for the two remaining games in this Brazilian Championship, in addition to commenting on the clash against Santos in the penultimate round of the competition.

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Generally speaking, it's human to feel dejected after a moment in which you've set your sights on something and can't achieve it. Our Monday off may have made a difference in that regard, but we talked on Tuesday about the commitment we need to keep fighting, and the value of building such a positive second half of the championship. The group understood this. We'll do everything we can to put on a good performance against Santos and return to second place.

During halftime of the match against Coritiba, Gabriel felt muscle discomfort. We took him out of the match as a precaution, as it was the end of the season and required special care. That's why he didn't participate in the first training session of the week. We performed imaging tests and found nothing, so he'll be available for the match against Santos.

Maracanã is Flamengo's home ground. Bad results are a part of football. In these three games, we did everything we could to secure victories, but they never materialized. This Sunday, we'll make every effort to secure this triumph and bid farewell to the stadium this year with a victory.

We must always do our best to achieve our goal, which is currently finishing second in the competition. It's a very honorable position. We've worked hard to win the title, but our current condition is to achieve this goal. Obviously, the financial aspect plays a role, but it's not just about that. I'm talking about finishing the year in a way that honors our campaign and gives our fans a good outlook for next year.

We'll need to be very alert. Santos is enjoying a good run in the competition, having gone some time without a loss. They're a highly technical team, whose main characteristics are the exchange of passes and triangulation, with plenty of passing from both full-backs. They're also a team with a strong ability to shoot from outside the box, as well as from set pieces. They have an extremely efficient and intelligent coach who strongly identifies with the club. We know we'll face a tough opponent. We'll need to play with a high level of concentration and good technique to secure this victory.

I have to thank this group of professionals I'm working with here at Flamengo. They're wonderful and never cause any problems. I have no complaints about our relationship or my acceptance within the group. I feel free to exchange ideas and even criticism with them, as this is part of our job. For these reasons, I usually greet everyone as we leave the field after training sessions, especially when we achieve our goals. I'm grateful because we depend on each other.