A string of good results and entry into the top four. After a 1-0 victory over Bahia, with a goal from Colombian striker Orlando Berrío, coach Zé Ricardo appeared in the press room at Arena Fonte Nova, in Salvador, to give a press conference. Despite the victory securing third place for Flamengo in the Brazilian Championship, the coach aims for an improvement in the team's performance.

In addition to the team's overall performance, the individual performances of debutant Everton Ribeiro and defender Rhodolfo, who started a match for the first time wearing the Sacred Mantle (Flamengo's jersey), were also analyzed by the coach.

We're not satisfied with the team's performance because we expected more, even knowing that we had some important debuts today, athletes who are still getting into top form, and other players who were suspended for today's match. But that's part of the game. Technically, we weren't at our best. This drop in performance ended up providing some opportunities for Bahia, especially at the beginning of the game. I'm happy with the result, but I think we need to improve our performance.

We've come from a tough run of four very difficult games, in which we managed to get ten points. With that, I believe our confidence will return. On Wednesday, we have a very important match in the Copa do Brasil. I'd like to extend an invitation from myself, the management, and the players to create a cauldron of support at Ilha do Urubu and get off to a good start in the competition.

I think this is the eternal dilemma for everyone involved in football. On Thursday, we managed to play well and win the match. Today, we didn't play at the level we expected, but we still managed to win. We have four wins this season and, in most of them, we performed better. We have to work, rely on our players and also hold them accountable for our performance.

Regardless of the squad, Flamengo is a team that must always strive for titles. We know the pressure and responsibility of managing so many renowned athletes with such a great track record. But all of that is meaningless if we can't translate it into performance and results. What we need to do is increasingly nurture our environment with positive things, counting on the loyalty and fidelity of the athletes with great respect. That way, we will try to grow every day.

It's important that they make their debut, not only Everton, but also Rhodolfo, who started a match for the first time. We knew it would be a very difficult game here in Salvador. Bahia's start to the game is always strong. Of the ten points they have in the competition, nine were earned here. They have an experienced, intelligent coach, and very fast players. From midfield forward, it's very difficult to mark the Bahia team. Without a doubt, all teams will have difficulty playing here at Fonte Nova. So, I think that within all these aspects, there was a natural degree of disorganization among these players who are coming in, but I think that has already lifted the first burden. I think that, increasingly, we will give them more conditions so that they can perform at their best.

The idea was to have two men with inverted feet to effectively occupy the central midfield area, allowing Diego to slide alongside Paolo, as well as enabling us to work with four men inside, with Willian and Everton Ribeiro on the right, and Matheus Savio and Márcio Araújo on the left. The goal was to effectively push our full-backs forward and have Diego and Paolo effectively covering the penalty area. We would have cover from our two center-backs and also from the men in the middle. Furthermore, Everton Ribeiro is very intelligent when cutting inside, allowing us to find the switch pass to the opposite full-back. The idea was to maintain possession, as we knew Bahia starts very strongly.

Santos is an excellent team. We are well aware of the quality of their players, with very interesting individual talents. It's a team that, since Dorival's time, has been very difficult to face. Now they have Levir, but they maintain their high quality. We know the game will be extremely tough, most likely decided by details. We need to be well prepared to play the game we expect and achieve victory at Ilha do Urubu.