With qualification for the Carioca Championship final secured after a 2-1 victory over Botafogo, in a great performance by Flamengo at the Maracanã, coach Zé Ricardo appeared in the stadium's press room, where he gave a press conference. The result was celebrated by the coach, who praised the commitment and dedication of the group on the field in achieving the result.

Author of two goals in the classic, center forward Paolo Guerrero had an eye-catching performance, as did defender Rafael Vaz, both highlighted by Zé Ricardo during the interview. The State Championship final is also in the sights of the red-black coach, who praised Fluminense, opponent next Sunday (30), when the first match of the final will be played. 

Flamengo and Fluminense deservedly reached this position. The overall points total ultimately prevailed. We know that in a derby there are no favorites. Abel, in his short time leading the Fluminense squad, managed to assemble an extremely competitive team. Fluminense plays very well. They are a young team, with a talented midfield and a lot of speed in attack. Logically, both Flamengo and Fluminense have their strengths and I'm sure they will be two great games.

First of all, I wanted to congratulate the entire group for their performance. We had a very effective week of work and ended up doing everything we planned to do against Botafogo. The players, without any vanity, even ended up playing a little out of position, as was the case with Arão in the second half. Our idea was to have the three forwards putting a lot of pressure on the man with the ball, making Paolo play by dismantling Botafogo's defense so we could work with infiltration. In the first half, this behavior happened two or three times, but we understood that we lacked a connection in the center of the field, so we decided to switch things up, putting Arão on the right and bringing Gabriel back to play a central role. I think we were a little more balanced in the second half and deserved the victory.

We already knew that April, in particular, would be very difficult for us, starting with the game against Atlético-PR here at the Maracanã, and now in this final phase of the State Championship and also in the last three Libertadores matches. Since the beginning of the year, we've been emphasizing to the group that the squad is important. Regardless of who takes the field, everyone must be prepared. The competitiveness among them in their daily work is quite healthy. I think we have a group prepared to withstand these decisive matches.

That was the idea. One of the two would always come in to fill the role, and in the absence of both, Guerrero himself would drop back to get the ball a bit more. If he was able to come forward, we would work the ball down the flanks. A few of those situations happened, but I thought in the second half we were more balanced with Gabriel playing in the role Diego had been playing until then. It's important to have some variations, even when we have players with certain characteristics that can change, even in the way we usually play. 

We are pursuing them, trying to do things right and in a balanced way, but always with great respect and also with great ambition. Sometimes we plan things that don't work out, it's part of our daily lives, but we always strive to become stronger. The important thing is for the group to believe in what we convey to them. As long as I have the respect and dedication of my group, I think we can dream of these titles, working to make them a reality.

Diego is extremely professional. He's following his recovery program to the letter. While we were in training camp, he made a point of having lunch with everyone and coming with the team. He spoke to the group before the game. He's a player who is totally identified with the club, and the club with him. I'm happy that he came to watch the game, because the squad needs to be united, especially in a team sport where nobody plays alone. It's fundamental that we all stay focused and working towards our goal.

Inside the penalty area, Guerrero is an extremely dangerous player. Outside the area, he knows very well what to do. The more comfortable he feels on the pitch, the better he will be able to perform. He's a player who, in addition to knowing how to score goals, also knows how to provide excellent assists. He's an extremely team-oriented player. He has assumed the leading role we expect from him, as he is a player of national team level and also internationally recognized.

Rafael is a very important player for us. Flamengo has been maintaining consistency in its results for some time now, and he's a key part of that. It's normal for an athlete to sometimes experience a slight dip in form. I'm sure these two or three weeks have been good for him. He's a player who, despite being 28 years old, still has a lot of room to grow. I have immense confidence in him.