After another Flamengo victory, this time in the Copa Sudamericana, coach Zé Ricardo spoke to the press in Chile. The coach spoke of the good moment he's enjoying at the helm of the team and praised the squad's strength to continue well in two simultaneous competitions. With the 1-0 victory over Palestino, the team reached eight games without a loss, including the Brasileirão, with seven wins—two in the continental tournament—and one draw.
Fan club members have the pride of playing alongside each victory: the money goes to football and brings more reinforcements, new talent, and infrastructure to the training center. And they also have advantages in official stores to buy the jersey and wear it with pride! Click and join now.
Watch the full press conference:
Match analysis
Great match, many challenges, their team was very well-trained and organized. We faced difficult situations they created, but we managed some factors well that were bound to arise in the game. In the first half, we started well, having a few chances with Fernando, but they balanced the game and had more possession. We managed the wear and tear, we felt it, but with the changes, we had the chance to come out more. On one of those attacks, we scored our goal. Congratulations to the entire team for the seriousness with which they approached the match and for the quality of the Palestino team. Now it's time to work, rest, because we have Cruzeiro (Sunday, in the Brasileirão) and then Palestino on Wednesday (the second leg of the round of 16). The challenge is still open, and their team showed enough quality to put up a good performance.
Meritocracy
Cirino has been participating even more; Emerson hadn't played in a while. I'm counting on everyone; Flamengo has a large squad, and meritocracy makes athletes perform more or less. I told Emerson that I have complete confidence in him.
Tactical strategy
We felt a bit of a lag in our team chemistry. We only had two training sessions, and we positioned ourselves differently, especially Cuéllar. Given his characteristics, he needs more time to adapt, 100% of the time. What we asked was to try to put him ahead of Cereceda. He's been playing well and has a knack for working inside the field. We did well, repositioning him, with two players in a line with Márcio (Araújo), and moving Mancuello forward. We gained possession, and with the changes, we gained the option to get the ball out.
Chat with Alan Patrick
Yes, he spoke to me. There's no problem at all. In the Brazilian Championship, we're playing a 4-2-3-1. We played with Arão and Márcio, and Diego up front. We understood that, at that moment, with yesterday's changes (in training), that platform would change. The player is on the field, he's more sensitive than we are, so there's no problem in speaking to me.
Praise to the opponent
They have a very high-quality team, and Córdova (Nicola) is doing a very good job. Like me, this is his first time with the senior team. They have a balanced team that knows what to do with the ball. They're all very fast and intense, which certainly makes things difficult for the opponent. We sought a lot of information from them. It wasn't going to be easy, and it wasn't. We'll face an opponent as tough in Cariacica as they were today (Wednesday). If we think it won't be like that, we'll be eliminated. The team knew Palestino's strength on the left side of the field, with Cereceda and Valencia, who have good quality and good ball striking. We wanted to strengthen the team, but we lost the right side, and we were isolated in possession. We were supposed to make the substitutions, have offensive strength, and take advantage of the fatigue and desperation to score here. We weren't brilliant, and in terms of platforming and strategy, they performed well.
Warrior captain
The decision (not to field him in previous games) was solely due to the Peruvian national team and physical issues. We don't want to expose Paolo to such a difficult match if he's not 100% fit; he's recovered in recent days. The fact that he's captain means we understand he speaks Spanish, which makes communication easier in the South American. We've put him in the armband, but there are no rules. This facilitates communication with the referees.
Good time
I feel great joy and satisfaction at being here today. I'm just starting my professional career, and with each game I try to learn more and continue to evolve. That's our goal, and I'm very happy. I hope to go far in this South American Championship. We have the potential to have a great competition. It's a path we can take advantage of. Every match is a huge challenge.
Leandro Damião
Damião felt some discomfort (against Figueirense), felt it, and asked to leave, experienced as he is. With the injury, he'll be out for 8 to 10 days. He'll most likely be unavailable. Gabriel is easier; he suffered a blow to his foot and did some ball work. Tomorrow we have a training match at Ninho against Zico's team, Goa. If he's okay, we'll try to use him for a period of the training match to see if he's ready for the weekend.
Fan club members have the pride of playing alongside each victory: the money goes to football and brings more reinforcements, new talent, and infrastructure to the training center. And they also have advantages in official stores to buy the jersey and wear it with pride! Click and join now.
Watch the full press conference:
Match analysis
Great match, many challenges, their team was very well-trained and organized. We faced difficult situations they created, but we managed some factors well that were bound to arise in the game. In the first half, we started well, having a few chances with Fernando, but they balanced the game and had more possession. We managed the wear and tear, we felt it, but with the changes, we had the chance to come out more. On one of those attacks, we scored our goal. Congratulations to the entire team for the seriousness with which they approached the match and for the quality of the Palestino team. Now it's time to work, rest, because we have Cruzeiro (Sunday, in the Brasileirão) and then Palestino on Wednesday (the second leg of the round of 16). The challenge is still open, and their team showed enough quality to put up a good performance.
Meritocracy
Cirino has been participating even more; Emerson hadn't played in a while. I'm counting on everyone; Flamengo has a large squad, and meritocracy makes athletes perform more or less. I told Emerson that I have complete confidence in him.
Tactical strategy
We felt a bit of a lag in our team chemistry. We only had two training sessions, and we positioned ourselves differently, especially Cuéllar. Given his characteristics, he needs more time to adapt, 100% of the time. What we asked was to try to put him ahead of Cereceda. He's been playing well and has a knack for working inside the field. We did well, repositioning him, with two players in a line with Márcio (Araújo), and moving Mancuello forward. We gained possession, and with the changes, we gained the option to get the ball out.
Chat with Alan Patrick
Yes, he spoke to me. There's no problem at all. In the Brazilian Championship, we're playing a 4-2-3-1. We played with Arão and Márcio, and Diego up front. We understood that, at that moment, with yesterday's changes (in training), that platform would change. The player is on the field, he's more sensitive than we are, so there's no problem in speaking to me.
Praise to the opponent
They have a very high-quality team, and Córdova (Nicola) is doing a very good job. Like me, this is his first time with the senior team. They have a balanced team that knows what to do with the ball. They're all very fast and intense, which certainly makes things difficult for the opponent. We sought a lot of information from them. It wasn't going to be easy, and it wasn't. We'll face an opponent as tough in Cariacica as they were today (Wednesday). If we think it won't be like that, we'll be eliminated. The team knew Palestino's strength on the left side of the field, with Cereceda and Valencia, who have good quality and good ball striking. We wanted to strengthen the team, but we lost the right side, and we were isolated in possession. We were supposed to make the substitutions, have offensive strength, and take advantage of the fatigue and desperation to score here. We weren't brilliant, and in terms of platforming and strategy, they performed well.
Warrior captain
The decision (not to field him in previous games) was solely due to the Peruvian national team and physical issues. We don't want to expose Paolo to such a difficult match if he's not 100% fit; he's recovered in recent days. The fact that he's captain means we understand he speaks Spanish, which makes communication easier in the South American. We've put him in the armband, but there are no rules. This facilitates communication with the referees.
Good time
I feel great joy and satisfaction at being here today. I'm just starting my professional career, and with each game I try to learn more and continue to evolve. That's our goal, and I'm very happy. I hope to go far in this South American Championship. We have the potential to have a great competition. It's a path we can take advantage of. Every match is a huge challenge.
Leandro Damião
Damião felt some discomfort (against Figueirense), felt it, and asked to leave, experienced as he is. With the injury, he'll be out for 8 to 10 days. He'll most likely be unavailable. Gabriel is easier; he suffered a blow to his foot and did some ball work. Tomorrow we have a training match at Ninho against Zico's team, Goa. If he's okay, we'll try to use him for a period of the training match to see if he's ready for the weekend.