After the 2-1 victory in the classic against Fluminense, in Volta Redonda, coach Zé Ricardo spoke to journalists about the game, the controversy involving the refereeing, the stumble of the leader Palmeiras and looked ahead to the next duel against Internacional.
Check out the main points from the red-black coach's press conference:
The game
We had some good moments, but not a good run. The idea was to bring someone closer to Diego, with Alan on the inside and Fernando's speed. We started with Fernando on the right; Alan performed better on the left. But we lost possession in attack and decided to switch to two triangles on the side of the field. This way, we managed to control the game. In the second half, the team lost its character. The important thing is that there was no lack of excitement, at least until that point, during the chaos.
Controversy
We'll have to discuss the play that changed the match at the end. It was a tense game; we knew it would be difficult. Fluminense has a very light, mobile team. Levir seems to have found the ideal formation, even the substitutions. Regarding the play, I was talking to Levir right next to him. The linesman seemed to just confirm what he had called: the offside. Then, under pressure from Fluminense, Henrique, and one or two other players, he reversed his decision. But in my view, justice was served. But it's unfortunate because a situation like this ruins the show. We weren't brilliant, but we understood how we had to play. The fighting spirit was worth it. We needed a match like this to understand that every game will be a final. Congratulations to our team.
Set piece
The defensive set piece issue involves several considerations. There was a lack of synchronization there; Gustavo Scarpa has a very powerful shot. We knew we'd have problems.
Palmeiras stumble and duel against Inter
I thought it was very difficult for the teams competing with us to win all of them. You saw how difficult it was to play today; Fluminense has a talented team. Now, we're facing a giant (Inter), a strong team too. We know how dangerous it is to play against a team like that. We have to take advantage of any imbalances that may occur in the game. In the last few games at Beira-Rio, the crowd was close to 40. And they're likely to repeat that or even increase it. We're going there strong and we know the difficulties.
Alex Wall
Muralha is a hard-working young man who has earned a place in Brazilian football. We have a very good goalkeeping team. Paulo (Victor) had a very good match against Santa Cruz, he's doing very well. Alex is in good form and has shown his full potential.
Changes in attack
It's a game-by-game basis. I have a lot of confidence in the players in this area. Gabriel had been playing every game, but he didn't play in the last two, but he was the one who celebrated the most. Mancuello also has a great understanding of the game, helping out at every turn. We work on the opponent's strategy, which we understand is better. We planned three substitutions, one more accelerated due to Alan's card. We knew we would lose possession. Everton is more aggressive, Alan keeps the ball better, which was important. I was worried about the yellow card. I couldn't take the risk. Marcelo (Cirino) is coming on a natural run because Fernando plays the whole game. We were expecting a crucial play there. Emerson is coming on a run because of Leandro's natural fatigue. Overall, it was positive.
Leandro Damião
We knew it would be a tough game for Leandro, who had to regroup with Diego while also getting forward. He'll score eventually; he's a striker who's been finding his space. We hope he can finish better in the coming matches.
Guerrero
We received the report from today's training session, and he's improved considerably. He was really worn out (from his matches with the Peruvian national team). We expect him to be able to train normally this Friday afternoon. The risk of playing a tough game like this and getting injured was high.