Flamengo continues to prepare to face the Mexican Cruz Azul, in the Derby of the Americas, in the Intercontinental Cup, and one of the doubts of coach Filipe Luís is the presence of Pedro, who has not played since October 23. However, the coach was optimistic about the possibility of counting on the striker in a possible final against PSG.
During a press conference this Tuesday, at the Ahmad bin Ali stadium, home of the match against the Mexicans, Filipe Luís admitted that the committee believes that the striker will recover in time to play the competition. Pedro fractured his arm and suffered a muscle injury to his right thigh during November and missed crucial matches, such as the home stretch of the Brasileirão and the Libertadores final.
— Yes, that’s why he’s here, because we think he’ll recover. He’s our striker, we need him and I hope we can find him on the pitch, said the coach.
Filipe Luís also commented on the negotiations to renew the contract with Flamengo, but preferred to focus only on the match against Cruz Azul this Wednesday. Yesterday, president Luiz Eduardo Baptista, known as Bap, guaranteed that the coach would renew his contract by Christmas and said that “all that remains is to sign” the new agreement.
— The turnaround is quick from the moment we start studying the opponent, because we all know the pressure and demands that exist at Flamengo, internally and externally. The importance of this competition for South American football also gives us the opportunity to continue making history, which is why we want to go as far as possible. It also gives us a lot of confidence to have achieved the best results in the most difficult championship in the world, which is the Brazilian Championship, with so many matches and difficulties during the year, and my team achieved a wonderful championship, which makes me very proud. Regarding renewal, for me the priority is the upcoming match, that’s what we’re playing. Everything personal becomes secondary
Flamengo begins at the Intercontinental, against the Mexican Cruz Azul, next Wednesday (10), at 2:00 p.m. Brasilia time. If they advance, they will face the Pyramids, from Egypt, on the 13th. The winner of this match will face Paris Saint-Germain, from France, on the 17th. All matches will take place at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, home of Al-Rayyan.
Other answers from Filipe Luís
— Cruz Azul is a very competitive and very well trained team. The Mexican league is very competitive, competitive, with great financial power. It’s a team with good players, with a lot of quality, very strong physically. They defend very aggressively, put a lot of pressure and always try to be the protagonists of the match. A team that tries to steal the ball and attack as much as possible — analyzed Filipe Luís.
How do you maintain a winning mentality after reaching your peak?
— Human beings can relax after achieving a goal. This is a group of several champions, and the only thing I feel is that they want more. That was my main concern, but what I see is a lot of ambition in training, a lot of hunger and seriousness. Not only do I hope it will be like this at the World Cup, but I hope it will be like this next year, because, at the end of the day, multi-champion players keep winning because they never lose their thirst for titles. That’s why they are such great players and with so much history in football, they don’t stabilize after winning a title.
Does it matter that you can be eliminated in a single game?
— It was like that for us all year. In fact, the two teams we faced in the Libertadores (Estudiantes and Racing) are the finalists of the Argentine Championship. It was very difficult to achieve what we achieved. Within the Brazilian Championship there were many knockout matches, with matches where, in case of defeat, the opponent could draw or had to win to stay at the top. Our team is used to playing decisive matches since Carioca, in which they have achieved eight classics. The players live well with this type of pressure and, in these matches, the big players appear.
Can a marathon of Flamengo matches weigh you down?
— It’s been a long year for all the clubs. Flamengo played 75 matches because they reached the World Cup final, it’s a pride for us. In football, there are moments. Sometimes the team is tired at the start of the year and less tired at the end of the year. The mental part is important, maybe a month and a half ago our team faltered and found itself a little more tired, because of the pressure of that moment. Now is a very good time. We rested most of the players for a week and, even though it’s been a long year, they want to win. We managed to rotate the team a lot this year to reduce injuries and have everyone available. We arrived at this World Cup at our best moment.
Is Flamengo the favorite? What does it mean to lead the team in this tournament?
— occupying this chair is a very demanding position, as has been the case throughout the season, and for me it is a source of pride. This is what I always dreamed of, I worked hard to achieve it. I managed these players during the Club World Cup, they managed to present an excellent image and we hope to do the same in tomorrow’s match. There is no favorite, it is the best in South America against the CONCACAF champion. The two best will fight to win.
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