Flamengo defeated Santos 3-2 in the Maracanã this Sunday, but the match was characterized by a power outage in the 40th minute of the second half when the team was leading by three points. Filipe Luis said he did not like calling the final stages of the match like this and hoped it would serve as a lesson.
— First of all, I hate conceding goals, and I value the defensive aspect very much. I believe that defense is the biggest weapon for winning. Let this fear serve as a lesson to us. In Brazil and in world soccer, if you let your guard down even a little, you pay a huge price. I’ve already told them (the players). No worries. That’s a different case. But yeah, it hurts me. I don’t want this to happen,” he said at a press conference.
In several other matches this season, Flamengo conceded late goals, such as in the first leg of the quarterfinals of the Libertadores against Estudiantes. The coach did not want other episodes to be associated with tonight’s game.
— Against Estudiantes there was an unfair sending off of Plata. We almost scored the third goal. It’s not fair to talk about it. Today was a different story, but we conceded a goal in the 42nd minute when the score was 3-0. You have to try to understand when Santos comes to get the ball. Players need to understand this. My job is to help them understand that. They were in good times and we were suffering. I won’t call it a blackout, but through this fear, let us understand that the game only ends when it’s over, he stressed.
Filipe Luis also commented on the point-by-point battle with Palmeiras for the Brazilian title, emphasizing the element of pressure.
— The championship is very even and debatable. Everyone left points in this championship. We were once the best team in the world. Other weeks are better. Everything changes. Flamengo has an even bigger problem. The pressure and demands are greater and the exposure for players and committees is greater. What should I say? Flamengo’s pressure is greater than other clubs, and even the way opponents play against Flamengo is different. Because that’s Flamengo. In critical situations like this, every team makes mistakes. At the end of the day, the teams at the top are the ones that are mentally strong.
The FIFA schedule begins now, with Flamengo’s match against Sport postponed to next Saturday. In any case, the coach valued the time he had to train his team for the end of the season.
— You really need time to train. Unfortunately, there will be many players who will not participate in these training sessions. We need to bring back behaviors and concepts that have been lost in recent games. Today, when I see a team collapse or the game speeds up a lot in certain moments of a match, especially in the first half, I no longer recognize myself. He concluded that those who stay here will have all the content and be best prepared for the match against Sport.
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