Abel avoids prominence in Palmeiras and says: “I have never trained a team with such quality” | palms

– I have never trained a team with such quality, with men, players who have already won titles, they know that to win you need much more than having good players, and little by little we are building that spirit. Great teams are built with great men – declared Abel Ferreira.

The main satisfaction of the coach is directed to the defensive behavior of the team. Again, Palmeiras passed unscathed in a match at the Allianz Parque under the Portuguese command. There are seven wins in seven games in the arena.

– I told them that to win titles we have to have the best defense. I speak of the way we defend, the moment we are defending we begin to attack. Run towards 100, go back to 200. As long as we have this attitude, without a doubt we will be closer to winning – he commented.

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Palmeiras by Abel Ferreira awaits the rival in the next phase. River Plate and Nacional de Uruguay compete for the position to face the team in the next phase. The second game is scheduled for Thursday, at 9:30 p.m., in Montevideo. The Argentines won 2-0 on the road.

See other responses from Abel Ferreira in the post-game interview:

– I do not agree with this that our opponents were weaker. If they arrived it is because they have quality. I hate when opponents fall, we have to respect everyone 100%. Don’t fear anyone, but respect everyone. We, like Palmeiras, assume the responsibility of entering all the matches to win, but let’s not say that our matches were easy. There we went to draw with Libertad, a super aggressive team that has a vertical game, but my team was competent and serious against a rival with all the merits. I am not going to join this wave, all matches are difficult. When they begin to theorize that there are easier games than others, there is a tendency to relax. I want to congratulate the team for the competent, solid and united way they have played. But like I said, it was one more step, we won nothing. We know what we want, there is a long way to go, let’s look inside and stay focused.

– I’ll tell you exactly what I felt. The first night I was scared. People think leaders are not afraid. I was scared the first night. The virus has different ways of reacting in bodies. I didn’t want to sleep the first night. Fortunately, after the second night I stopped having a fever, I started to be normal. They were ten very quiet days. Everyone at the club called me asking if I needed anything, I was always accompanied. The hotel people were super nice to me, I was cleaning and everything, it was good to spend time. On the other hand, I have to say that I have a very competent technical committee that works with me. I have a team of coaches, they are not assistants. I was present through the means we have, the club provided me with everything I needed to be close to the players. I had virtual meetings, the contact was missing, but everything else was there. Players know what they need to do, there are times in the game when they don’t need a coach to play.

– It is my role as a coach to make sure that the players know what they have to do on the field, the rest is up to them. Today Zé Rafael stayed out, and his income dropped a bit because of me. When the player is so good, the coach is responsible, but Zé Rafael was my fault for the fall. Zé had a sprain. We have a lot of difficulties building the midfield and everyone has responded. I needed it and I went in, and I went in and I went in (went up). If he fell a bit in the last few games, it was my fault. But he will recover, today he gave us security. I not only think about the eleven that I go up, I have to think about them and those who enter to change the result. The players have been very focused on that. Our environment has been the sector with the most changes, but we speak Portuguese, they know what they have to do. They are players, we give the clues, they make a difference. When you have an open mind and a warm heart, it is much easier to explain what you want.

– I’m not the one who kicks, passes and scores. We have a way of working, when I arrived I told the players that I would need them more than they need me. We were going to train with access to videos because we don’t have time to train. When you have players with an open mind, a warm heart and a willingness to learn, everything is easier. But we did not win anything, we are the same team that criticized a while ago, they are also going to criticize me, it happens. It’s something I tell you, we have to think about the next day. Let’s get the players back and think about the next game. We have 24 hours to get rid of this victory, get back to zero, get back up the mountain. As neither Guardiola nor Klopp promise a title, and I am far from their capacity, the only thing we promise is to impose our game in every game, to fight against anyone, wherever, to win.

Does the team need to evolve to raise the Libertadores?

– We don’t think that way. Our great opponent is within each one of us, it is the great challenge that happened to the players. We have to be convinced and work every day to be better individually. If I improve my side, my midfielder, my center forward, my team will be better. We are working on that, improving every day. Then we have our opponents, we don’t play alone. Everyone is competent, they have the same dreams as us, good casts, so the competition is great. But for me, the greatest competition is within us. The players are focused on that, luckily the results have appeared. Sometimes we play well and the result does not arrive, as against Goiás, I will not change this speech until people get tired of me, these are my convictions.