Abel Ferreira hails Palmeiras youth after win: ‘I never promised trophies’

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·18. Januar 2026

Abel Ferreira hails Palmeiras youth after win: ‘I never promised trophies’

Palmeiras defeated Mirassol 1-0 and temporarily takes the lead in the Campeonato Paulista. With a goal from Flaco López, Verdão remains unbeaten this season.

After a long time, Palmeiras had a very good start to the game. With passing combinations, getting closer, shots… Verdão played not only its best game of 2026, but its best in a long time.

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After the match, Abel Ferreira gave a press conference and spoke to the media.

Speak, Abel!

Palmeiras' attitude at the start of the season

Abel was emphatic when talking about the expected behavior of the players on the field, highlighting the need to take risks and not hide:

The players need to understand that we play for Palmeiras, that we have to expose ourselves, take risks, and at no time hide, regardless of criticism. That’s what we’re trying to do: play a game that, for me as a coach, is a pleasure to watch.

Vitor Roque and physical conditioning

Forward Vitor Roque also commented on the team’s physical condition, mentioning the short preparation period and advocating for a possible change in the regulations:

I can’t say for sure. I don’t need to be a magician. Conditioning, we all know: if you’re inactive for a month and they tell you to run for half an hour, you won’t manage. If we could have one more substitution, it would help a lot. If the federation thinks about it, it would be good. We had very little time.

Facundo’s situation and squad departures

Asked about the possible departure of Facundo, Abel said there is still no decision, but emphasized the high demand for titles and the balance between youth and experience:

He hasn’t left yet (Facundo). The pressure is very high, right? They ask me to compete for titles, not to bet on the youth — and 35% to 45% of the squad comes from the youth academy. You don’t see any team competing for titles doing what Palmeiras does. Have you seen any do this?

The coach also compared Palmeiras to other clubs that fought for titles recently:

“Who fought for the title last year? Flamengo, Palmeiras, and Cruzeiro. None gave opportunities to the youth.”

Abel confirmed some squad movements:

“I don’t know if he’ll leave or not, but those who have left: Micael, Aníbal, Facundo, and Weverton, and Marlon came in. I like challenges, but each in their own role. We compete with very experienced teams, with players who have titles under their belts. We have to keep working to always be competitive.”

Pacheco and Arthur as starters

When commenting on the use of youngsters like Pacheco and Arthur, Abel again spoke about criticism and recognition beyond titles:

“If we don’t win titles, will they be applauded?”

He then highlighted the technical evolution of the players:

“You look at Arthur: he doesn’t cross, he passes. The credit goes to the players. The coach creates the group, but they are the ones who make the passes.”

And he added:

“For me, seeing an Arthur who didn’t make seven crosses, but seven passes; seeing a Luís who shows up for the game with courage… but always the ‘but’. I don’t see any coach doing this.”

Abel reinforced that there are gains even when titles don’t come:

“When we don’t win titles, there are things we gain. We value players, we value with sales, we value Palmeiras.”

Abel on titles won

The coach also recalled his stance since arriving at the club, stressing that he never promised trophies:

“I never promised titles and I’m not going to promise. You’ve always heard that we are a competitive team and that we will always play to win. I do the best I can with the resources I have. And, fortunately, in these years, what was supposed to be one title per year, as they asked of me, became ten.”

Club investments and budget

Finally, Abel commented on Palmeiras’ investments and the narratives around the amounts spent:

I’m not the person who will explain this (budget) to you. The budget is what happens at the end of each year, in the balance sheet. Palmeiras didn’t spend R$ 700 million. Palmeiras spread it out. Vitor Roque is for four or five years. I completely understand the narratives. And it’s not the budgets that play.