Cruz Azul player fires back at Filipe Luís, names 4 Flamengo stars | OneFootball

Faravelli received praise from Filipe Luís and responded

The day before the match between Flamengo and Cruz Azul (MEX) was marked by interviews from both clubs. On the red-black side, coach Filipe Luís said that midfielder Lorenzo Faravelli is the standout of the Concacaf champion. Flattered by the compliment, the Argentine responded and praised the Mengão coach.

— A person like him, the career he has as a player, what he is achieving as a coach in his first job. Obviously, it's a source of pride. I'm happy with such recognition. And I return the compliment because he is doing a magnificent job as a coach. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a great match, we will play against a great team that has authorship, that has his touch —, said Faravelli.

OLD ACQUAINTANCE OF FLAMENGO?

Faravelli knows Flamengo well, after all, the midfielder had a stint with Independiente del Valle (EQU). In fact, the player was runner-up in the 2020 Recopa and won the same competition in 2023, at Maracanã, against Mengão. The athlete showed knowledge about the rival and mentioned four red-black players.

— They have very good players, of size, of great weight, players with experience in Europe who serve the collective. So, yes, Arrascaeta, Plata, Bruno Henrique, Jorginho, I can name several. But, in the end, they do it as a team —, he pointed out.

— I think if Flamengo has a virtue today, it is that they have managed to gather many very good players and transform them into a collective team, fully collective. That does not depend on individuality, although they have very good individualities. So, I think that is the great value that their coach has achieved with this team —, added the Cruz Azul player.

CAN BRAZILIAN FOOTBALL BE COMPARED TO MEXICAN?

Faravelli, 32, has never played in Brazil. But he knows the Brasileirão teams well due to matchups during the Libertadores times. Even in Mexico, the midfielder says he still watches all the South American tournament games. Asked about which league is better, the Argentine placed the Brazilian Championship as one of the best in the world.

— It's difficult to compare because we haven't faced each other. Tomorrow could be a good benchmark, right? It seems to me that today the Flamengo coach said this a little while ago. The investment in South America for Brazil was very strong. They have the best players, super competitive teams, and the strongest league in South America as well. For me, the league is top-5 in the world. But, well, tomorrow is 90 minutes, and we will have the opportunity to put all that aside, play 90 minutes, have a great game and, God willing, win —, he opined.

— I don't know if the anxiety, all the adjectives that can be said before the match, I like to transform into hope. We have a lot of hope to play a very good game tomorrow. We know the magnitude of the rival, I know them very well, having faced them several times in South America. And we are very proud, first, to play this championship. Second, to play against a rival of the magnitude of Flamengo. And third, as I said, with the hope of winning and continuing in the competition —, he concluded.

WHEN WILL FLAMENGO VS CRUZ AZUL BE?

With Faravelli on the field, Cruz Azul faces Flamengo this Wednesday (10), starting at 2 PM (Brasília time), in Qatar. Whoever wins will be in the semifinal of the Intercontinental Cup, to face the current African champion Pyramids (EGY), in a match scheduled for Saturday (13).

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.