Abel consoles Vitor Roque, aims to rebuild Palmeiras’ winning mentality | OneFootball

Coach Abel Ferreira consoled Vitor Roque after Palmeiras finished as runner-up in the Libertadores against Flamengo this Saturday. The forward missed an incredible chance in the final minutes of the match held in Lima.

Abel said that Roque is still young and will have other opportunities to win the competition. He believes that the defeat will serve as a learning experience for the number 9 and other less experienced players in the squad, like Flaco López and Allan.

“When we compare Vitor Roque with Bruno Henrique, Alex Sandro, Jorginho… They are players in their 30s. He is only 20 years old, and he will have many opportunities to win this competition. This ends up being an experience for him, for Flaco López, for Allan…”, said the coach.

“These are squads at different stages of maturity. The harshness of defeat remains, life is not made of victories, and we have to be resilient. Next year we will try again so that these players can compete in this final again and give a different response,” he added.

(Photo: Ernesto Benavides/AFP)

Winning Mentality

After Palmeiras' second runner-up finish this season, and with a third one looming, Abel has already defined his next mission with the team: to rebuild the winning mentality. He recalled that the green squad underwent many arrivals and departures this year and needs time to gain experience.

“To be honest, after so many departures and changes we made in the squad, it is necessary to create this winning mentality, to build resilience. I can't say I'm sad because, after so many changes we made, we managed to reach the final to compete for a title that slipped away. I think we did what our team could deliver,” he assessed.

“We had important injuries, like Weverton's, Lucas [Evangelista]'s. Even with these absences, we were able to reach November intact. The experience remains. My players tried, but the weight of the final was evident in the details. A few years ago, we managed to beat this great rival, today they were better, and we have to accept it,” he concluded.

Dream Deferred

With the defeat in the final, Palmeiras saw the dream of a fourth title deferred and was surpassed by Flamengo among the greatest Libertadores champions. The Rubro-Negro is now the only Brazilian club with four continental tournament trophies. Additionally, the Alviverde was avenged for the 2021 title in Uruguay.

Moving Forward

The Verdão now picks up the pieces and tries to reposition itself in the race for the Brazilian Championship title. Abel Ferreira's team occupies the second position in the standings with 70 points, five less than the leader Flamengo, with two rounds remaining in the competition.

Next Palmeiras Match

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