‘I’ve got the squad I always wanted’, says Abel as he commits to Palmeiras | OneFootball

In an interview given to ‘Ge’ on the eve of the Conmebol Libertadores final, Abel Ferreira confirmed that he will remain in charge of Palmeiras, even without having signed the renewal valid until the end of 2027. The coach explained that his decision is made, emphasizing that the relationship built with the club makes formal documentation unnecessary.

Abel also made a point to reinforce his harmony with president Leila Pereira:

The confirmation of his stay comes on the eve of the match against Flamengo this Saturday, at 6pm (Brasília time), at the Monumental stadium in Lima, where Palmeiras will compete for their fourth Libertadores title.

Family adapted and squad shaped to his style

The coach explained that staying at the club involves personal and professional factors, such as his family’s adaptation and the building of a squad aligned with his playing philosophy.

– I’m clear in what I’m saying, I’ve already said it was hard to see my daughter leave, but we adapted, my family likes being here, I like Palmeiras, the people, the team I’ve built.

Abel also recalled the recent overhaul:

– If you pay attention, when I arrived we built something together, we had to overhaul, we kept winning. And when we had everyone available, with injuries and all, it’s the squad I always wanted to have. It has my DNA, my mark, I want to stay here, yes. With our president, our players, and our director – he added.

Path to the final and decision-making

The coach reviewed the journey to the big final, highlighting the challenges and choices throughout the season:

– It’s not the first time we’ve reached the Libertadores final, and as you rightly said, this year was demanding physically and mentally, we were in the Paulista final, went to the Club World Cup, with games of mental intensity. To have the brilliant campaign we had in the Libertadores, on our own merit, 30 goals, 10 wins, an intense and tough match against LDU, who were having a very good campaign, and through merit, effort, and work we reached the final.

He also addressed the changes in the squad:

– The championship has been ups and downs so far, with changes in the squad, 12 or 13 players left and 12 or 13 arrived, injuries to important players, sales of players we made. Estêvão is shining today and the press used to say he only scored against small teams. I’m happy for them, but we have to look for solutions, you summed it up, I won’t go into details. We had to make a decision.

Emotional preparation

Regarding managing anxiety and pressure on the eve of the final, Abel explained his focus:

– Mentally, it’s been such an intense, demanding year, with so many ups and downs, we’ve played 70-something matches. Make the days light, let the players laugh, let them be grateful for the opportunity to be in a final like this, it’s the best kind of pressure there is, fighting for titles. In the first final I didn’t enjoy anything, it was pressure, in the second I said I would enjoy it, because it’s a unique opportunity, the result of hard work, that’s why we get up every day, give up family time.

– With 72 matches I often sleep alone, luckily my wife loves me a lot, because it’s not easy, with games every three days. Brazil challenges you to improve in every detail. Attitude, rest, sleep, travel, recovery. The challenges Brazil brings give you tools to become better, no doubt. Make the days light, focus and clarity in our message, in what the players have to do. Then it’s us against them, play to win, whoever the opponent is. That’s what we’ll do.

The power of gratitude and Senna’s example

Abel again highlighted the power of gratitude and once more mentioned his greatest idol:

– Why do I often talk about gratitude? Because all the effort and dedication, seeing it rewarded by being in a final, I’m not going to ask the players to do what they’ve never done. I just ask them to do what they’ve always done, we’re here to do something, to play a final. The emotional side will be present, we’ll all be nervous, butterflies will be there, it’s normal. But I can’t stop being grateful, if 10 or 20 years ago, a humble boy from Penafiel who rose up and never thought he’d get where he is. Give your best every day, be dedicated, the competitive side.

– One thing is living in society and another is when we have to compete for a game. I get sad when people judge me, Abel and Abel Ferreira. There’s a tremendous example, an idol for Brazil, Senna. There was Senna and there was Ayrton, completely different people. Don’t come and say he was an angel. I get upset when people say I’m a sore loser. Didn’t Ayrton Senna have that? I’ll strive as he said, and never give up on your dreams.

– I can’t help but mention him because he’s the only idol I have, I try to buy a car that was his, any one, I only had the pleasure of meeting people close to him and asking everything about him. When people say I don’t like to lose, you had an example here. He won 3 titles out of 12. If I win 3 out of 12, I can’t be sad either.

Palmeiras’ next match

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