Mid-season: Jardim on rotation for Flamengo v Lausanne, eyeing Benfica | OneFootball

Certainly. In one of the individual training sessions I had with the academy, I spoke with the youngsters for about 10 to 15 minutes and explained to them Evertton’s example: persistence. He was not one of the best players in the academy, but he was an athlete who worked hard, was persistent, took his opportunities, and over the last two or three years kept improving. And we have other cases. I even mentioned it because Ryan and Lorran were there: the jump from the under-20s to first-team squads is very difficult. Then there is the example of the two of them, who were loaned out and came back six months later. We know all of this is not easy; only a very small percentage of under-20 players end up staying with first teams. But this does not happen only at Flamengo, it happens at any club. They need to have the mentality that not everything ends there. This is a process that finishes in development, but begins in professional football. If it is not to start at Flamengo, then let it start somewhere else so that one day they can reach the highest level. And we have a great example of that inside the club, which is BH (Bruno Henrique). BH started from the bottom, already at 21 years old, and went on to become, and still is, one of Flamengo’s great idols. So sometimes what matters is not where we start, but where we will finish,” said Jardim.

No, certainly the lineup will revolve around that team which played against Coritiba and in the first game here, against River Plate. With the players who are here, those have certainly been our options.”

Well, I think the academy categories and their development are an important vehicle for all clubs, with the aim of producing good players. But we are not going to bet on them just for the sake of it; they need to have talent. Everyone knows that this latest under-20 generation, especially in terms of performance, did not do very well. We were unable to qualify among the top eight in the Brazilian Championship. But certainly there are one or two interesting players. We are evaluating them and we will see. For those who do not have room here in Flamengo’s structure, we can think about loans or a sale while keeping a percentage to see if they develop in the future. However, that part is more for Boto and the president to resolve.”

We have two or three important guidelines. The first is to bring in players who are better than the ones we already have, because there is no point in making changes just for the sake of it. We are also concerned with bringing in younger players, and when I say younger, I do not mean 18-year-old kids, but rather avoiding players in their thirties, and looking for those with a different physical capacity to give energy to the team, both in the present and in the future. In addition, I have already said that, if no one leaves, an attacking midfielder and another winger would be interesting signings to fill the gaps in the squad.”

No, regarding the players, I have information on the day of arrival of those who will be available. As for those who are injured, which everyone already knows about, I still do not have any information from the department on when they may return to training.”

When I said that I will give opportunities, it does not mean that the players who played the first match will not play again. Some will play another 45 minutes, others 30, and maybe some will be left out. But certainly at right-back, especially in the second half, when Royal goes off, we will try to put in an academy youngster, with Rayan or Guilherme as the options.”

“It has certainly been good, because we have had more ability to analyze them since they are here with us. This period has been beneficial in terms of training: they have done all activities with the first team. I also led two specific training sessions for them, so they could improve in some tactical aspects. I had two days only with the under-20 group. Now it is about giving them a bit of game time to see what kind of transfer (the transition) they will make to the first team, which is the most important thing.”

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