Abel and Gómez: No easy games in Brazilian football | OneFootball

It's a purpose. At the beginning of the season, I always have a meeting with the players to discuss our goals. We need to have a purpose, which is to fight to win and dedicate ourselves to the fullest. The rest is history. I've never sought records or numbers; I strive to be the best I can be. The rest is a consequence. My players and I are aware of our purpose. Of course, there is the emotion of being in another final. This is all about our appreciation and our work, a work based on values. When they say that Abel has already won and lost, and that he wasn't fired only because there is a high-caliber president with vision, who knows Brazil better than I do, I say this: I'm neither better nor worse because I win or lose. What defines me is my character, what I believe in. I know perfectly well what football is, and in a final, only one can win. That is our purpose: we will fight to the end.

We, the players, internally know that we will face a very good team with good players. We have a hardworking squad. We know it will be difficult and that we need to improve. The game against them was at the beginning of the pre-season. Now it's different. Tomorrow we will do our best to achieve a good result. We believe in the process.

This is theory. We have to take responsibility for a giant club like Palmeiras. But I've been on the other side and I know their desire. It was no accident that they beat Palmeiras, Santos, and Corinthians, nor that they finished in first place. Easy games ended a long time ago in Brazilian and world football. On one side or the other, the ambition is the same. We are prepared. We want it a lot because we feed on this: finals and titles.

We are not playing at Allianz because it wasn't changed in time. There's no point in talking about processes that should have been done earlier. I advocate for quality, and in Barueri, the synthetic is spectacular. The ball doesn't bounce. Great conditions are gathered for a great show. It's the sixth time we've reached it, but if I show my back, you'll see the many scars I have from the criticisms I've received. The hardest part is not getting there, it's being consistent. There is a lot of pressure — from me, the players, the management. We demand the most from each other. The work we are doing over the years is to reformulate our style of play so that everyone feels motivated. This is our purpose: to give our best. May there be two great games in the final.

Brazil is not for amateurs. There are cultural things, and thankfully we are not all the same. I've talked a lot over these five years about what can change and improve. But there are things that are cultural. I won two Libertadores, I'm the best. I lost two, I'm the worst. For fans or journalists, that's fine. But for management, for those who make decisions, no. The magic of football is uncertainty. It's realizing that the final will be between Palmeiras and Novorizontino and no one knows what will happen. We have to live in this constant uncertainty. I'm not the best when I win, nor the worst when I lose. I'm the same. Each one must do their best with the resources they have.

I think it's the sixteenth final. I won some, lost others. What I have to say is that I will do my best. I don't score goals in any final. My role is to help our players be prepared. We have to fight for titles. Since I arrived, they've always said that the requirement is at least one title per year.

He is fine. We have a contractual issue. One million, two million, for us, is a lot of money. We regret if we can't count on him. We always want to have the best available, but there is a contract, and at Novorizontino, we are honest and will comply. It's under evaluation. If he doesn't play, we can't lament absences, but rather value those who have the opportunity to represent the team.

It can help my teammates, but it will be a tough game. Playing at home or away is the same. We need to follow our process. I will try to help my teammates. Playing finals is very good, I am grateful for that. Football goes by very quickly, so we have to enjoy and help each other. Some teammates can win their first titles. I want to help so that we have a great game tomorrow and another great game on Sunday, to secure the title.

1. Palmeiras vs. Novorizontino – Paulistão – 03/04 – 8 PM (Brasília time)

Ver detalles de la publicación