Abel: Unfair to play without internationals, hails Vitor Roque | OneFootball

Palmeiras defeated Santos 2-0 on Thursday night (6th) and opened a three-point lead at the top of the Brazilian Championship over the runner-up, Flamengo. Vitor Roque scored both goals for Palmeiras at Allianz Parque.

The victory of Verdão left Abel Ferreira's team with 68 points, against 65 from the team from Rio – and two more victories. Cruzeiro is in third place, with 63 points and one more game. Palmeiras still has seven matches until the end of the Brasileirão.

Speak, Abel!

After the match, Abel Ferreira gave a press conference.

The game!

— I think the first and second halves were similar, but in the second we were more effective. In the first half, we had two transitions from the opponent that we handled poorly, and that could have cost us dearly. We faltered in those moments: we couldn't finish and still gave away transitions. Unfortunately, we didn't score any goals in the first half.

— At halftime, I asked to maintain the rhythm, the same attitude. The team was good — both those who started and those who came on. It was a fair victory for what we did in the 90 minutes.

Substitutions and strategy

— Everything was trained. Veiga knew he could play as an '8'. We worked on this together with Andreas. I rarely do something that hasn't been trained before — I prepare scenarios. Veiga surprised me with his defensive actions. Then, we reinforced the midfield to have more control. Everyone did very well: I brought Allan inside, Andreas stayed central, and Veiga and Allan moved to the sides.

— This was in the plan: if we needed to chase the result, Veiga would play there. And it worked, especially with his brilliant pass to Vitor Roque. I saw López a bit sad for not scoring, but he played a great game. He won the ball with determination in the goal play. Roque's goal only exists because López recovered and made the pass. The credit is his.

Planning and final stretch

— This victory only makes sense because we beat Juventude, as we drew at home with Cruzeiro. It's a competitive championship; we will still lose points until the end. But there are circumstances that shouldn't happen.

Development of Vitor Roque

— You know I have difficulty praising because they get carried away… He was the 'ugly duckling' who turned into a swan. And many helped to put this label on him. If he had listened to and believed in 90% of what you said, he would have stopped being a player. Fortunately, he knows who his coach is, where he is, and how the dynamics work here. We take care of him. That's what we do best: care.

— Now they say he's the best in the world, but for him, it always has to be: ice, calm. He went to the National Team because of his work. My role is to help, but he's the one who makes it happen. Here, we gave people time to see that he is more than what he showed abroad, because there he didn't have the support he has here.

And now?

With Flamengo's draw against São Paulo last Wednesday (6th), Palmeiras entered the field already guaranteed as the leader at the end of the round. The victory of Verdão left Abel Ferreira's team with 68 points, against 65 from Flamengo and 63 from Cruzeiro (with one more match).

Palmeiras returns to the field on Sunday, at 8:30 PM (Brasília time), against Mirassol, in fourth place, with 56 points, away from home. Flamengo faces Santos, also on Sunday, at 6:30 PM.

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