Martín Anselmi hails Taça Rio win, boosts Botafogo spirit for Libertadores | OneFootball

Coach Martín Anselmi pointed out how significant it was for Botafogo to leave the field with the Taça Rio title this Saturday. In a press conference after the 3-1 victory over Bangu, the black-and-white commander emphasized that fans must value the title won at Nilton Santos.

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“What I told the players is the same thing I’ll say here. Just imagine now without the trophy. Imagine this moment now, if I were sitting here without this trophy? It’s not the same thing. Winning in football is not easy. You have to value every achievement, because it’s difficult. When I say it’s difficult, it’s as if everything happens very quickly. We went to Potosí to play in Bolivia, lost the game and managed to turn it around at home. And there were other groups where they couldn’t win at home. So, you have to value it,” he added:

“We want to play in the Libertadores, obviously. But also, today we wanted to be champions. Just the same. Obviously, we wanted to fight for the Carioca. But also, just imagining this moment without the trophy, I think it’s not the same. So, I give a lot of importance and a lot of value to today’s trophy, to every victory,” he concluded.

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Anselmi also stressed that the victory was crucial to give Glorioso a boost on the eve of the game against Barcelona de Guayaquil.

“Tomorrow we’ll work. And imagine the atmosphere without the trophy? Now, the photos the boys took with their first trophy, representing Botafogo… Imagine without that photo? It’s not the same. You have to value winning, and winning leads you to win more,” the coach emphasized.

Anselmi praises the youngsters

The coach also praised the young black-and-white players who took the field in the victory over Bangu.

“It’s a pleasure to work with them every day. They have a great desire to learn, to be better. Then, they go into the game and do what they did in training. It’s a pleasure to lead these boys, who are very brave to represent the Botafogo shirt. Of course, with the help of the more experienced players, but for them it will always be a memory. They were the ones who faced Boavista in both games and today as well. I want to congratulate everyone at the club and Rodrigo Bellão, the U-20 coach, who has done a great job with the youth, thanks to them we have these boys who can play today,” he said.

Martín Anselmi pointed out that the squad that took the field can heat up the competition with Botafogo’s current starters.

“They are the future of Botafogo. Now we have to try to give them this sequence, so they can become part of it. We’ll have many games. I’m happy for them, and life is like that, when someone is pushing, it pushes you. It’s also a message to the whole team: you have to compete because they are ready. You also have to compete every day, because if one of them is better than a more experienced player, one of them will play. Life is constantly renewing itself. They are hungry to wear the Botafogo shirt and will compete for a spot,” he concluded.

Next match

Botafogo resumes preparations for the game against Barcelona de Guayaquil this Sunday, for the third qualifying round of the Copa Libertadores. The match will take place at Nilton Santos, Tuesday, at 9:30 pm.

*By Gazeta Press

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