Abel: Deserved Palmeiras win, no title promises | OneFootball

Coach Abel Ferreira seemed pleased with Palmeiras' 1-0 victory over Mirassol on Saturday night at Arena Barueri, during the third round of the Campeonato Paulista. The coach appreciated the positive streak of results — three wins in three games — and believes the victory was well-deserved.

“All games are difficult, and more than the opponent, it’s us, the capability we have. I don’t play, I just ask. The ones who make it happen are the players, there’s no other way. Our players need to understand that we play for Palmeiras, we have to take risks, expose ourselves, show up for the game, never hide, regardless of criticism. That’s what we’re trying to do, a game that as a coach I enjoy watching. And also for our fans. Thanks to the players, fans, when we play together we are always stronger. We will continue to do the same, but better. That’s our challenge, with the audacity to challenge ourselves, to play a game that values everyone. That’s what we’ve been doing, regardless of the opponent. […] We have to realize that we won’t always win, but the attitude must always be there,” evaluated the Portuguese coach.

Abel also commented on Vitor Roque's situation, who was substituted in the second half, but did not provide any update on the striker's condition. The number 9 recently returned from injury and was seen with ice on his right knee on the bench.

“Vitor Roque, I can’t say exactly what he has, but you don’t need to be a physiology wizard. Conditioning, any of us, if we don’t prepare and are inactive for a month, go to the gym and are asked to do push-ups, won’t be able to. Here, I won’t say it’s that, but it’s close. We had four days for a pre-season. If I could make a request, if we could have one more substitution, I would love it [laughs]. If the organization wants to do something to help everyone, it would be to have one more substitution to make during the games,” he explained.

Palmeiras was not efficient on Saturday night. The Verdão had 12 shots, with five on target, and ended with just a 1-0 score. Despite this, Abel Ferreira dismissed any concerns and preferred to highlight the positive streak in the defensive sector: three games with a clean sheet.

“Do players make mistakes on purpose? It’s about continuing to work, there’s no other way. Of course, I want to score and the players do too, but what worries me most is when the team doesn’t create, because that’s a tactical responsibility of the coach. Technical issues are the players’. Whether they will control, cross, make a pass, it’s up to the players, who are the protagonists. Two things make me happy: three games, good defensive consistency, and out of those 40-something shots, only four could have been goals, sometimes we don’t finish because the opponents block. But today we were clearly superior and deserved it,” he clarified.

Abel does not promise titles

With the result against Mirassol, Palmeiras secured their third consecutive victory in the Campeonato Paulista and maintained a 100% success rate. The Alviverde reached nine points and will sleep at the top of the standings. Abel Ferreira’s team will therefore hope for a slip-up from Red Bull Bragantino to firmly take the lead.

The campaign was valued by Abel. However, this does not entitle Palmeiras to win the title, according to the coach, who asked for calm and tempered the fans' excitement.

“I never promised titles and I won’t promise. What I always say is that it will be a competitive team and we will play to win. Not even in the first interview did I promise titles, and not today either, I do the best with the resources I have. In these years, what was supposed to be one title per year, turned into ten. Perhaps, no one was telling me what they say now. There’s a lot done well, a path of consistency, an extremely competitive team, even the almost, you need to get there and we have been very consistent with our way of playing, how we fight, even with all the restructuring, the entry of young players and the departure of important players. Ríos left, Estevão, 17 players left and we hired 11, and we continue on this path,” emphasized Abel.

“I won’t promise what I can’t promise. What I can promise is to have a competitive team that fights to win, with process, continuity, and financial responsibility. Each one doing their job. Now, I can’t lie. The last home game, with the rain, we could hardly play in another natural grass stadium in Brazil. Here we have a top field, where the players rain, the ball doesn’t bounce, and there are no holes,” concluded the coach.

Palmeiras now returns to the field this Tuesday, when they face Novorizontino. The match kicks off at 8 p.m. (Brasília time), in Novo Horizonte (SP).

"Upcoming Palmeiras MatchesNovorizontino vs Palmeiras (fourth round of Paulistão)Date and time: 01/20 (Tuesday), at 8 p.m. (Brasília time)Location: Estádio Dr. Jorge Ismael de Biasi, in Novo Horizonte (SP)Palmeiras vs São Paulo (fifth round of Paulistão)Date and time: 01/24 (Saturday), at 6:30 p.m. (Brasília time)Location: Arena Barueri, in Barueri (SP)

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