Mid-season break: Jardim previews Flamengo v Lausanne, rotates for Benfica | OneFootball

Absolutely. In one of the individual training sessions I had with the academy players, I spoke to the youngsters for about 10 to 15 minutes and explained to them Evertton’s example: persistence. He was not one of the best academy players, 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 went out on loan 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 in first teams. But this doesn’t happen only at Flamengo, it happens at any club. They need to have the mindset that not everything ends there. That is a process that ends in youth development, but begins in professional football. If it is not to start at Flamengo, then let it start somewhere else so they can one day reach the highest level. And we have a great example of this inside the club, which is BH (Bruno Henrique). BH started from the bottom, already at 21 years old, and became, and still is, one of Flamengo’s great idols. That is why sometimes what matters is not where we start, but where we are going to finish,” said Jardim.

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

Well, I think the youth 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 there are certainly one or two interesting players. We are evaluating them and we will see. For those who do not have space 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 sort out.”

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 changing just for the sake of changing. We are also concerned with bringing in younger players, and when I say young, I am not talking about 18-year-old boys, but rather avoiding players in their thirties, looking for those with different physical capacity to give energy to the team, both now and in the future. In addition, I have already said that if nobody 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 arrival date of those who will be available. As for those who are injured, as everyone knows, I still have no information from the department on when they may return to training.”

When I said I am going to give opportunities, it does not mean that the players who played in 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 comes off, we will try to put in a young academy player, with Rayan or Guilherme as the options.”

It has certainly been good, because we have had more ability to analyze them by having them here with us. This period has been beneficial in terms of training: they took part in every activity with the first team. I also led two specific training sessions for them so they could improve in some strategic aspects. I had two days only with the under-20 group. Now, it is about giving them some playing time to see what kind of transfer (transition) they will make to the first team, which is the most important thing.”

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