Abel Ferreira praises Palmeiras’ seriousness at the Brazil Cup and says:...

After the game, the Portuguese praised the team’s seriousness and the players’ behavior. Verdão, who had already won the first leg 3-1, opened the scoring in the first half and controlled the match, without much work.

– We were a serious, competent team, we took this tie seriously even with the advantage. Football is full of surprises, it happens when you make it easy. I liked above all this commitment, this union. We really wanted to fight for all the tournaments. That’s what we want. We will step by step, recover, together fight for all competitions, with the same will, the same desire, the same ambition, this is what the club and the members demand of us, this is what we are going to do on the field – he said.

Abel Ferreira in Palmeiras x Bragantino – Photo: Marcos Ribolli

Author of the goal of the palmeirense victory this Thursday, Gabriel Veron was praised by Abel Ferreira. The striker took the field in the 18th minute of the first half after Wesley was replaced after feeling his left knee.

– I like to speak individually, but we have to know that it appears in the collective context. He had the chance for Wesley’s injury, but he took advantage of it very well. We all know his quality. He is a boy with a lot of desire, quality, determination, he tries to fulfill the collective commitments of the team. When we have a collective idea and break free within it, the individual appears. He has a lot of individual quality.

Palmeiras know their opponent in the quarterfinals of the Brazil Cup this Friday, when the CBF will draw the matches for the next phase.

Over the weekend, the commitment of Verdão will be against Vasco, Sunday, at 16h (Brasília), in São Januário, for the first round of the second round of the Brazilian Championship.

Best moments: Palmeiras 1 x 0 Bragantino for the return game of the round of 16 of the Copa do Brasil

See other excerpts from Abel Ferreira’s press conference:

Train alternatives during games?
– Yes it’s true. I know it is a risk, that in doing so we could even score a goal, but there is no other way to test alternatives to have other attack solutions, with the departure of three with Felipe Melo from central, Gabriel Menino having to stay a little further back and make the exit of three with him, play with two steering wheels and one in the front in the middle, with the tripod inverted, try Scarpa on the left … It’s a very big risk, but whoever is in football knows that they have take risks. Since we don’t have time to train, it’s the truth. They rest, recover, eat well, are left to the health and performance center, which has been a great ally. Everything the players did is their merit, he told them. The only way I have to train alternatives is in games. It is risky, but I am happy with the delivery, the commitment. They tried to do what the coach challenges them. Testing in game is difficult, but there is no other way.

About Patrick de Paula:
– I know they’re talking about the boys, the experts. But I don’t look at age. I look at the quality, the commitment, the willingness they have in training and games. Felipe Melo is very well, does not facilitate one. Danilo in training trains a lot, knows what he wants and has that chance. Patrick just has to do this, in training he has to show that he wants to, wants to play, to be inside, there is only one way to convince me: in training. All my decisions have an intention, which is better for the team, not better for each player. What matters is what is best for Palmeiras.

Exceptions and Gustavo Scarpa on the side:
– It was another test we did. I spoke to the cast. I did an exercise to discover this left-back, who sacrificed himself in the position he likes to play for the team, who was available to help if needed, and Scarpa was the first to say he sacrificed himself. It was one of the ways I had to find the solution for the side.

– That’s my job. If they ask me if I would like to have them all, without a doubt. If I get stronger with these players, without a doubt. But my job is to find solutions, not excuses. The obligation I have, against anyone, wherever, to play to win. Regardless of absences, which are important, in the dynamics of the team and the group.

About Benjamin Kuscevic:
– It was a hiring of the club, it was already well advanced. Come help us a lot. It will be difficult to take the place of these two defenders that we have. Two champions in training, in the game, as they lead the team, as they do the tripod with Felipe Melo in front. Come help us, make the squad more balanced, but these two are phenomenal, brutal, in the way they give themselves, how they play. Another game without conceding goals.

Relationship with Sá Pinto, Vasco coach and rival on Sunday:
– For the study and research I did, the fans respect each other a lot. It is true that coaches too. He is my friend, but, inside the field I will do everything to win. This is our role, that’s what we work for, but on the field, each one fights for himself. The Portuguese are good as Brazilians, Spaniards, Englishmen, it is all a matter of study, of sharing. The more time we dedicate ourselves to the profession, the better we will be.

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Matías Viña and Abel Ferreira in the match Palmeiras x Bragantino – Photo: Marcos Ribolli