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With the mission of leading Flamengo in the main competitions of the new season, in an attempt to make the Carioca team regain great trophies, coach Abel Braga admits that football helped him to overcome the death of his son João Pedro, in July 2017 , like “two crutches.”
“Football has been very sweet to me. He put on two crutches so I can support myself: ‘ Easy there, man, lean on not to fall. ‘ And it is this passion that keeps me alive today, totally focused and directed to what I like to do most: try to provide victories and joy to the fans, “said the coach, in an interview with TV Globo.
João Pedro, then 19 years old, died a year and a half ago when he suffered a domestic accident. He had seizures of epilepsy and would have had a malaise during the bath and fell in the panoramic window of the bathroom of the family apartment in Rio de Janeiro. At the time, Abel was training Fluminense.
Without stopping working on grounds of family loss, Abel followed in command of the Tricolor team until half of last year, when he resigned. At the end of 2018, he was announced as a new coach of Flamengo with the mission of returning the team to major titles, after hitting the bar in competitions such as Brasileirão, Copa do Brasil and Copa Sudamericana, in recent years.
“It had to be Flamengo, because it is the biggest challenge. For that favoritism, that thing that’s going to win, it’s going to be this year, and it hasn’t been. So this is a very big challenge, “said Abel in explaining his choice – he would have received proposals from several clubs in recent months.
Coach avoided pointing out what he missed on the team in the last few seasons. But he admitted that he lacked some leadership in the field, especially in the last Brasileirão. “There’s something missing, that’s what I told them. We have to find out. This profile is fundamental, but it is not easily acquired in a week, two weeks of work, “he commented.
“We have to see the answers not in the victories, but in the difficulties. They make them grow. I need to know the answers, see if I need a nut in the field. But it is clear that something is missing, “said Abel Braga.
This Sunday, the coach and the players embarked towards the United States for the Florida Cup dispute, a friendly tournament that will be held next week.
