Paquetá celebrates return after injury and says what has gone wrong at Flamengo

The number 20 recalled, for example, that the squad had the return of many players who were at the World Cup with their respective teams and Fla's technical committee had to look for a period in which they were under different jobs.

"It's a whole, the characteristic of the team, the way of playing. If you end up starting the game differently, you lose control [of the game] and that, sometimes, is bad because of the way we play. But these are moments. Many players returning from a World Cup, some in different situations than others, injury or regaining physical form, this all implies a little in this issue of performance, but it cannot be an excuse. We have to, on the field, do our best for Flamengo to win", said Paquetá.

Paquetá is available to coach Leonardo Jardim for the duel with Vitória, on the 9th, at Maracanã. His last match with the red and black shirt was against Cusco, in the Libertadores, at the end of May.

I think it's something that, whoever plays for Flamengo, ends up getting used to this pressure of winning, seeking titles. As a player who played in two World Cups, we come from frustrations and learn to bounce back, always working, trying to be better every day. We come back with the feeling that we have to do better. Here [at Flamengo] we are still in second place, we have one game less, we have a chance to get that title, and a decision in the Libertadores. Despite the last two games, we still have a year to finish doing our best and bringing joy to the fans - Lucas Paquetá Flamengo is in the ball market, and is looking for a midfielder, winger and center forward, and one of the names evaluated by the board is Luiz Henrique, ex-Fluminense and Botafogo. Asked about conversations with the striker during the period in which they were teammates on the Brazilian team, Paquetá admitted the "lobby" and also praised Almada, another target of the board.

"We see [news about reinforcements]. We always want to have great players at our side, we want to be playing together. These two who were mentioned are great players. We each had their stories and they would be very welcome, but that is a question for the board. But, obviously, I played with Luiz. He is a guy I admire, a great athlete, great ability. But let the club do what it has to do and, if he comes, he will be welcomed," said Paquetá.

WHAT ELSE DID HE SAY

Return after injury

"It was difficult to miss the World Cup due to an injury. It was something I didn't expect, I had been playing good games. It was difficult to go through that, obviously, but we have to be ready to experience everything in football. I had support from my family, I tried to work as much as I could. I gave up my little vacation, which wasn't a sacrifice, it was thinking about my career and the good of Flamengo. I'm happy to be back training and looking forward to being on the field."

He was cleared by doctors for the game against Inter

"I had two training sessions before the game against Inter. So, physically, I wasn't ready to play in this sense, to handle a strong game. I think, therefore, the option of making me train a little more to be more prepared for this game on the 9th".

Flamengo's moment in the Brazilian Championship

"[Days of] A lot of work, obviously. We're not happy that we missed out on some points, even though it was against great teams. We want to work, improve. We're talking about it, trying, each of us, to do a little better on the field so that we can regain confidence and win again to continue seeking leadership of the Brazilian Championship and classification in the Libertadores".