A good presentation from the boy Estêvão in the victory of Palm trees against Liverpool, from Uruguay, this Thursday, at Allianz Parque, in the second round of the Copa Libertadores group stage, made coach Abel Ferreira advise the boy and the other young players in the Palmeiras squad.
“The kids did well, but they need to be careful about what the press says about them. It takes balance. The line between praise and criticism is very fine. Kids can’t start flying with praise. Train well and trust Palmeiras, who have the structure to help you”, said the coach, who made a prediction.
Se Endrick goes away, another gem emerges among the professionals. Estêvão messed up the Uruguayan opponent’s defense, was not intimidated and closed the score in the second half and, minutes after scoring his first goal for the Palmeiras professional team, left the field with an ovation. Without feeling the weight of a Libertadores game, the first of his career, the attacking midfielder gave the freshness the team needed and will certainly have more chances with Abel Ferreira. Called “Messinho” at the base, the boy will still have his name spoken a lot and will certainly receive inquiries from European giants.
Palmeiras’ forward Estevao Willian celebrates with teammate Colombian midfielder Richard Rios after scoring a goalfight for the ball during the Copa Libertadores group stage first leg football match between Brazil’s Palmeiras and Uruguay’s Liverpool at the Allianz Parque stadium in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on April 11, 2024. (Photo by NELSON ALMEIDA / AFP) Foto: Nelson Almeida/NELSON ALMEIDA
“If I as a coach and you in the press do our job correctly, Brazilian football, in five or six years, will have good things. The problem is that the criticism here is aggressive and these kids still need to listen to their father’s advice. What I say to them I say to my daughters. Everything in their time, be happy. They go to Disney because the other one went and was sold to Real Madrid”, joked Abel, referring to Endrickwho, in fact, went to Disney, but from Paris, before consolidating himself as the biggest star in Brazilian football.
Regarding the game, the coach complained about the team’s initial attitude, but praised the performance in the second half, when the team achieved a comeback, with goals from Flaco López and the boy Estêvão. “We came in a little off, we couldn’t lose the ball in three passes, giving the opponent a chance to counterattack, which is what they wanted. In the second half we were better, we touched the ball more to overcome the well-positioned defense with a line of five and a line of three. Three balls went in, but it could have been more.”