WHILE FLAMENGO HAS A 75% DEBT REDUCTION, VASCO AND BOTAFOGO ARE AMONG THE MOST IN DEBT IN BRAZIL

Filipe Luís took over as Flamengo's interim coach after Tite's dismissal, made official this Monday (30). The red-and-black idol, who was in his first year as a coach leading the club's under-20s, becomes the third interim in Rodolfo Landim's management since Jorge Jesus' departure. Before him, Maurício Souza and Mário Jorge took over the main team on a provisional basis. Below, the history of both.

Like Filipe, the interims who took charge of the professional team were also base coaches. With the frequent change of coaches at Flamengo, which is already in its ninth coach since the departure of Jorge Jesus, the commanders of the youth categories need to always be ready to be called upon. Those who held the position temporarily in recent years managed to maintain a good performance.

Maurício Souza, known as Mauricinho, was the first interim member of the post-Jorge Jesus era. He was announced after Domenec Torrent's dismissal in 2020, but did not manage the team, as Rogério Ceni was hired shortly afterwards. However, Mauricinho had the opportunity to lead Flamengo in 2021, after Ceni's departure, achieving important victories over Ceará and Chapecoense. He was also called up at the end of the Brasileirão for the last four games, achieving one victory, one draw and two defeats.

In an interim period, Maurício led the team while Rogério Ceni recovered from Covid-19 , adding three victories in that period. His numbers as interim coach were:

9 games

6 wins

1 draw

2 losses

70.3% success rate

11 goals scored

6 goals conceded

Mário Jorge, multiple champion at Flamengo's academy, was called up twice in 2023 to take over the main team. After Vitor Pereira's dismissal, he led Flamengo in two matches, with a defeat in the Copa do Brasil against Maringá and a victory in the Brasileirão against Coritiba. In a second moment, after Sampaoli's departure and before Tite's arrival, Mário Jorge led the team in the victory over Bahia and in the draw against Corinthians, both in the Brasileirão.

His interim numbers were :

4 games

2 wins

1 draw

1 loss

58.3% success rate

5 goals scored

3 goals conceded

Now, Filipe Luís will have the opportunity to lead Flamengo in a decisive phase, with the semi-final of the Copa do Brasil against Corinthians ahead.

Monday (30) began with the announcement of the dismissal of coach Tite from Flamengo, news expected after the elimination in the Libertadores and the team's poor performance, which generated increasing pressure among fans. The relationship with the fans is one of the aspects that made Zico, the greatest idol in red and black history, believe that the coach's departure was the most logical decision.

Zico held the 15th edition of Café com Zico in this Monday, at Bar do Zico, at Recreio dos Bandeirantes, an event where fans have the opportunity to spend the morning with their idol and ask questions. One of the questions was about Tite's dismissal. Despite praising the coach and regretting his departure, the eternal Shirt 10 recognized that the decision was correct.

“I think today it is easy to say that it should have been. The weather is no longer cool. Working in a place where people antagonize you and say a lot of things is not good for anyone. I'm sorry that happened, because I really liked him, I think he's a good coach. But perhaps he didn't adapt to Flamengo's style”, said Zico.

Although Zico recognized the unsatisfactory football presented by the team, he highlighted that Flamengo still remained alive in competitions. However, the fall in the Libertadores was a determining factor in the change, especially due to the defeat at home, which he compared to the elimination in 1982.

“Flamengo beat Carioca, they are in the semi-finals of the Copa do Brasil , he has a small chance at the Brazilian Championship and reached the quarterfinals of the Libertadores. Of course, the Maracanã defeat was decisive. He missed goals, more at Maracanã than there. It was the same thing that happened to us in 82. We massacred, in front of the goal every time, but we conceded a missing goal that didn't exist and we were eliminated”, said Galinho de Quintino in a video released by Essência Rubro-Negra.

Criticism of the Overvaluation of the Cast

Zico also criticized the overvaluation of the red and black cast, which he believes to be an exaggerated view, especially on the part of the board, who invests heavily in players who, in the idol’s opinion, are “common.” He was emphatic in stating that he does not share the idea that the squad is the best in South America.

“Flamengo, in my opinion, hired the wrong team. Many players. You're spending money on normal players. Are they good? Yes, but the price had to be great. They are not. They overvalued Flamengo's squad too much, they made the fans believe that it was the best team in South America. It's not! That's the problem. The fans think they will always win 3 or 4, but those of us who play ball know that the story is different”, added Gávea's eternal number 10.

The 28th round of the Brazilian Championship ended with an important victory for Mais Querido. Last Sunday (29), Flamengo beat Athletico-PR 1-0 at Maracanã, ensuring their stay in the G-4 of the competition. The result was crucial in reducing the gap to the leader, Botafogo, which is now nine points. It is worth remembering that Mengão still has one game less, which could shorten the distance even further.

Playing at home, Rubro-Negro from Rio was superior on the field and carried out most of the offensive plays during the match. However, the winning goal only came 44 minutes into the second half, with Gerson, guaranteeing the three points for CRF. The triumph was essential for the team to remain among the top four in the table.

After winning the 28th round, Mengão now turns his attention to his next commitment in the Brazilian Championship. The team will face Bahia next Saturday (05), at 7pm (Brasília time), at Arena Fonte Nova, for the 29th round of the competition. The match will be another test for the team to maintain the rhythm and continue in the fight for the title.

With the victory over Athletico-PR, the Flamengo added three more points to its Brasileirão campaign. So far, the team has 14 wins, six draws and seven defeats, with 43 goals scored and 32 conceded. The team's regularity has been essential to remain in the fight for the top positions in the tournament.

Before returning to focusing on the Brasileirão, Rubro-Negro has an important mission for the Copa do Brasil. Next Wednesday (02), Flamengo will face Corinthians at Maracanã, in the first match of the competition's semi-finals. The team led by Tite is looking for a good result at home, as the decision to place in the final will be in São Paulo.