End of cycle! Gabigol should no longer be used by Flamengo - says journalist

The Flamengo made a decision that has raised a lot of criticism among fans and analysts: he gave up the Brasileirão while leading the competition with one game in hand and still spared his main players in the match against São Paulo. This planning, seen as risky by many, could cost the club dearly, with direct implications on the season's performance.

The Brazilian Championship, known for its regularity and the fact that it rewards the most consistent teams throughout the season, competition, requires detailed planning from any team aspiring to the title. Flamengo, to a certain extent, was fulfilling this requirement. The Rio team came to lead the table and had the advantage of one game in hand, which could further consolidate its position at the top of the table. However, despite being in a privileged position, the team chose to spare its main players in the clash against São Paulo, which ended up surprising many who follow the championship closely.

The decision of Flamengowas interpreted as a partial abandonment of the Brasileirão in favor of knockout competitions. The focus, apparently, was redirected to other tournaments, where the team believes it has a chance of securing titles more directly. However, this strategy has its risks. The knockout stage, unlike a straight points championship, depends a lot on momentary factors, such as injuries, player form and even luck in some cases. This means that betting all your chips on competitions of this type can be dangerous, especially for a team that, until now, is experiencing a phase of instability.

Flamengo, despite having a technically superior team to of many opponents, has shown signs of decline in decisive moments. Recent games have shown a drop in performance, and physical and emotional exhaustion can become a critical factor, even more so in knockout tournaments, where a mistake can be costly.

The decision to spare players against São Paulo and, in a way, giving up the leadership of the Brasileirão raises questions about the club's planning for the season. A team as great as Flamengo, with resources and a high-level squad, should theoretically be able to fight on all fronts. However, the choice to focus on the knockout stages seems to indicate a lack of confidence in the ability to maintain regularity in the Brasileirão.

Flamengo and Grêmio face each other again this Sunday (22) for the Brazilian Championship, in a match that promises to be hot. The recent history between the two teams shows a clear advantage for Flamengo, which wants to maintain its superiority and increase the so-called "freguesia" over its rival from Rio Grande do Sul.

In recent seasons, Flamengo has had the better of most of the clashes against Grêmio, especially in decisive moments. Victories in important competitions, such as Copa do Brasil and Libertadores, strengthened this narrative. Among fans, the term “freguesia” began to be used recurrently to describe Flamengo's sequence of triumphs over the Gauchos.

Grêmio, despite being one of the biggest clubs in Brazilian football , has suffered at the hands of the Rio team, especially in knockout clashes and important games. Since the arrival of Jorge Jesus in 2019, Flamengo has become one of the most feared teams in the country, winning important titles and maintaining regularity at a high level. Grêmio, on the other hand, had ups and downs and was unable to follow the same evolution.

This Sunday's duel promises to be another chapter in this story. Playing at home, Grêmio will try to reverse their recent record and seek a victory that can serve as redemption. Flamengo , even playing away from home, enters the field confident, knowing that the pressure is more on the opponent's shoulders.

Currently, Flamengo continues to seek to consolidate itself among the top placed teams in the Brasileirão, while the Grêmio struggles to remain competitive. For the Rio team, a victory in the South would be another opportunity to strengthen its dominance over the opponent, in addition to adding three important points in the title race. For Grêmio, beating Flamengo would be the chance to reverse this "parish" and show that it is still capable of competing on equal terms with the giants of national football.

In the relationship between Gabigol and coach Tite at Flamengo, only the field is capable of speaking. Between the striker and coach, there is practically no dialogue, and the cold and silent war dictates that only one of them should remain at the club for the season in 2025.

No atmosphere with the coaching staff and also with the squad , Gabriel Barbosa has been convinced to change and airs, but even the clubs that expressed interest in the first half of the year backed away. With a contract at Flamengo until the end of December, Gabigol had offers from Palmeiras, Corinthians and Santos, was mentioned at Grêmio, but did not want to sign a pre-contract with any team.

The expectation was to try to turn things around on top in the second half, otherwise he would end his time at Flamengo like the idol he became, without any fuss.

Tite's arrival last year changed the entire perspective of the striker, who was already in a bad phase previously, and lost his place once and for all to Pedro with the presence of the new coach. With the center forward's recent injury, Tite kept Gabigol at the end of the line, under the argument that Carlinhos and Bruno Henrique perform better in the scheme with a reference man .

Without understanding the criteria, Gabi maintains her dedication to the basic level of professionalism in training, as it is not part of the coach's or the club's plans for a possible renewal. With the chances of a comeback practically buried, the two possible paths are to wait for the election in Flamengo to find out if Tite will remain with the next president; or wait for the end of the contract to freely listen to proposals again. Palmeiras and Santos have not yet given up on the idea, and Bahia appears as an option, as it has good investment capacity.