FLAMENGO DOMINATES THE DEFENSE IN THE 2024 SERIES

Flamengo's performance in the Club World Cup continues to be the subject of analysis and criticism. This time, former player Zinho took a firm stance when evaluating the team's performance against Bayern Munich. For him, the team led by Filipe Luís made a mistake by maintaining an offensive stance against a technically stronger opponent.

Zinho made a direct comparison with Fluminense, who faced Inter Milan in the same tournament. The former athlete highlighted the Tricolor's choice for a more pragmatic approach. " Fluminense was competent, surgical and obedient tactically ", said the commentator, praising Renato Gaúcho's decision to field three defenders, which made it difficult for the Italians to advance.

Zinho criticizes the report: "Flamengo has a stance..."

According to Zinho, Filipe Luís's insistence on maintaining a single game model was detrimental. He cited an alleged statement by the coach before the game: " Flamengo has a stance and cannot change it ." For the four-time champion, this inflexibility was decisive for the elimination: "He got on the plane to leave," he said, in a critical tone. The statement reinforces the need for tactical adaptation in high-level international competitions.

FLAMENGO CLOSE TO RENEWAL

Flamengo is close to officially renewing the contract with coach Filipe Luís. According to the newspaper 'O Globo', talks between the coach and the board have progressed in recent days , and the former full-back has already given the green light to continue in charge of the team until December 2026. The current contract runs until the end of this year.

FILIPE LUÍS IS JUST WAITING FOR FINAL APPROVAL OF BAP

The only detail missing for the renewal to be official is the approval of president Luiz Eduardo Baptista, known as Bap, who is responsible for authorizing investments in football. The director has already indicated that he will prioritize the renewal of contracts that expire in 2025 , such as the coach, who is considered a key player in the sports project.

Representatives of striker Pedro are looking for a club that will accept the financial conditions stipulated by Flamengo. According to information from the O Globo website, Monterrey, from Mexico , participant in the last edition of the Club World Cup, carried out an informal survey about the situation of the number 9 and presented an initial value of around 10 million euros.

Despite the interest, the amount offered does not meet the expectations of the Rio de Janeiro club's board of directors , who have officially shown no intention of negotiating the player at this time. And for now, according to Gazeta do Urubu, the player also does not want to leave the club.

LITTLE USED BY FILIPE LUÍS

The reality on the field, however, could change the course of the negotiation. Pedro has been underused by coach Filipe Luís in the most important matches of the season, which raises concerns about the possible devaluation of the athlete in the market . Given this scenario, a slightly more advantageous proposal could make the board rethink the center forward's permanence in the squad.

The expectation is that the player and his representatives will also look favorably on a transfer under these conditions , especially if the scenario of few minutes continues until the end of the year.

INTERNATIONAL WINDOW CAN BE AN OPPORTUNITY

With a contract valid until 2027, Pedro was expecting a renewal this year, which, by all indications, will not happen . The next transfer window, which ends in September, is seen as a viable opportunity for the athlete to seek new horizons, especially if he continues to be outside the coaching staff's priority plans.

On the eve of the decisive match against Al Hilal from Saudi Arabia, valid for the Club World Cup semi-final, Fluminense president Mário Bittencourt gave an interview celebrating the tricolor's performance. The president highlighted his pride in seeing the Rio de Janeiro team among the tournament's semi-finalists , even with one of the lowest payrolls among the eight qualified clubs.

“I believe our payroll is by far the smallest of the eight that remain. We are happy, and it is not a three-week job, it is a six-year job, which we were already able to achieve when we were still earning less than we do today. We won titles in 2022, 2023, 2024. I would tell you that we owe nothing to anyone,” said Bittencourt.

BITTENCOURT AVOIDS CONTROVERSY

Despite his excitement about Fluminense's trajectory, Mário Bittencourt avoided provoking his Rio rivals. In a respectful tone, the director made a point of recognizing the recent achievements of Flamengo and Botafogo in Brazilian football.

Fluminense president is respectful: "Flamengo achieves results every year"

“We are achieving significant results with much smaller investments than our Brazilian and now European and other continents’ rivals. Other clubs with large investments are also achieving results. Botafogo won the Libertadores and the Brazilian Championship in the same year with the investment they made. Flamengo achieves results every year. This is a World Cup, and the fact that they left before Fluminense does not in any way detract from their work,” he pointed out.

PRESIDENT WANTS FINAL AGAINST PALMEIRAS

The manager also commented on the possibility of a clash between Fluminense and Palmeiras in the World Cup final , remembering the campaigns of both in 1951 and 1952, which are still seeking official recognition.

“Let’s hope that we and Palmeiras go through. It would be great, because Fluminense and Palmeiras are trying to get recognition for the 1951 and 1952 World Cups , it would be great for the two clubs, together, to be able to talk about this issue again. I’m really rooting for that, but I have a lot of respect for Al Hilal, knowing that we’re going to have a very difficult match, as everyone here has had,” he concluded.