Flamengo could face Botafogo without 7 players for the Brasileirão

Pedro's injury seems to reveal the real extent of the loss of space in Flamengo's team under coach Tite. Bruno Henrique has been chosen so far for the role of center forward and, against Vasco, this Sunday (15), the coach opted for Carlinhos as a substitute. A situation that idol Maestro Júnior sees as an attempt to send a message to Gabriel, who entered the classic with five minutes to go.

“It was strange, really. Even because of his CV and everything he has done, independent of Carlinhos. But I think he would automatically be the man to step into that role. Whether it was more fixed or like he has done, leaving the area more. Some message was given, but Tite didn't comment at all...", Júnior said on the program 'Seleção SporTV'.

Tite was asked about the decision at the press conference and, just as Júnior said, he didn't comment much about it. the case. The stance that the coach adopts in some questions during the press conferences, and the Gabigol topic is probably the main one. He limited himself to saying that the option was based on “training and games”, in addition to highlighting Carlinhos’ decisive moments this season. Indicating that Camisa 22 is ahead.

The red-black coach's assistant and son, Matheus Bachi, assured that it was a tactical decision. This is because they assessed that the team needed a player who could take advantage of the crosses that were being created.

But the justifications were not enough to convince André Rizek. Continuing the debate with Maestro Júnior, the journalist stated that he doesn't see how Gabigol can be useful in Tite's Flamengo if he is behind Carlinhos in the hierarchy.

“He loses Pedro and opts for Bruno Henrique. But then Bruno leaves the game and the person who enters is not Gabigol, but Carlinhos. And so, if Gabigol doesn't beat Carlinhos at this moment, I can't see him being useful. A melancholic end for one of the greatest players in Flamengo's history.”

There was a current that stated that Tite could opt for Carlinhos instead of Gabigol to maintain as much as possible the characteristics that the team had with Pedro. This is because, despite technical differences, both are taller center forwards, who compete for the aerial ball and can pivot at the edge of the area. However, the choice of Bruno Henrique has already forced a change of system.

The red-black team no longer has a regular center forward. This is because, although good at playing from the top, Bruno does not usually act as a reference to hold the ball in attack. Which forces Flamengo to play with a more mobile attack, with position changes with Luiz Araújo, Gerson and now Gonzalo Plata. In addition to having reduced shots and touched the ball more in the last two games.

Tite, therefore, is already willing to change the way he plays and adapt to the team without Pedro in charge of the attack. But he has not yet shown that he is considering the possibility of testing the team with Gabigol in the starting 11.

International's 3 x 0 victory over Cuiabá, on Monday night (16), in Beira-Rio, ended the 26th round of the Brasileirão. With the result, the team from Rio Grande do Sul reached 38 points, in 8th position, and moved closer to the top squad.

Flamengo and Fortaleza were the G-4 teams that did not win, therefore, they saw Botafogo and Palmeiras opens up an advantage in the fight for the title. At the other end of the table, Corinthians lost and remains in the relegation zone. Defeated by Juventude, at Alfredo Jaconi, Fluminense is the first team outside the Z-4.

Atlético-GO 0 x 2 Vitória – Antônio Accioly

Athletico-PR 1 x 1 Fortaleza – Ligga Arena

Botafogo 2 x 1 Corinthians – Nilton Santos

Palmeiras 5 x 0 Criciúma – Allianz Parque

Bragantino 2 x 2 Grêmio – Nabi Abi Chedid

Juventude 2 x 1 Fluminense – Alfredo Jaconi

Cruzeiro 0 x 1 São Paulo – Mineirão

Bahia 3 x 0 Atlético-MG – Source Nova

Flamengo 1 x 1 Vasco – Maracanã

International 3 x 0 Cuiabá – Beira- Rio

1st Botafogo – 53 points

2nd Palmeiras – 50

3rd Fortaleza – 49

4th Flamengo – 45 (1 game less)

5th São Paulo – 44

6th Bahia – 42

6th Bahia – 42

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7th Cruzeiro – 41

8th International – 38 (2 games less)

9th Vasco – 35 (1 game less)

10° Atlético-MG – 33 (2 games less)

11° Juventude – 32

12° Bragantino – 31 (1 games less)

13° Athletico-PR – 30 (2 games less)

14° Grêmio – 28 (2 games less)

15° Criciúma – 28 (1 game less) less)

16° Fluminense – 27 (1 games less)

17° Vitória – 25

18° Corinthians – 25

19th Cuiabá – 22 (1 games less)

20th Atlético-GO – 18

Last Sunday, Flamengo was beaten by Botafogo, at the Nílton Santos stadium. At the press conference, Tite once again cited the Brazilian football calendar as one of the possible reasons for the red-black failure for the rival. In this sense, UOL journalist, Rodrigo Mattos, believes that Flamengo's coach owed some explanations regarding the team's performance.

The columnist participated, alongside journalist Bruno Braz, in Flamengo's live and highlighted:

"[The calendar] It's a factor, but he stuck to explaining the game by just one factor. He didn't explain the factors that were his fault, which is the case of the changes he did at the end of the break and that, tactically, made the game easier for Botafogo", said Mattos.

"He thought of something to keep scoring, having more people in the area. What happened. It's just that Botafogo arrived from the edge, played the ball underneath and not over the top. There's no point in having a bunch of defenders boxed in if the other team has a lot of space on the edges to cross for a shot. 19 shots on goal from Botafogo, nine of which went towards the goal. Rossi caught a lot of balls, penalties. So, I think he had to explain his mistakes as well", he added.