Journalist about Arrascaeta's exchange for Gabigol made by coach Tite: "Doing shit"

Carlos Alcaraz, Argentine midfielder from Flamengo, was once again available to Tite after serving a suspension in the last game against Vasco, valid for the Brazilian Championship. Now, he is preparing for the decisive Libertadores clash against Peñarol (URU), where he should be one of the fundamental pieces of the red and black squad.

Since August 30th, when he started training at Ninho do Urubu, Alcaraz has been attracting attention for its performance. His first match for Mengão took place on September 1st, in a game against Corinthians, when the midfielder came on in the second half and had a performance that pleased both the coaching staff and the fans.

ADAPTATION PERIOD

After a period of 17 days of training, Alcaraz is fully adapted to the team's style of play. This time was essential for coach Tite to better understand the player's qualities and potential on the field, preparing him for future important challenges with Mais Querido.

MILLIONAIRE HIRING

Carlos Alcaraz arrived at Flamengoin a negotiation that involved 17.6 million euros (approximately R$108 million), with Flamengo acquiring 80% of its economic rights from Southampton, from England. The midfielder, who is just 21 years old, signed a five-year contract with the Rio club, valid until August 2029.

Experienced coach Joel Santana commented, on his YouTube channel, about Gabigol's situation at Flamengo under Tite's command. Joel believes that Gabi is hurt by his current position in the team, where he is the third reserve in attack, behind even Carlinhos, who was hired at the beginning of the season from modest Nova Iguaçu.

Joel suggested that Tite and Gabigol should have a conversation to resolve possible differences and improve the situation: “Do you think the guy is happy? Our beloved center forward, who gave so much glory, is sad, he is hurt. He sits the two of them down: ‘Let’s just have a chat between the two of us’. There you and Gabi are left. Sit down and talk”, said the 'King of Rio', as he became known for having been champion in the city's four biggest clubs.

Joel Santana is an important figure in Flamengo's history, being the seventh coach with the most games for the club. He had several notable spells, with titles such as the 1986 Carioca Championship, the Conmebol Gold Cup and the 2008 State Championship. In his 200 games in charge, Joel achieved 114 wins, 45 draws and 40 defeats.

Tite's termination fine at Flamengo

If Flamengo decides to terminate Tite's contract, the club would have to pay the amount related to his salary until the end of his contract, which runs until December 2024. With Tite receiving around R$1.8 million per month, the fine would total R$7.2 million. The information was released by the RTI Esporte portal.

However, so far, everything indicates that Tite will remain in charge of Flamengo until the end of the contract.

Flamengo's performances have divided the opinions of fans and journalists. After Rubro-Negro's 1-1 draw with Vasco, last Sunday (15), former player and commentator Walter Casagrande spared no criticism of the team led by Tite.

— Everything we said of doubt about whether Flamengo will win or not is Flamengo's own responsibility, not because the others are better – only Botafogo, which is the best in the Brazilian Championship and perhaps in South America. But in relation to the other teams, the doubt about Flamengo is because of himself -, he began.

— Not because of the casting, because of the cast. You look and think: ‘This team isn’t going far’. He looks again and sees nothing. Every day you see Flamengo play, it's worse than before. I rule out Flamengo (in the Brazilian Championship) a little. (…) There's no point in playing well and getting a draw at the end -, he concluded, in participation in the program 'Fim de Papo', on UOL.

It is worth noting that Flamengo won just one of the last six games in the Brasileirão. In this period, there were three defeats, two draws and only one positive result. In other words, five points won out of a possible 18. With a draw with Vasco in the 26th round, Rubro-Negro saw Botafogo and Palmeiras beat Corinthians and Criciúma, respectively. In this way, the first two placed in the Brazilian Championship 'stretched' ahead.

Flamengo, however, still has one game less in relation to the first three placed in the national tournament table (Botafogo, Palmeiras and Fortaleza). In short, Tite's men are in the G-4 of the Brasileirão and still have a mathematical chance of winning the title.

In addition, Rubro-Negro is classified in the semi-finals of the Copa do Brasil, where they will face Corinthians. Finally, the Libertadores quarterfinals are ahead. This Thursday (19), in fact, the red and black team receives Peñarol (URU), in a duel for the continental competition. The ball rolls at 7pm (Brasília time), at Maracanã