LUIZ ARAÚJO AND CEBOLINHA ARE FEATURED IN TITE COLLECTIVE

In an interview given after the defeat of Flamengoto Peñarol, 1-0, coach Tite was direct in responding to the boos received by the fans. The statement, marked by a frank tone, exposed the coach's pragmatic vision in relation to demanding fans and the pressure for results. “I respect the fans’ feelings. Of course I feel that (the boos), I'm human”, said Tite, recognizing the fans' frustration in the face of the setback.

Tite's speech reveals that he understands the role of fans as a fundamental part in the context of a club, especially in a team of great expression like Flamengo. By mentioning that the boos affect him as a human being, the coach demonstrates empathy, but does not fail to highlight that the only way to reverse this situation is with achievements on the field. “It can only be reversed in one way”, pointed out the coach.

The response reflects the experience of Titein dealing with pressure who follows the command of great teams in Brazilian football. With successful spells at clubs such as Corinthians, Grêmio and the Brazilian national team itself, the coach has a track record that puts him in a position to understand, perhaps like few others, the relationship between performance on the field and fans' expectations. For him, this connection is clear: “Do you know how to win fans? Do you know how I won over the fans of the other clubs I played for? Win an important title”, he declared.

The phrase highlights the centrality of titles in football, especially in mass clubs like Flamengo. In Brazil, the culture of results is intense, and Tite recognizes that fans have a limited tolerance for negative results. Winning titles, for him, is the key to gaining the support of the fans, and anything other than that results in discontent: “If not, bye.”

This last part of Tite's speech summarizes the characteristic impatience of demanding fans like Flamengo. The coach makes it clear that, without obtaining relevant trophies, the relationship with the fans deteriorates quickly. The pressure is constant and is part of the daily life of those who take on the leadership of top teams. Tite seems, however, to be aware of this scenario and how it needs to be faced.

Tite's statement came after a delicate moment for Flamengo. The defeat to Peñarol, at home, in a group stage match of the Copa Libertadores, raised alarm bells for fans and the coaching staff. Flamengo had high expectations for the season, especially after major reinforcements and the arrival of Tite, a coach with wide recognition on the national and international scene.

The pressure on Flamengo is nothing new. The club, which has one of the biggest fans in the world, is known for its high expectations for titles. The expensive squad, made up of renowned players, also increases this demand. Each stumble is widely covered by the media and amplifies the dissatisfaction of part of the fans, who demand immediate results.

The Copa Libertadores, in particular, has a important meaning for Flamengo and its fans. The continental tournament is seen as one of the club's main objectives each season. Any result other than victory can generate dissatisfaction and pressure on the technical committee, as occurred after the setback against Peñarol.

In this context, Tite's speech not only recognizes the fans' dissatisfaction, but also is realistic in relation to what is expected from a club like Flamengo. The demand for titles is part of the package when taking over a club of this size, and the coach seems to be aware of this when he points out that he will only be able to win the support of the fans with significant victories.

This Thursday night belonged to Flamengo at Maracanã. Coach Tite's men had the mission of beating Fortaleza and continuing in the isolated leadership of the Brazilian Championship. Therefore, the red and black team ended up defeated in the confrontation. In a balanced match, the Gávea team ended up defeated 2x1 and saw Palmeiras take the lead in the Championship with 33 points.

The match started with a very intense pace, with both teams making good use of the opposing weaknesses to attack. Flamengo faced danger from aerial balls and tried to occupy more of the offensive field, while Tricolor explored the back of the defense a lot, in a reactive proposal. But the first goal of the game ended up coming from a set piece, from a corner kick by Fortaleza, which Flamengo's Wesley deflected into his own goal. Tite's team continued with the strategy of working from foot to foot in the attacking field, but began to be more aggressive, especially when Matheus Gonçalves took command of the attack, distributing balls or risking dribbling to break the strong pressing. The red-black goal resulted in Pedro's shot against the crossbar and was consolidated when the attacker suffered a penalty, which he converted to equalize. Flamengo continued at a strong pace until the end of the first half, while the Fortaleza team had difficulty recovering the momentum of the opening minutes of the game.

However, in the second half, Fortaleza came back better at the beginning of the game. stage. It was more dangerous and Flamengo tried its moves without much effect. With that, in the 17th minute, Lucero takes the ball in defense and passes it deep to Pochettino. The midfielder advances on the left side of the attack and crosses back to Lucero at the edge of the Flamengo area. There, the attacker doesn't forgive and hits the corner to put Tricolor back in front of the scoreboard. The goal made Tite make changes to the team, where he replaced Gabigol in Allan's place, so Fla had two attackers again and the volume of the game increased, including the tricolor goalkeeper making two good saves. The game continued and at 43 minutes, the red and black finally scored the equalizer and with it, Gabigol. However, the number 99's goal was disallowed for offside, after VAR analysis. The match continued and ended up 2-1 for the Cearense team.

With the result, Flamengo has 31 points and drops to third place in the Brasileirão. This is because Botafogo is drawing with Vitória and is taking second place. Palmeiras now leads with 33 points, after beating Atlético-Go 3-1 earlier.

Flamengo's next commitment is again in the Brazilian Championship. In this sense, they face Criciúma, also at Maracanã. The match takes place next Saturday, at 4pm (Brasília time). Rubro-Negro will have the return of Arrascaeta, De La Cruz, Viña and Varela, who were serving their teams in the Copa América.