TITE RECOGNIZES FLAMENGO'S DISADVANTAGE BY CLASSIFICATION IN 2ND PLACE IN LIBERTADORES

The goalless draw between Flamengo and Botafogo, this Sunday (18), in the 9th round of the Brazilian Championship, left a bitter taste in Maracanã. Even with the maintenance of the vice-leadership, the red-black performance fell short of expectations, and one name, in particular, became the target of the fans' dissatisfaction: Everton Cebolinha.

After starting on the bench against LDU in the Libertadores, Cebolinha returned to the starting lineup, but was unable to produce much in attack. In 87 minutes on the field, the number 11 had difficulty breaking through the black and white defense and was heavily criticized on social media after the final whistle. The numbers reinforce the negative perception of the fans. According to data from Sofascore, Cebolinha received a score of 6.2 — below average for a striker — and finished the match with 14 losses of possession, no shots on goal and only one successful dribble in four attempts.

NEW CRITICISM OF THE ATTACKER

The repercussion on social media was heavy. Among the most liked comments, fans classified the striker as “the worst value for money in the club’s history” and “the worst among the bad wingers in the squad” . The criticism is stronger given the investment made: the player was signed for around 13.5 million euros from Benfica in 2022.

AN INDIVIDUAL VALUE

In addition to the individual performance, the weak collective performance of the offensive sector is a warning sign. Filipe Luís, who is in charge of the team temporarily, has not yet managed to give consistency to the attack, and Flamengo has now gone three games without scoring in the Brasileirão. The draw against Botafogo prevented the Rubro-Negro from catching up with the leader Palmeiras. With the stumble in the derby, Fla reached 18 points, four less than the green and white team, which beat Bragantino 2-1 on the same day. Botafogo, in turn, dropped to 11th place, with 12 points.

Despite having a solid campaign, Flamengo has been asked to perform more convincingly, especially in home games. At Maracanã, the team once again struggled to create clear plays and suffered from Botafogo's marking. Expectations for the striker's performance are high, but his performance on the field is still far from the potential that the player has demonstrated in other phases of his career.

In the most anticipated classic of the round, the 0-0 draw between Flamengo and Botafogo may have left some of the fans frustrated, but it did not shake Alex Sandro. For the experienced full-back, the collective performance on the field was positive, considering the context of a heavy sequence of games and physical exhaustion of the squad.

“A very intense game, well studied, it’s always difficult to play a classic. Obviously we wanted to win. However, that point at the end is always important,” said the player in the mixed zone of Maracanã.

A GAME OF DIFFICULTY

Between the victory over LDU-EQU in the middle of the week and the duel against Botafogo, Flamengo had less than 72 hours between them. The previous Saturday, they had faced Bahia in the Brasileirão. According to Alex Sandro, this scenario explains the noticeable fatigue on the field. The marathon of commitments even led the coaching staff to rest Arrascaeta in the derby.

ARRASCAETA SAVED

The Uruguayan midfielder started on the bench and only came on in the second half, being rested after suffering fatigue in the victory against LDU in the South American Cup. Alex Sandro reinforced the team's understanding of the committee's decisions: “First of all, congratulations to all the players for their effort. We came from a difficult week, with decisive games. Every game is always decisive for us. We really wanted to win, but it's always difficult to play against Botafogo.”

The speech is in line with the general discomfort at Ninho do Urubu. Internally, Flamengo's coaching staff and medical department are treating the accumulation of matches with caution and are looking for alternatives to avoid new injuries — Rubro-Negro has been facing difficulties in keeping the squad 100% available.

After the goalless draw against Botafogo, this Sunday (18), at Maracanã, for the 9th round of the Brasileirão, coach Filipe Luís gave a press conference and made a specific analysis of three promising Flamengo players: Evertton Araújo, Lorran and Matheus Gonçalves. With many absences in the squad, the coach had to resort to the base and made clear what he thinks about each youngster.

A STRONGER CAST

The name that stood out the most was Evertton Araújo. Chosen to be the starting midfielder, replacing Gerson, the number 35 played for the entire 90 minutes and had solid numbers: 33 successful passes out of 39 attempted (85% success rate), five defensive duels won out of five played and a solid performance.

— Everton is always very reliable. He dominates the midfield in defense and has great quality in support. He always solves the problems faced by his teammates under pressure. That's why I feel so safe when I put him in — said Filipe.

The midfielder is likely to continue as a starter. This is because Nico de la Cruz left the field with pain and will undergo tests. In addition to him, Pulgar and Allan are still out, both recovering from muscle injuries. Another youngster approached by Filipe was Lorran, who was included in the squad for the second time under the coach's command. After a period in the under-20s, the midfielder reappeared in the main group, but did not take part in the derby.

A NEW MOMENT

According to Filipe, the decision to call him up came after conversations with Nuno, the under-20 coach, who highlighted the midfielder's progress in training and matches in the category. However, due to recent fatigue in youth team matches and absence from training with the main team, the coach decided not to include him. Although he has not yet gained minutes, the youngster is seen as a possible replacement for Arrascaeta, who has been frequently absent.

Until the match against Botafogo , Matheus had only played four minutes in the Brasileirão. Now, with more time on the field, he may have other chances, as long as he improves his understanding of his roles on the field. With a squad weakened by injuries and call-ups, the tendency is for the Garotos do Ninho to gain more and more space in the coming weeks. The next match is on Wednesday (21), against Botafogo-PB, for the third phase of the Copa do Brasil.