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The 3-0 victory over Goiás in Serrinha was fundamental for Flamengo, after adding only one point in three games that were treated as a sequence to reach the leadership – in fact, if they had seven against Fortaleza, Fluminense and Ceará today they would be with 58, one more than São Paulo.
The downside of the victory is that the fans who went to protest at the door of CT Ninho do Urubu a week ago throwing eggs and destroying the players’ cars believe that the team only runs if it is threatened. It is clear that athletes who have won five titles in the last 12 months have been “bitten” and the trend is to seek solutions and redouble efforts to react in the only competition left of the season. But they did not win again because of the unforgivable harassment in the workplace.
Flamengo was more intense in Goiânia, this is undeniable. Even with the heavy rain in the first half. Both in post-loss pressure and in the circulation of the ball. Taking advantage of the disorganization of Goiás with three defenders and betting everything on long or high balls for the Fernandão-Rafael Moura couple in attack.
Diego Ribas got into the suspended Gérson position very well and the offensive quartet showed more mobility, with Gabigol at various times looking for the left side, alternating with Bruno Henrique, and Arrascaeta circling all sectors to articulate and also finish off, as in the goal that opened the scoring.
But the red and black team still has moments of agitation, dispersion and it is impressive how Gabigol goes offside when it comes to finishing. Out of sheer anxiety and also because of the habit of looking at the teammate with the ball and not at his position in relation to the defenders when receiving the pass. Again he had goals canceled by an irregular position. Two.
He simply did not waste the generous opportunity that Bruno Henrique gave him, who took advantage of the failure of defender Fábio Sanches, who slipped. Like Pedro, who entered the position with shirt number nine, he was not wrong after Goiás’ hesitation on the ball and scored the third goal over Tadeu in the championship.
3-0 and returns to the G-4, game against Palmeiras on Thursday. In Mané Garrincha, since Maracanã is available for the Conmebol protocols that point to the final of the Libertadores, on the 30th. The game continues to be an unknown in relation to the position of the São Paulo team. Will he come with everything after the 4-0 win over Corinthians in the derby, including the repetition of the first formation of the win? Or is Abel Ferreira going to prioritize the rest of the most exhausted thinking about knockout decisions?
In any case, Alviverde’s homogeneous squad should give the Portuguese manager the opportunity to build a competitive team. That’s almost always more comfortable when opponents give up space to accelerate. Corinthians was generous in this regard.
Like Domènec Torrent in his last game in front of Flamengo: 4-0 imposed by Atlético Mineiro on matchday 20. Even with many defensive problems and little confidence, the Catalan coach put the team on the attack in Mineirão and gave everything they needed to Jorge Sampaoli’s team, which was going through a crisis and did not win in four games: field for the counterattack. A “deadly” mistake. He was beaten and fired.
Rogério Ceni is not in danger of being fired, at least for now. And not having conceded goals in Serrinha was important. However, the risk is the same. If the lines go too far, you will have to work with pressure precisely after losing the ball. Or speed up the defensive transition, keeping the end result well. To insist with the slow Gustavo Henrique, who did well against the “twin towers” of Goiás, will also be a mistake, the same as that of Dome against Gallo in November.
In the rigor of the numbers in the context of the Brazilian, Flamengo is one point ahead of Palmeiras, with the same 29 games. A draw at home would not exactly be a good result, but neither would it symbolize a catastrophe. It is time to find a balance: neither excessive caution, nor suicidal strategy in the name of an offensive proposal.
It is a decision within the competition for the points scored, in the 31st round that Grêmio x Atlético-MG and São Paulo x Internacional still have. Winning the tricolor gaucho at home and a draw in Morumbi are not impossible results. In this hypothetical scenario, a red and black victory would elevate the defending champion to 55 points, in third place and three points behind the leader.
More than that, it would be a test of strength, after so many negative results against direct competitors, and it would also give confidence to a complicated sequence away from home, against Athletico, Grêmio (game postponed since matchday 23) and Sport. To return to Rio de Janeiro I still live in such an unpredictable championship.
Ceni will have her litmus test on Thursday. It is not advisable to give arms to the great national rival of recent years.
