Analysis: the defeat suffered exposes all the problems of a Flamengo without identity | Flamengo

These numbers are just an image of what was the 5-0 defeat suffered by Independiente del Valle, by Libertadores. In the first big test of the team led by Domènec Torrent, the damage was considerable and exposed many faulty aspects in a project still under construction, but which suffers a severe blow with such a result, it is as if many houses are on the board.

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Flamengo disappointed from many points of view: tactical, technical and emotional. It was not possible to see an identity in the team, an established way of playing, regardless of the opponent. And the price for that was loaded categorically, against the first opponent with the most consistent and qualified work to come.

Height will always be remembered as a factor that makes it difficult for those who go to Quito to face local teams. Comparisons with previous works are usually superficial, but it should be noted: at the beginning of the year, Flamengo drew with Del Valle in the same city, under the same conditions, but with a completely different performance.

A level of maturity similar to that achieved at the time with Jorge Jesús is not being demanded, but a certain level of competitiveness is expected, at any stage of the work.

Flamengo de Domènec was completely exposed. The game started and ended idle. With the ball, he didn’t know what to do. Without it, the proposed strategy worked reasonably until the first goal. After that, it was downhill.

Dome brought a 4-3-3 team onto the field, a scheme that hasn’t worked with the current squad since the new manager arrived. Diego and Gerson, lined up, went up to pressure the defenders, and Gabigol individually marked Pellerano, the midfielder who is the great brain of the Ecuadorian team’s ball output.

The idea was almost kamikaze: a stolen ball would leave Flamengo with the shortest way to reach the goal. Gerson had a chance this way. On the other hand, any escape from Del Valle left the owners with plenty of room to attack.

That was how the left-back Beder Caicedo fell to the middle, received with extreme freedom on Diego’s back and started the play that resulted in the goal of Moisés Caicedo.

Dome even tried to fix things in the second half. He returned to 4-2-3-1, with Bruno Henrique in place of Diego. The team seemed to have improved: in the first minute, Gabigol missed a great opportunity in the small area in the only play worked by Flamengo throughout the game.

And then came the punishment. Preciado came out on the right wing, lined up in the center of the field and, undisturbed, appeared at the entrance of the area to score a goal. In all this time, Flamengo’s defensive transition was extremely slow.

From the second goal, there was no more game, but a ball from Independiente del Valle. Flamengo was delivered. There were no more marks, there was no longer the slightest attempt at articulation. To the point of Schunke, a defender who in the first half was so watched by Gerson, leave his defense, record and load the ball until the attack without being disturbed.

The naturalness with which Del Valle built the win exposes Flamengo too much. The altitude problem cannot explain everything. It is not the first time that the team has dropped a level after conceding a goal and does not show the ability to react, but the passivity shown, especially in marking, is worrying.

In addition to all the effects it generates, the defeat also has another facet: it makes Dome’s walk even more difficult. The coach will argue that he needs time, and he’s right. But, how to ask patience from an audience that has gotten used to scoring and not being thrashed?