Tite was hired with the mission of classifying Flamengo for the group stage of the Libertadores. At the time, in October 2023, the club was at risk of being left out of the continental competition. Tite was the solution, the goal was achieved and last Tuesday the coach began the second stage of his first mission: the journey towards Eternal Glory.
Some reactions from Tite in the final minutes of Millonarios x Flamengo
If it wasn’t enough to experience his debut in the Libertadores with Flamengo, Tite also had the butterflies in his stomach when he returned to the competition after seven years. The long periods in charge of the Brazilian team meant that the coach had not competed in the continental competition since 2016, when he was at Corinthians.
This is the ninth Libertadores of Tite’s career. O ge He closely followed the coach’s return to the competition in which he was already champion, in 2012 also with Corinthians. The first experience with Flamengo was a bitter draw with Millonarios under heavy rain in the final minutes of the match at El Campín, in Bogotá, Colombia.
On the edge of the pitch, Tite showed his classic pose: hand on chin, forehead furrowed, serious expression to watch the game. In a black, waterproof coat.
Two words sum up the coach in his Libertadores debut for Flamengo: concentration and guidance. Quiet and observant, Tite spent almost the entire time alone in the technical committee area – unlike recent games in which assistants Matheus Bachi and Cléber Xavier were present for debate.
At El Campín, Matheus appeared in his father’s ear almost exclusively during set pieces. The assistant took the lead to give instructions to the players while Tite observed and scored specific shots. Cléber, this time, spent practically the entire 90 minutes in the second chair on the bench taking notes.
If César didn’t get up, Tite went to him to exchange quick words. In many Flamengo plays it was possible to see the coach giving the players ‘step by step’.
In the first half, in which Flamengo suffered a lot on the left side, Viña and Cebolinha were the ones who listened most to the coach’s recommendations, who also pulled Igor Jesus to talk while the ball was rolling. In the second half, the guidelines were more collective.
Tite sits on the bench and stretches quickly in Millonarios x Flamengo
The curious scene is the moment when, while Matheus was giving instructions, Tite sat on the bench and did a quick stretch on his right foot. At the end of 2023, the coach had a knee prosthesis fitted and, since then, he has taken advantage of his moments of rest to take care of himself (see video above).
Penalty time was the moment when Tite appeared most restless. Walking from side to side, the coach positioned himself close to his coaching staff and celebrated by sawing his fists, just before hugging his teammates.
Further to the side, the players on the bench celebrated Pedro’s goal in a circle. Tite ran there, celebrated quickly and asked the athletes to sit on the bench and put on their vests – a mandatory item to remain in that area (see video below).
Tite and Flamengo’s bench celebrate Pedro’s goal
After the equalizing goal, which came in the 35th minute of the second half, Tite began to give new instructions through many gestures directly from the technical area. The coach, at all times, looked at the screen to his left to monitor the time of the match.
The last two minutes were heavy rain. The coach saw Flamengo trying to pressure to get a draw. It didn’t. At the final whistle, Tite quickly went to the bench to speak to Matheus and Cléber. The last act on the side of the pitch was the hug with Millonarios coach, Alberto Gamero.
On Sunday, the coach returns to the edge of the pitch in a game that counts against Carioca. The 3-0 victory at Nova Iguaçu in the first game left the coach very close to his first victory with Flamengo.
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Tags: Guidelines leg stretching lots rain videos Tite returned Libertadores Flamengo Flamengo
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