Analysis: games by other teams against the same opponents are a “slap in the face” for Flamengo | Flamengo

Flamengo fans went to sleep with something bad to digest besides yet another defeat in the Libertadores: the recent examples of other more modest teams against the same opponents as Rubro-Negro.

Palestino, who defeated Flamengo 1-0 in an almost empty stadium in Coquimbo, Chile, on Tuesday night, was the same team that was beaten 4-0 by Bolívar at home (and playing in front of their fans in Rancagua). And last week, the narrow 1-0 victory over Amazonas at Maracanã, in the Copa do Brasil, was also heavily criticized. Even more so now that Ponte Preta played against them in Series B and won 3-0 at home.

Palestino 1 x 0 Flamengo | Best moments | 4th round | CONMEBOL Libertadores

Meanwhile, Flamengo turned the bad phase into a routine. There are already six games with just one victory, precisely the one contested against Amazonas. And poor performance across the board. Against the modest Palestino, Rubro-Negro seemed colder than the freezing rainy night in Coquimbo. A team spaced out, sometimes exposed and often sleepy, especially in the first half. And that he depended too much on De la Cruz to build something.

Scout – Palestino x Flamengo

Do you remember the speech about Tite’s balanced team, that if Flamengo didn’t concede goals they would inevitably score goals in attack due to the quality of their players? The offensive numbers show that this is no longer the case: there were only three goals in this sequence of six matches. In Coquimbo, the Flamengo had 64% possession of the ball and 17 shots, but again failed to score. And, even though he played poorly, he still had chances against a very limited Palestinian team. There were seven opportunities:

• In the 31st minute of the first half, Cebolinha received a ball from Wesley in the area and got in the goalkeeper’s face, but he didn’t shoot and preferred to try to pass to Gerson.

• In the second half, in the seventh minute De la Cruz passed a beautiful ball for Bruno Henrique to invade the area and shoot into the corner for Rigamonti’s defense.

• At 11, it was two in one: De la Cruz himself, in an individual play in the area, turned his body and made another good save. And on the rebound, Bruno Henrique put it into the net from the outside.

• Luiz Araújo, who lost his starting position, replaced Bruno Henrique and had two chances: the shot that hit the post at 25; and the finish that went past the markers and Gabigol got in the way, due to offside.

• And at 36, Cebolinha crossed to Gabigol’s head, free and in a legal position in the area, but he headed too badly and sent it out.

“Ah, but the guy hit a shot that you only hit once in life and once in death”, as Rossi himself wanted to say at the press conference, although not in those words. Obviously it was a lot of Cornejo’s credit, indefensible. But it’s not worth an excuse because Palestino had two other good chances: one saved by Rossi in the first half and another missed by Marabel in the second. (see image below). And Flamengo, given the team and squad they have, should have won even if they conceded a goal.

It is true that Tite is dealing with two major absences from Pulgar and Arrascaeta (who together make up 66% of the team’s starting midfield). However, you can’t just blame that, just as it’s not just a matter of loss of trust, as Tite himself acknowledged at the press conference.

Tactically, Flamengo stagnated, lost its charm and began to suffer a lot from set pieces. In an all or nothing situation at the end of the game, the team was a mess, with Fabrício Bruno and Léo Pereira in the attack between Pedro and Gabigol.

What saved the night was just Cebolinha. The striker’s return from injury, playing the 90 minutes and having a good performance, was a kind of encouragement.

The result took Flamengo out of the Group E classification zone and into the round of 16 of the Libertadores. With only four points (two behind Palestino), Rubro-Negro is now in third place and sees the risk of embarrassment of elimination in the first phase increasing. Therefore, there will be an “early final” against leader Bolívar next week at Maracanã. Before that, the team will host Corinthians next Saturday, at 4pm (Brasília time), in the sixth round of the Brasileirão.

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