Flamengo, undefeated this season and in 12 matches without conceding a goal, has been showing progress on and off the field, after Tite’s arrival. In a recent interview, the president of the Rio team, Rodolfo Landim, spoke about the departure of former coach Jorge Sampaoli and about “passing on the keys” to the team.
A period that Flamengo would like to forget. Without titles and with several controversies behind the scenes, according to the president, the decisive moment for Jorge Sampaoli to leave command of the Rubro-Negro team, happened right after the game against Atlético-MG, when Pablo Fernández, the team’s physical trainer, attacked striker Pedro.
Landim started talking about the climate. “Regarding the environment, I think that we, especially at the end of the Sampaoli period, everyone knows what happened, it’s public. We were doing very well, we were even coming off a victory against Atlético Mineiro, in Minas Gerais. And then there was a moment that was, I think, fundamental and that created, by the way, after that Atlético game. We had a very good technical performance from the group, and then, there was a bit of a very bad moment”.
“Things tried to get right, I think there was an effort from the coaching staff to get back together, to have a good relationship. But it was as if it were a broken, cracked crystal. It wasn’t possible to stick that there, unfortunately the environment was heavy and it looked bad and I’m sure. We have no doubt that this ended up having an impact on the sporting result,” he continued.
Rodolfo Landim, in addition to talking about the controversy involving Jorge Sampaoli’s coaching staff, also spoke about Tite’s arrival. Landim concluded by saying that the arrival of the new coach at the end of last season was extremely important for the team to start the year well.
“Tite’s arrival was great, not only because of the environment he created, but also because he arrived at the end of the year and allowed us to evaluate the squad. With this, it helped us prepare for this year, this year’s planning, which so far has at least proven to be well done and we are happy with the results we are having”.
Former coach Jorge Sampaoli led the Rio team for 29 matches, arriving at Flamengo in April 2023 and being fired at the end of September. The Argentine coach won 20 matches, drew 11 and lost 8, in addition to being eliminated in the round of 16 of the Copa Libertadores and finishing second in the Copa do Brasil.
