“I’ll take one more piece of information: I don’t know if we repeated the lineup this year, so it’s an indication that there are changes”
This was one of Tite’s statements after the 2-1 defeat to Bolívar in La Paz, on Wednesday. With approval from the board, Flamengo went to the field with a very modified team and suffered its first defeat of the year. Asked about the decision to save, the coach even turned to Guardiola to say it was nothing new.
What made Flamengo save players? Sportv News analyzes Tite’s choices
But, after all, Tite has already repeated his selection in Flamengo in 2024? The answer is yes. On the sidelines of the field in 19 games this season, the coach used 15 different lineups. He repeated the same formation on five occasions, three times in consecutive matches. All in Carioca Championship games.
The repeated lineup was: Rossi, Varela, Fabrício Bruno, Léo Pereira and Ayrton Lucas; Pulgar, De la Cruz and Arrascaeta; Luiz Araújo, Pedro and Cebolinha.
This team went to the field for the first time at the end of February when they beat Fluminense 2-0 and won the Guanabara Cup. Against Madureira, Tite made some occasional changes. In the next two games, both against Fluminense, the formation was used again, and the red-and-blacks came through with a victory and a draw.
He started the sequence against Nova Iguaçu in a 3-0 victory in the first match of the final. This formation was not used in the Libertadores debut against Millonarios, at altitude: Tite rested Léo Pereira, Ayrton Lucas and Luiz Araújo, while De la Cruz was left out due to a virus. In the following game, to lift the Carioca cup, the 11 returned to the field.
- 02/25: Flamengo 2 x 0 Fluminense: Rossi, Varela, Fabrício Bruno, Léo Pereira, Ayrton Lucas, Pulgar, De la Cruz, Arrascaeta, Luiz Araújo, Pedro and Cebolinha.
- 02/03: Flamengo 3 x 0 Madureira: Rossi, Varela, Fabrício Bruno, David Luiz, Viña, Pulgar, Arrascaeta, De la Cruz, Luiz Araújo, Pedro and Bruno Henrique.
- 09/02: Fluminense 0 x 2 Flamengo: Rossi, Varela, Fabrício Bruno, Léo Pereira, Ayrton Lucas, Pulgar, De la Cruz, Arrascaeta, Luiz Araújo, Pedro and Cebolinha.
- 03/16: Flamengo 0 x 0 Fluminense: Rossi, Varela, Fabrício Bruno, Léo Pereira, Ayrton Lucas, Pulgar, De la Cruz, Arrascaeta, Luiz Araújo, Pedro and Cebolinha.
- 03/30: Nova Iguaçu 0 x 3 Flamengo: Rossi, Varela, Fabrício Bruno, Léo Pereira, Ayrton Lucas, Pulgar, De la Cruz, Arrascaeta, Luiz Araújo, Pedro and Cebolinha.
- 02/04: Millionaires 1 x 1 Flamengo: Rossi, Varela, Fabrício Bruno, David Luiz, Viña, Pulgar, Igor Jesus, Arrascaeta, Bruno Henrique, Pedro and Cebolinha.
- 07/04: Flamengo 1 x 0 Nova Iguaçu: Rossi, Varela, Fabrício Bruno, Léo Pereira, Ayrton Lucas, Pulgar, De la Cruz, Arrascaeta, Luiz Araújo, Pedro and Cebolinha.
Watch the press conference between Tite and Viña, from Flamengo, after the Libertadores defeat
It is worth noting that the repetitions in sequence took place when the calendar only included one game per week. With their debut in the Libertadores, Flamengo only used this lineup in the final against Nova Iguaçu. Then, he used five different lineups in five games.
In the defeat against Bolívar, Pedro, Arrascaeta, Pulgar, Ayrton Lucas and Varela did not even travel with the delegation to La Paz; Luiz Araújo started on the bench and Léo Pereira, Cebolinha and Allan were other absences.
Adding the two games with Mário Jorge, Flamengo had 21 commitments. In total, 17 different lineups – one was repeated five times and the other 16 lineups were all different from each other.
The defensive system was the one that underwent the least changes under Tite. The formation that includes Rossi, Varela, Fabrício Bruno, Léo Pereira and Ayrton Lucas started 11 of the 19 games with the coach. Together, they only conceded a goal from Ferreira, from São Paulo. During the year, Flamengo was leaked only six times.
The defense variations involved David Luiz and Léo Ortiz, who debuted against Palestino and also started against Bolívar. Viña was used in four games.
The midfield trio – Pulgar, De la Cruz and Arrascaeta – started playing in eight games. The modifications came mainly with the use of Allan and Igor Jesus in some moments when De la Cruz and/or Arrascaeta were preserved.
In attack, Luiz Araújo, Pedro and Cebolinha started 11 of the 19 games. Bruno Henrique was the most used piece to change this trio. The number 27, for example, started in the last three games (São Paulo, Palmeiras and Bolívar): one in place of Luiz Araújo and the other two in place of Cebolinha, who is injured.
The two players most used by Tite were: Bruno Henrique (seven times starter and 12 times reserve) and Luiz Araújo (13 times starter and six times reserve). However, goalkeeper Rossi is the player who played the most: 18 of the 19 with Tite.
“Macabre night, Flamengo is in pieces”, laments Arthur | Voice of the Fan
Watch: all about Flamengo on ge, on Globo and on sportv
