Flamengo, Palmeiras and Sao Paulo advanced in Libertadores. Fortaleza, Inter and Botafogo were out. There were no surprises. Fortaleza and Inter fell a lot, and Inter still faced Flamengo. Botafogo lost their main players from last year, besides having faced the good LDU team, which, at home, at the heights, is much stronger.
Flamengo improved even more with the midfield formed by Jorginho and Saul. Both mark and have great passes. Arrascaeta remains bright, now closer to the goal. He is one of those special players who know how to wait for the right moment of the decisive bid. No time with useless things. Flamengo, collectively, is the Brazilian team that uses more modern concepts, such as passing pass from defense, compaction and pressure to quickly recover the ball.
Flamengo, in the obsession of being the largest team in America and one of the great in the world, made a new millionaire contract with one of the betting houses. They dominate Brazilian football. They encourage many, usually poor people to spend what they can’t. Worse yet, the number of addicts with their serious consequences increase. Too bad that so many famous people, whether or not linked to football, have become BETS poster boys.
Palmeiras plays enough to win without excesses. Abel Ferreira changes several players and the strategy according to the moment and the opponent. Usually it works.
São Paulo, on the average of the two draws with Atletico Nacional, was lower, but qualified on penalties. In the first match, the Colombian team lost two penalties. When Sao Paulo has all the main players, in shape, it will have a good chance of growing in the final stretch of Libertadores and Brasileirão.
Ferreirinha, as was the case under the command of Zubeldía in São Paulo himself and Renato Gaúcho in Grêmio, enters only in the second half and plays very well. Coaches, commentators and fans like the buzzword that some players only play well when they enter the match.
Midfielder Marcos Antônio is one of the main highlights of São Paulo. He is light, clever, skilled, slides on the lawn. It looks like Vitinha, midfielder of PSG and the Portuguese team. The two disarm, pass the ball quickly, advance and will receive it ahead. Command and inflame the teams.
I have been repeating for 26 years in my column-you readers have been tired of reading-that in recent decades, the Brazilian technical sages have shared the midfield between the two steering wheels that mark and throw from the middle back and the centralized offensive midfielder who works close to the area and the opposing goal.
The great midfielders who mark, build, advance and act from one intermediate to another have disappeared. This has changed slowly. In the selection, a star is missing in the midfield. Ancelotti will miss a Modric, a Kroos, midfielders who have played for many years at Real Madrid under his command.
What players will be in Brazil and will be summoned by Ancelotti? Neymar will be called? Leaving him would be a way to stimulate him to prepare to play better. Even the stars need to prove that they are well. The line goes and is in a hurry.
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