Leonardo Jardim, Flamengo’s head coach, shared his thoughts on the team’s narrow 1-0 win over Grêmio in the Brasileirão. Despite dominating possession and creating more chances, the scoreline remained tight.
“Regarding the ease, it’s the players who make the game easy. Through our skills and what we showed on the pitch, we made the game simpler. From the outside, it might look like an easy game, but the players were the ones who turned it into that. On the side of the field, in the first half I think we overemphasized the right flank. That was something I corrected at halftime—to be more balanced, attacking from both the right and left,” analyzed the red-and-black manager.
Fla’s performance at the Arena:
“History says Grêmio hasn’t lost here in a while. In the last 12 meetings, Flamengo had only won three times here. The victory is extremely deserved because we were the better team in both halves. Offensive efficiency wasn’t at its best—we hit the woodwork twice—but the win is fully justified by what the team produced across both periods. The players deserve praise.”
Was the team more rested after the postponed game in Colombia?
“Regarding the Colombia game not happening, physically we were much fresher. But physiologically, related to sleep, the same problem remained because we had to travel overnight, sleeping only two or three hours on the plane. However, we did good work here in Porto Alegre with three training sessions. This stay also allowed players to sleep more, which was the idea. If we had gone back to Rio, we wouldn’t have controlled their sleep. Here we managed the group and regulated sleeping hours, which was crucial for them to show this performance both physiologically and physically.”
**What else Leonardo Jardim said**
**Suspensions of Everton Araújo and Jorginho, and situations of Pulgar and Paquetá:**
“For the next game, they are not suspended (Evertton and Jorginho) because it’s a different competition (Copa do Brasil), but we must prepare the team well. I once played against Vitória and felt that… Vitória is talking about refereeing, but I sensed a revolt and extra pressure. We have to mentally prepare the team because things beyond football can happen.”
**Difference compared to Palmeiras:**
“We don’t really think about who our opponents are; we think about winning three points in each game. That’s our focus, regardless of the opponent’s result. When you look at the last round, we dropped two points and the opponent also dropped points, but that didn’t make us more or less motivated. What motivates us is representing Flamengo and knowing that every game is a chance to get three points, whether home or away, no matter the opponent. That’s why we achieved what we wanted. It was a very good week—we qualified in the Libertadores, earned more three points in the league, recovered some players, and now we’ll prepare for the big game, the final against Vitória. We need to strengthen the team for the next stage; it will be a tough match and we must be highly prepared.”
**Team pressure:**
“The physical aspect is important, but our schedule doesn’t allow much recovery—we play every three days. So I hope the injured players return to increase squad numbers and provide more solutions. It’s important for us to press and play with rhythm, not letting opponents play freely. In the first half, the opponent managed two or three transitions, but in the second half we corrected that and they barely had any.”
