Between Diniz’s praise and great goal, Lima earns points at Fluminense for versatility

Lima is the man of the moment at Fluminense. Not just for the great goal scored against Nova Iguaçu, in the 1-0 victory, last Tuesday, at Maracanã, for the second round of the Guanabara Cup. But for getting praise on and off the field. Among the reinforcements hired for the season, he was the one who managed to draw attention the fastest and, among the praises of coach Fernando Diniz, he has managed to adapt quickly.

Even before the goal scored against Nova Iguaçu, Lima was already gaining points internally. O GLOBO revealed that he was considered by the coaching staff as one of the best players during the pre-season for his physical and tactical performance. As a striker, midfielder or defensive midfielder, he has managed to fulfill what coach Fernando Diniz expects.

In his debut, against Resende, Lima replaced Paulo Henrique Ganso at half-time and played further forward, touching forwards Jhon Arias and Germán Cano. Already against Nova Iguaçu, with a lineup with reserves, he played in a more backward line, almost teaming up with Felipe Melo in defensive recomposition. He scored a great goal, but he excelled tactically in both opportunities.

In the press conference after the victory over Nova Iguaçu, Fernando Diniz avoided using the term “joker” to refer to the midfielder, but already admits that he will use him in various roles throughout the season. This versatility, by the way, was one of the reasons that made Fluminense seek to hire him.

“Too early to be talking about jokers. If you look at Giovanni, Martinelli, Michel (Araújo), and today Giovanni took the lead and ended up as second wheel. And Lima started in the other more advanced game, and today more backwards. Isaac himself today played from 10 and then in another position. So, I think this versatility is natural, being able to play in more than one position, as with André, Martinelli and other players – said the coach.

With the victory, the second in two games, Fluminense maintained its 100% record and is in second place in the Campeonato Carioca, behind Flamengo in terms of goal difference. The top four teams advance to the semifinals of the competition.