Far from the ideal rhythm, Fluminense beats Madureira in Cariacica with a goal by Jhon Arias

Deputy leader of the Guanabara Cup, but with one game less in relation to Flamengo, Fluminense did the simple thing to maintain the series of victories. But despite the beautiful party in Cariacica, Espírito Santo, not everything was worthy of applause. The 1-0 victory against Madureira comes through the brilliance of Jhon Arias, becoming the best player of the season so far. Alert on, however, the fact that the tricolor still lacks intensity and pace of play compared to last year. Natural for being the beginning of the season.

The tricolor goal was scored by Jhon Arias, at the beginning of the first stage, taking advantage of Martinelli’s headed deflection in a corner kick and propping up after the ball hit the crossbar. Again better on the field, the Colombian is one that is not at risk of going to the bench. He dictated the tricolor rhythm in the match, controlled the actions and was fundamental in not letting Madureira have the ball.

The same cannot be said of Yago Felipe, who did not gear up in 2023. If the match stood out for starting the title dispute with the reserves, the midfielder needs to present more. In the two games so far, performances well below those presented in the previous year. Giovanni Manson, who gained a chance with André’s absence, pleased despite the still evident lack of rapport. Keno lives the same situation.

Who will sleep peacefully is Calegari. Original midfielder and now improvised as a left-back, he has been collecting good performances and will give work to Jorge, who will not have an easy life if he wants to fight for the title. At this point, there’s no reason to drop him from the main team.

In this roller coaster of actions, Fluminense controlled and little was scared. Madureira’s danger shots came from poorly cleared balls or pass errors in the defense. Nothing Fábio couldn’t solve. During the 90 minutes, the feeling was that the tricolor would make a wider score if it accelerated its rotation a little more. Keno stopped Dida twice. That’s why the alert for the rhythm below normal.

Against Boavista, next Thursday, comes the chance to present a better performance.