In Brasileirão, the time has come for the jaguar to drink water – 11/28/2023 – Tostão

Football has its own secrets and logic. The Brasileirão, a long championship with consecutive points, is the guardian, supporting the importance of reason. At the beginning of the competition, Palmeiras, Flamengo and Atlético-MG were the favorites — and they continue to be in this final stretch, despite the huge advantage that Botafogo had at the end of the first round.

Nobody believes that Botafogo will be the champion anymore, not even Biriba, the name of the famous dog, symbol of Botafogo in the 40s and 50s. What if they win the title? Nothing is impossible. In football, there are several logics that intersect along the way.

I have seen many matches in Brazil and Europe with a large number of clear scoring chances, sometimes for both teams. The match becomes more enjoyable, although the absolute majority of scoring opportunities are missed. One cannot also confuse clear chances of goals with shots. A team can finish a thousand times and not have a single clear scoring opportunity, or on the contrary, have many chances to score without finishing.

This Wednesday (29) is the day of a decisive and historic classic between Flamengo and Atlético-MG, to remember Zico, Reinaldo and other stars. Both teams are having great moments. They differ in the details in the way they play. Flamengo plays with four defenders, two midfielders, a link midfielder, two open and aggressive wingers and a center forward, while Galo plays with two midfielders, two playmakers on the sides (midfielders as they like to say), as well as a pair of attackers.

Flamengo had a fascinating team during Jorge Jesus’ time, because there was an association between a great collective game and a lineup of the best players. This partnership is a hallmark of great teams in history.

Many Brazilian and world football teams prefer an intermediate tactical stance between that of Flamengo and Atlético-MG, with a quick winger and dribbler on one side and on the other a playmaker who participates more in marking and creating plays.

What will Palmeiras’ tactical formation be against América? The team has alternated the formation with three defenders and two wingers with the line of two defenders and two full-backs. More important than tactical training is the quality of the players and professional seriousness. Palmeiras plays each match as if it were the last, the title match.

Grêmio, in fourth place, is divided between a great attack and a weak defense. This imbalance does not lead to titles. One of the reasons the team concedes many goals is that when the midfield advances, exchanging passes with the attack, the defenders remain close to the penalty area, leaving huge spaces between the two sectors, a common deficiency in other Brazilian teams. Grêmio acts as it did when its current coach, Renato, was an exceptional striker.

On the other hand, if the defenders move too far forward and play on the midfield line, as some European teams do, there are usually large spaces behind them. I think the best solution is to position the defenders between the midfield and the penalty area.

The fight to escape relegation is as exciting as the fight to become champion. It’s a shame that some teams save players according to their interests and harm other teams that depend on these results. Cruzeiro, with a beautiful goal from young Robert, 18 years old, beat Goiás and greatly increased their chances of continuing in the first division. This is the time for the jaguar to drink water, as they said in my childhood.

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