Sampaoli admits Flamengo’s “chaotic performance” and rejects conflict with Vidal

O coach Jorge Sampaoli did not swallow Flamengo’s performance in the 1-1 draw with América-MG at Maracanã, for the 16th round of the Brazilian Championship, last Saturday. The coach stated that the Red-Black team had a “chaotic performance”, which does not do justice to the star-studded cast they have at hand.

“I think the game was quite chaotic, especially in the second half. The team accelerated a lot in the moves, did not understand the attack times, against the rival who scored individually. I believe that in this type of match one does not feel comfortable”, said Sampaoli.

Despite Flamengo having won numerous titles in recent years, the coach revealed that he felt anxiety on the part of his players. The team from Rio avoided defeat by América with a goal by Victor Hugo in the 49th minute of the second half.

“We have to analyze everything. But when we have a full week to train, we take advantage of the time to consolidate some need in the team. Today was a game that we mentally believed we would win, but over time we were neutralized and we also didn’t take advantage of the clear chances we had. This caused anxiety and despair. I don’t know if it’s because of a long week of training or because we weren’t mentally prepared for the game.

The result left Flamengo with 28 points, in third place, and could see Botafogo shoot even further in the leaderboard. During the press conference, Jorge Sampaoli was also asked about Vidal’s speeches upon his arrival at Athletico-PR. The Chilean even called the coach a loser.

Sampaoli did not want to come into conflict with his former commander. “I never comment on what others say. Honestly, I make my decisions and I worry a lot about making my team play better. And if Arturo speaks, my way of thinking about Arturo will never change. I never comment on what others say. It’s part of football to make decisions”, he said.

Flamengo is now preparing to face Grêmio, in a game scheduled for this Wednesday, at 21:30, at Arena do Grêmio, for the first leg of the semifinal of the Copa do Brasil.