São Paulo tries to avoid chaos in the Brazilian Cup final – 09/23/2023 – Sports

São Paulo and Flamengo reach the final game of the Copa do Brasil in the image and likeness of their coaches.

The tricolor team, led by the serene Dorival Júnior, has the advantage of the score built in the first game, at Maracanã, 1-0. At home, on Sunday afternoon (24), they just need to remain calm in executing their plan to confirm the title.

The red and black team, led by the irritable Jorge Sampaoli, is experiencing an extended period of chaos. The team seems to manage a crisis a day and, somehow, will have to forget their problems in an attempt to turn around the decisive clash at Morumbi.

Close to unprecedented glory in the tournament, São Paulo tries to remain aloof from its rival’s mess. At the Barra Funda training center, Dorival tried to keep the players calm, anxious about the possibility of lifting the club’s most important trophy in 15 years.

“Anxiety is a natural fact, we have to live with all of this”, said the coach. “People are giving their lives to make everything happen. São Paulo is about to be rewarded for working seriously and with dedication.”

A job that Flamengo gave up. Dorival led the club to the Copa do Brasil title last year, and also triumphed in the Copa Libertadores. The board, however, saw problems and preferred to exchange the professional for the Portuguese Vítor Pereira.

The Gávea club then began an extremely turbulent season. Pereira lost everything he competed for and was replaced by the Argentine Sampaoli, who, with his agitated manner, did not build the relationship with the group that Júnior had in 2022.

The last few months have seen three recorded cases of aggression involving players, coaching staff and managers. Physical trainer Pablo Fernández punched striker Pedro and was fired. Then, it was midfielder Gerson’s turn to break full-back Varela’s nose.

This week, the club’s vice-president of football, Marcos Braz, was involved in a fight with a fan in a shopping center in Rio de Janeiro. Charged with the team’s bad phase, he appeared on video kicking this fan to the ground – he said he had merely reacted.

The fan’s version is different and includes the surreal report of an alleged bite taken to the groin. But, regardless of the duel of versions, it became yet another problem on the eve of a decisive confrontation.

“These are isolated facts, I can’t control them. The diagnosis I make of what is happening has to do with the fact that Flamengo has won a lot recently, and is now experiencing a complicated year,” said Sampaoli.

“It was already complicated before I arrived. The pressure is very high. So, there is nervousness. This nervousness passes into the game, into the way of resolving a play, there is a lot of tension. I think that doesn’t help,” he added.

São Paulo also underwent a change of command, but the process was much less turbulent. Dorival arrived in April – a week after Sampaoli’s announcement at Flamengo – and achieved what was not seen in Gávea: stability.

This difference was transferred to the field, which was evident in the first match of the decision. The tricolor team executed a clear game plan and imposed itself on a disorganized opponent, without a clear pattern, the result of constant changes in the lineup.

It is very likely that Júnior will maintain the lineup that fulfilled his role at Maracanã. Sampaoli is counting on Flamengo’s unpredictability to turn a final that leans the other way. It’s almost impossible to predict the lineup. Which could see the return of the frequently injured Arrascaeta.

São Paulo x Flamengo
Sunday (24), at 4pm, in Morumbi
Broadcast: Globo, SporTV and Prime Video