The Transandean coach has not won for three matches, including elimination from the Copa Libertadores, but his main worries are the distance with his team.
Jorge Sampaoli is having a bad time. The Argentine coach can’t get out of Flamengo’s bad moment. Despite being third in the Brasileirao, extra-football issues are taking their toll on the former national coach and in recent weeks the distance with the team from the Rio de Janeiro squad has become more more obvious. Moreover, the elimination in Copa Libertadores, at the hands of Olympia takes credit away from the directive.
This Sunday, Mengao saved a 1-1 draw against ninth-placed Sao Paulo. The São Paulo team won by the minimum count until 90 ‘. But a goal from Pedro, from the penalty spot, in the sixth minute of added time, allowed Sampaoli’s men to save a point at home. The agonizing draw does not calm the waters, yes, since they have played three duels without winning. The divorce with fans is final.
From the stands of the Maracanã, the criticism focused mainly on the DT. Sunday, when the strategist decided to replace the Uruguayan Giorgian De Arrascaeta, there were multiple blunders and “donkey” songs. , directed to the trainer. Recriminations of the coach’s decisions have been constant from the demanding red and black fans.
a dark timeline
After winning the 2022 Copa Libertadores, there have been changes at Flamengo. The departure of Dorival Júnior from the bench and the subsequent arrival of Portuguese Vítor Pereira did not go as planned at the club’s management. Thus, in April 2023, the arrival of Jorge Sampaoli is announced. The ex DT of the Reds He had two experiences in Brazil. One at Atlético Mineiro and the other at Santos.
When he arrived in Rio de Janeiro, the Casildense made it clear that he knew where he was landing. “It’s the club with the biggest supporters in the world. It’s a bigger obligation for me and I will try, with many of these players that I know well, to do important work for this great institution.” he pointed out in his presentation.
In this same case, he was referring to Arturo Vidal, who was then struggling to earn a place in the starting XI. “I have always had a very good relationship with Arturo. I will be grateful all my life for what he generated for his country and in me, in relation to this coincidence that brought us together in this Copa América-winning Chile”, he declared. The midfielder national was one of the most complex issues for DT.
Since his debut to date, Sampaoli has already accumulated 30 games in charge of Flamengo. Numbers aren’t bad if they see for themselves. 17 wins, 8 draws and 6 falls. At Brasilerao they are always on the podium. However, the team is not happy with the coach’s presence. According to outlet Globo Esporte, players are unhappy with their wardrobe management. Additionally, the same site notes that From the directive, they notice the lack of crisis management.
For the moment, they have no intention of removing him from his post. But above all since the attack PF Pablo Fernandez to Pedro the tension is growing. When this situation occurred, Sampaoli did not hide his concern from the media. “I don’t believe in violence as a solution. It won’t get us anywhere. Neither in life nor in football. Throughout my career I have seen so many struggles and they have always left me feeling empty. What happened yesterday made me very sad.” said in conference.
“It really hurts me when two colleagues fight, more than violence. Coaches don’t just focus on tactics and the preparation of football players. Above all, we work to animate teams. We try to improve ourselves and take care of people,” he added.
“Losing”
The one between the PF and Pedro is not the only conflict he has had to face. With Arturo Vidal, whom he praised upon his arrival, the relationship broke down. Both avoided publicly discussing the break while the one trained at Colo Colo was still in the team. But once he left for the Paranaense, it was the footballer who took charge of expressing his position. And he did it with words that made a lot of noise. “I was always ready to play, except I had a loser as a coach, someone who doesn’t know how to appreciate his players,” he said.
It was on the edge of the field, but in a press conference, Vidal insisted. “For me, the Sampaoli case is a closed issue. Now I realized what a lot of people told me about who I was, I never listened. I realized the person he is, the coach he is and the truth is that I feel happy not to be with him anymore,” he remarked.
The Casilda-born man preferred not to respond in the same tone and only stressed that he continued to respect the native of San Joaquín. But the qualification remained and now it rebounds on Sampaoli. After the surprising elimination of Flamengo in Copa Libertadores, in front of olympia the press remembered the words of the Chilean and assured that the trans-Andean is a “loser”.
Rede Globo’s rapporteur, Galvão Bueno, is the one who used these terms to refer to the DT. “I’ve been saying it since the day he arrived: Sampaoli is a loser! Flamengo was not born for a positional scheme, and with 30 different formations in 30 games! Sampaoli, it worked for you!”, shot via his Twitter account.
To make matters worse, in the middle of all this bad atmosphere that haunts Mengao, Brazilian Gerson Santos and Uruguayan Guillermo Varela fought to the punch. As communicated globoesportethe Uruguayan was upset by the entry of a midfielder, which was the start of a serious incident.
“Both were removed from training and directed to the training center. Varela didn’t like it and started yelling at Gerson, who replied, “I’m not even talking to you.” The Uruguayan took the wheel, tried to hit it and Gerson dodged it. He then retaliated with several punches. At first no one tried to separate them, but then some players seemed to calm things down.” the aforementioned media reported.
The worst was highlighted by the Uruguayan, who reportedly ended up with a broken nose after the fight. From inside Flamengo, obviously, they lowered the profile of this new scandal: “The players understand that the episode is part of an intense training session and the preparation for tomorrow’s match continues normally”, have they released in the Rio de Janeiro club.
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Source: Latercera
I’m Scott Moore, a professional writer and journalist based in the US. I’ve been writing for various publications for over 8 years now, and have been working as an author at athletistic for the past five years. My work has been featured by some of the leading sports websites and magazines across Europe.
