Gonzalo Plata’s role shifts under Leonardo Jardim as Flamengo competition grows | OneFootball

Gonzalo Plata’s role at Flamengo has shifted under Leonardo Jardim, with competition for his place increasing.

According to Globo.com, the Ecuadorian had been a regular under Filipe Luís, who valued his pressing. He was often used away from his natural role on the right and was viewed as cover for Pedro.

End product remained limited. Last year he scored five times in 54 appearances, starting 36. This season he has one goal in 10 games, nine under Filipe, seven starts, plus one under Jardim off the bench in the Carioca final against Fluminense.

He did not feature in Wednesday’s win over Cruzeiro. It is likely he will not start against Botafogo on Saturday at 20:30 at Estádio Nilton Santos, in the sixth round of the Campeonato Brasileiro. He missed group training on Thursday to travel to São Paulo for work visa matters, then worked in the afternoon at the Ninho.

Jardim’s model underpins the change. He favours a more direct approach, places less weight on possession and high pressing, and adjusts to opponents during games. He also avoids improvisation and has indicated he does not intend to use Plata as a centre forward.

As a result, Plata will compete for minutes on the right. His main rivals for a starting berth are Luiz Araújo, Carrascal and Paquetá, the latter two operating more as right sided midfielders.

Source: Globo.com