Leonardo Jardim under fire at Cruzeiro over ex-Benfica player | OneFootball

Leonardo Jardim admitted that he cannot fit Gabigol, ex Benfica, into his starting eleven, after Cruzeiro's victory in the Brasileirão

After drawing in the last round, Cruzeiro, led by Leonardo Jardim, beat Internacional last Saturday, August 23, in a match for the 21st round of the Brasileirão. After the match, the former coach of Sporting was asked about the possible use of Gabigol, former Benfica striker, in his starting eleven, alongside Kaio Jorge and Matheus Pereira.

"Regarding Gabriel, as you know, and I've said it many times, he's an excellent player and an exemplary professional. In this structure that I play, and within what are my limitations, I often can't fit all three at the same time", Leonardo Jardim began to reveal.

Next, the Cruzeiro coach highlighted the performances of his two starting forwards, pointing to the duo's performance as justification for not using Gabigol: "The two up front (Kaio Jorge and Matheus Pereira), as you can see, are having an extraordinary season. Kaio is having a fantastic season, just like Matheus".

Leonardo Jardim thus admitted being unable to fit Gabigol, ex Benfica, into his tactical system: "I know that sometimes fans want and say: 'ah, but you have to find a system'. But I am just Leonardo Jardim, I am not a person who can do magic. I know this, but the fans don't care, they just want to win and their idols to play".

This season Gabriel Barbosa, valued at 6 million euros, played 31 matches for Cruzeiro. In the 1635 minutes played for the Brazilian emblem, the forward, who passed through the Portuguese championship, scored 11 goals and four assists.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.