"Not a winger": Leonardo Jardim explains Paquetá's role at Flamengo | OneFootball

Flamengo beat Cruzeiro 2-0 at Maracanã during the fifth round of the Brasileirão

Among the highlights of Wednesday’s (11th) victory, midfielder Lucas Paquetá received praise during the post-match press conference after the game against Cruzeiro. Thus, coach Leonardo Jardim explained that the player should not play as a winger, but rather in his original position.

— Paquetá is not a winger. To play with a winger like Gonzalo Plata, Carrascal or Luiz Araújo. That’s why there’s always this concern to put players in their best roles,” Jardim emphasized, adding:

— It’s interesting, because one of the first observations made when I arrived was that Paquetá on the right side didn’t work. The midfielder has already played three or four matches this way and the results are showing. So, let’s see,” said the coach after the fifth round of the Brasileirão.

How did Paquetá perform against Cruzeiro?

The youth academy product of Mengão played 73 minutes against Cruzeiro. The midfielder’s role was to prevent Christian and Matheus Henrique from creating plays. Thus, the number 20 dispossessed Cruzeiro players twice and created three chances for Fla.

But who scored for Flamengo against Cruzeiro?

Pedro opened the scoring four minutes into the match, taking advantage of a Cruzeiro defensive mistake. At the end of the game, Jorge Carrascal sealed the fate of the Belo Horizonte team with a ruthless chip shot.

What’s Flamengo’s next match?

With Lucas Paquetá available, Leonardo Jardim’s squad faces Botafogo on Saturday (14th). The match kicks off at 8:30 p.m. (Brasília time) at Estádio Nilton Santos, for the sixth round of the Brasileirão.

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