Bap challenges Boto, Filipe Luís and players as Flamengo manage mood before Recopa decider | OneFootball

Flamengo are trying to steady the mood before Thursday’s Recopa Sudamericana second leg against Lanús at the Maracanã, with a 3-0 win over Madureira easing the strain.

According to Globo.com, president Bap went to Ninho do Urubu on Saturday, a day after the squad were given Friday off on returning from Argentina. He held stern meetings with the staff, football director José Boto and the players.

The board feel heavy investment and squad continuity should have brought better results. Flamengo lost the Supercopa do Brasil to Corinthians and recently risked going out of the Campeonato Carioca.

Bap’s check-ins with Filipe Luís and Boto are regular, often virtual, and he usually visits every 10 days, but this one was tougher. Player meetings are rarer and the CT mood has shifted, with concerns over dialogue, decisions and openness in the football department.

He has become more hands-on, joining Lucas Paquetá talks, ordering first-team returns for derbies with Vasco and Fluminense, and weighing in on Filipe Luís’s renewal. That caused friction and the coach felt exposed.

Against Madureira celebrations were muted and boos started before kick-off, with players feeling it was not a time to celebrate. Filipe Luís said they understood the boos, that support must be earned on the pitch and that the unease is their responsibility. He described Flamengo’s pressure as unique, perhaps only comparable to Real Madrid, and argued that excessive praise leaves players unprepared for setbacks, calling pressure a privilege for a squad built to compete for everything.

Source: Globo.com