Felipe Melo slams Gallardo over River tactics vs Palmeiras: "He got it wrong" | OneFootball

This Wednesday from 9:30 PM, River will visit Palmeiras for the second leg of the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals, where they will seek to overturn the 1-2 defeat suffered at the Monumental and make it into the top four in America, where Racing is already. Felipe Melo, a former player of Verdao, appeared on TyC Sports, analyzed the first match, and criticized Marcelo Gallardo's squad.

«The first half was crazy what Palmeiras did in Argentina, no one expected it. I am not one to speak about Gallardo, who has won everything. I am not a coach yet, but I consume football 24 hours a day and I think he made a mistake,» said the three-time champion of America, twice with Palmeiras. «Many times he plays with a line of four in the midfield and removed one to put three at the back. Palmeiras, which is very intelligent, removed a forward and added another midfielder, so the first half was superior because of that,» he explained later.

«In the second half, Gallardo changed the system, returned to what he always does, and River was much better. The second half gives River hope and Palmeiras must keep in mind that they are playing against River Plate. I am from Boca but I am realistic and River is a great club. It's open. Palmeiras must enter the match as if it were 0-0 and win because they cannot have a minute without concentration,» he continued later.

«I believe Brazil is a level above, but in football, there is no logic. For example, the Boca that reached the Copa Libertadores final against Fluminense was not the best and reached the final, leaving Palmeiras behind. They play eleven against eleven and anything can happen. What Brazilians need to have is a lot of humility and respect for Argentine teams, because they know how to play football and are cup specialists,» he concluded.

Melo and the Criticism of Palmeiras' Coach

Before the first leg against River, in Brazil, the harsh criticism received by coach Abel Ferreira was surprising. Felipe Melo, who was coached by the Portuguese at Verdao, with whom he won the 2020 and 2021 Copa Libertadores, defended him and blamed social media. «In Brazil, people talk too much. In the world in general, with social media, there are idiotic voices. People who know nothing about football speaking as if they know. Ferreira is the greatest coach of Palmeiras, perhaps among the top two or three, and he wins every year», he said.,

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