Flamengo have three full-backs and still face a problem | OneFootball

Ayrton Lucas’s new injury brings back a question that seemed uncomfortable, but necessary: why did Flamengo decide to loan out Matías Viña?

This is not about turning the Uruguayan into the solution to every problem in the squad. It is about looking at a position that already had a well-known history of unavailability.

Flamengo had three left-backs: Ayrton Lucas, Alex Sandro, and Matías Viña. Today, one is injured, another is trying to regain top physical condition, and the third is at Cruzeiro.

On paper, depth. In the medical department, almost a comedy script.

The old football saying explains it better than any spreadsheet: if you have one, you have none; if you have two, you have one; if you have three, you have two.

At Flamengo, apparently, you need three just to have one.

Ayrton Lucas is injured again. Alex Sandro is still trying to build momentum after a physical issue. Matías Viña, who could be an option right now, was loaned out precisely during a season in which the calendar demands squad depth.

And this is the point that deserves discussion.

The problem is Flamengo’s planning

Injuries are part of football. There is no medical department capable of guaranteeing that a given player will be available throughout the season.

What can be planned is the margin for error.

When a club knows its players’ injury history, knows it will have the Brasileirão, the Libertadores, the Copa do Brasil, travel, and a run of matches in just a few days, giving up an alternative has to be a very carefully calculated decision.

Viña might not have been a starter. He might not have been happy being a backup. The loan move might have been considered important for the player himself.

All of that may be understandable.

But professional football does not operate only with the ideal scenario. It also works with what happens when the ideal scenario falls apart.

And it fell apart.

Ayrton Lucas is back in the medical department. Alex Sandro is still not fully available. And the third left-back is wearing another shirt.

I am not saying Flamengo will lose anything because of this. Nor that Matías Viña would solve any problem on his own.

I am only saying that, looking at the current situation, it seemed safer to keep him in the squad.

Now it’s already done.

The mistake, if there was one, will not be fixed by regret. Flamengo will have to manage with what it has, hope for Ayrton Lucas’s recovery, and wait for Alex Sandro to finally build some continuity.

Because there is a huge difference between having three players for one position and having three players available.

And in football, it is the second calculation that really matters.

(*) Wilson Pimentel is a journalist, radio host, businessman, and co-founding partner of Agência RTI Esporte.

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