Jardim admits Arrascaeta dip at Flamengo, jokes he always scored against him | OneFootball

Flamengo beat Corinthians 2-1 on Sunday, and after the match Leonardo Jardim admitted Arrascaeta is enduring a dip while underlining the playmaker’s importance.

Arrascaeta started but was below par and was replaced by Jorginho at 34 minutes of the second half. He had four attempts, none on target.

Even so, he completed 44 of 54 passes and registered 77 actions on the ball, showing constant involvement despite falling short of his 2025 attacking efficiency.

Jardim said the midfielder’s game time has been similar to team-mates, noting he has sometimes rested less and even played more. He called Arrascaeta spectacular, stressed the need to keep him fresh for decisive moments, and joked the player owes him a couple of goals after scoring against his teams in the past.

He felt the missing piece is the finish, pointing out Arrascaeta was among last year’s top scorers while this season the goals are more evenly shared. Jardim added he is sure the goals will come sooner or later.

Last term Arrascaeta finished as Brasileirão runner-up top scorer and was named Rei da América as Flamengo secured their fourth Libertadores crown. In 2026 he has 33 appearances, eight goals and five assists, and the trend points to Jardim keeping faith with him from the start.

Source: Coluna Do Fla

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”