Jardim explains why he left De La Cruz out of Flamengo v Corinthians | OneFootball

Coach explained the Uruguayan’s absence against Corinthians and projected the midfielder’s return for the next match

In the Brasileirão, only nine foreign players can be listed for each match. With that in mind, Leonardo Jardim chose to leave Nicolás De La Cruz out of the squad against Corinthians on Sunday (13) in order to keep Saúl among the selected players. The Flamengo coach then explained the reason for the decision and projected the Uruguayan’s return in the next game.

– First of all, Nico was a very big bet in the first part of the year. We had players, like Erick, who were out for a long time, two months. Saúl, with his tendon problems, has now been improving -, the coach said, before adding:

– In these matches where we have six defensive midfielders available, as I said, I can’t have three today, then take three out and bring three in because that would distort our ideas. But for sure, next Sunday (20), we will need Nico and Saúl -, he said and added

– He was not included today because, as you know, only nine foreign players can play in the league, and we currently have 10 with Plata’s return. I have Jorginho and Saúl on the bench, and I felt there was no need to have a third defensive midfielder there. It was better for him to work and train. It’s squad management that has to be done -, he explained at the press conference

Why did Plata’s return force De La Cruz out of the squad?

With Gonzalo Plata returning to the group, the number of available foreign players rose to ten. After all, Arrascaeta, Varela, Anthony Valencia, Rossi, Jorge Carrascal, Saúl, De La Cruz and Joaquín Freitas complete the list of Rubro-Negro’s foreign players.

In recent weeks, the Uruguayan had returned to the matchday squad after a long spell out through injury. However, even back with the group, the midfielder has yet to regain the run of minutes he had before the injury.

What has Saúl’s playing time been like in recent matches?

The Spaniard had gone ten games without taking the field before returning to action against Mirassol. Then, the following match against Remo marked his second straight appearance off the bench.

Against Corinthians, however, Saúl remained in the squad but did not come on. But the coach himself justified the decision by the need to manage the number of defensive midfielders available on the bench.

What else did Jardim say about squad management?

At the same press conference, Jardim explained how Lucas Paquetá’s substitution late in the 27th round was related to squad management. The coach also pointed out that center back Léo Pereira was left out because he was close to getting injured.

– He is a player of great quality. He can play in more than one position, and that is extremely important for us. We all know that, with this crazy schedule, it is impossible to have all players available.

– Today, Jorginho was at his limit. Last time, he played five straight matches, and in the sixth he had a muscle problem. Léo (Pereira) was also at his limit, and I didn’t take the risk; he was also on the verge of injury. We have to manage that, so we need more than 11 (starting players).

– Paquetá is a player who normally plays, and he also rotates like the others. Today, Jorginho rested; in the Libertadores, Paquetá rested; in the game against Remo, Erick (Pulgar) rested; in the previous match, Arrascaeta rested.

– I keep managing it. In the next match, against Bragantino, I have two defensive midfielders out (Pulgar and Paquetá). The others who have played less need to understand that this is the moment to step up. That’s why we have a squad -, Jardim explained.

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