Jardim slams Rafael Klein, Flamengo ref: “I can’t understand”; watch | OneFootball

Leonardo Jardim spoke about a controversial incident in Flamengo’s 5-1 thrashing of Mirassol

Flamengo thrashed Mirassol 5-1 this Sunday (16), in the 23rd round of the Brasileirão, and despite the lopsided scoreline, coach Leonardo Jardim used the post-match press conference to express strong concern about Brazilian refereeing. The Portuguese manager criticized the lack of clear criteria in key incidents and said he is having trouble explaining the current rules to his players.

— I’m not going to single anyone out with that question, but sometimes it worries me because I have to give a message to my players and nowadays I don’t even really know the rules myself, right? Because there are situations like today’s, where the last man brings down our last man and that is normally a straight red, there’s no debate. For example, in the last match, Bruno (Henrique) didn’t come with us because it was a challenge midway up the leg and that wasn’t a red either — he said, before continuing.

— Then I see other incidents around the box, people playing handball inside the area and it’s not a penalty. I see others throwing elbows and it’s not violent conduct. So I can’t understand the rules and I’m having a lot of difficulty explaining to my players what the rules of football are, and nowadays I’m very concerned about that and I don’t think it’s good — he said.

— For me and for the other professionals, we can’t explain what is and what isn’t. I think there has to be clarification on what it is. What is factual, what the rule is, so that we can pass on the message, and I’m very concerned about that. Flamengo has suffered from it, other teams have benefited, football should know, but I think there needs to be clarification so we know what the rule is — he concluded.

WHAT HAPPENED IN THE CONTROVERSIAL INCIDENT?

During stoppage time in the first half, in the 47th minute, Carrascal led a counterattack, beat Denilson with a stunning dribble and was fouled. Under the rules, the foul required a straight red card for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity. However, referee Rafael Klein showed only a yellow card.

While the incident sparked widespread outrage on the field, video assistant referee Rafael Traci did not call for a review and upheld the on-field decision made by Rafael Klein. Through its official social media accounts, Flamengo described the play.

MANAGING THE MOMENTS?

Analyzing the win for the Rubro-Negro, Leonardo Jardim celebrated the tactical progress made possible by the past few weeks of uninterrupted training. That run had previously been disrupted by a two-month stoppage because of the World Cup.

Because of that, the coach highlighted the team’s consistency throughout the match against Mirassol. In addition, the Portuguese manager took a cautious tone to shield the squad after its recent inconsistency.

Jardim also stressed that the group should not get carried away by this Sunday’s (16) rout, nor be shaken by the criticism that was circulating a few weeks ago. To wrap up, the Flamengo coach reinforced the importance of maintaining balance throughout the season.

— I believe we played an excellent game, both in the first half and in the second. In the second half, the opponent wanted to take a few more risks and be more attacking, they left some spaces and that allowed us to score four more goals and of course put the game to bed. Mirassol is always a difficult opponent to face — he said.

— But today was not their day, today was Flamengo’s day. We managed to grow, we are growing, within what we had already talked about before, that the group has been together for two weeks, three weeks, and that allows ideas to get across, it allows growth, but of course we need to make it clear that today we are not the best in the world. And two weeks ago we were not the worst. We have to manage the moments. Of course the team is evolving, mainly because it has been together and because of the training it has been doing. Because as you know, before that we couldn’t keep the team together, because for two months there was the World Cup — he recalled.

COLLECTIVE SOLIDARITY?

— Sometimes it’s difficult for the players to make the best decision, they are under pressure. The important thing is for us to have a collective attitude in the build-up. To have a game attitude. Defensively, to be supportive of one another. Not let them play. This collective solidarity is important because that is the way I like my teams to be. I like it when Flamengo asks for the ball and is aggressive in winning it back.

100% READY TO FACE CRUZEIRO?

— I explained the fact that Flamengo did not have the group together to work for two months. A coach from the English league said, in the English League Cup, that they had not had time to train the players. And that cup match was four days ago. Contrary to what many think, it’s not just about signing players. There needs to be chemistry. We have improved, we will improve, and we have an important next match. The second leg against Cruzeiro, which again will be tough, with both teams going after qualification. At home, with the support of the fans, we believe we can put on a good performance.

CONFIDENCE IN THE PLAYERS?

— I have total confidence in my players. I try to work in a way that allows them to perform positively. Perhaps there are some I can’t use more often. The way I play, we have many defensive midfielders in the squad, sometimes it’s hard to use them all. But almost all the others have been used across several matches. We have to give those players confidence. Carrascal is an important player for us, Ayrton too. Today we brought on another Flamengo academy product (Johnny), a young player who had already been with us in Portugal, he has been working hard, came on today, and did very well. We believe in continuing down that path with some young players who keep coming through and working with us.

GOOD PERFORMANCE?

— More than the 5-1 win, which is a huge victory, it was the performance. We cut the gap to the leader to 3 points. The important thing was to achieve the objective with a good performance. In football, positive energy and results lift the team. We want to have that ability to win and to play well, as well as to achieve the objectives that the players, the fans and the board want.

DID LUIZ ARAÚJO’S ABSENCE HURT?

— It was certainly an important absence. He had been one of the players who, in Portugal, had shown a very good performance. It’s a shame to have lost him (to injury). He’s a player I like and when I arrived here he was struggling a lot. He rediscovered his love for the game and started growing again. I’ve known him for many years, I went to France and he was still young, I even put him on our Monaco reinforcement list when he went there. So I believe he is a player who will help us. It’s important not to have just 11, but a group with solutions because from one moment to the next we have injured players, out-of-form players, players who by the 70th minute no longer have the capacity to do what we want. We always have to have players available. And Luiz Araújo is one of those, a serious professional, committed to the collective, who gives his maximum for the team.

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