Leonardo Jardim plays down Pedro row at Flamengo; watch | OneFootball

Leonardo Jardim downplayed Pedro’s reaction after being substituted in Flamengo’s 2-1 win over Red Bull Bragantino this Sunday, the 20th, at the Maracanã, in the 28th round of the Brazilian Championship Serie A. The coach said the change had already been planned for the match.

The substitution took place in the second half, when Leonardo Jardim chose to bring on Bruno. According to the coach, Pedro wanted to stay on the field, which he sees as normal among top-level players, but the need to manage fatigue weighed on the decision.

“As for Pedro, he wanted to stay on the field longer, which is normal for players at that level. Everyone wants to play the full 90 minutes. I told him it was his turn,” the Flamengo coach said in a press conference, before continuing:

“He knows how much I like him, and I’m not even sure if I was the one who gave him a hug. I have a special affection for him. Here at Flamengo, anything becomes a story. The substitution had already been planned, so I decided to make it. I hope he has a good spell with the Brazilian national team,” he explained.

Substitution had already been planned by the coach

Leonardo Jardim stressed that Pedro’s exit was not a response to any specific drop in performance. The change was part of the plan set out for a team coming off a heavy run of matches.

Flamengo played four matches in ten days, including the clashes against Independiente del Valle in the Copa Libertadores and Red Bull Bragantino. For Leonardo Jardim, managing minutes was necessary to preserve the squad.

“If we had scored one more goal, there wouldn’t have been that reaction. The opponent scores a goal off a deflection from us, in the madness, in the excitement, because teams play too. I said we were going to manage the team over 10 days. We had four matches in ten days,” he explained before going on:

“Independiente del Valle and Bragantino are aggressive teams, and we are a different kind of team. We managed to carry out the perfect plan of having a fresh team. In the final stretch, it was more about emotion than chances created, but the result was very fair,” he said.

Flamengo extend their lead at the top

The win took Flamengo to 60 points in the Brazilian Championship, three ahead of Palmeiras. The result ended a stretch of four matches in ten days and allowed the team to enter the FIFA international break with an increased lead at the top.

Pedro, meanwhile, will represent the Brazilian national team in friendlies against Australia and India. Leonardo Jardim hopes to have the striker back after the break, while Flamengo return to action on October 8 against Santos at Vila Belmiro.

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