Leonardo Jardim shrugs off 'hardline' label after joining Flamengo | OneFootball

Leonardo Jardim prepares to debut as Flamengo's coach

Flamengo introduced coach Leonardo Jardim last Thursday (05), at CT Ninho do Urubu. During the conversation with the press, the Portuguese coach was asked about the ‘tough guy’ reputation he has acquired throughout his career.

— I don’t know if I’m a tough guy. I have my ideas and there’s one thing. I have a great relationship of respect with the players, a close relationship. But always within the line: a father has a relationship of respect with his son, but there’s a line that cannot be crossed. Always defending the interests of the club — Leonardo Jardim began.

— In my career, I haven’t had major problems with players. I always defend the well-being of the group, the relationships, the dynamics. It’s non-negotiable for someone to be ahead of the group and for individual interests to come before the club’s interests — he added, before concluding:

— I believe in a strong group, good dynamics, good relationships, I believe they will run for me and give their best if I have a good relationship and manage to instill an idea. If I can’t instill the idea, there’s no work that will move forward — concluded the Flamengo coach.

What was Leonardo Jardim’s approach at Cruzeiro?

It’s worth noting that Leonardo Jardim lived up to his ‘tough guy’ reputation at Cruzeiro. After all, at the Minas Gerais club, the Portuguese coach had carte blanche to interfere in the club’s environment and bench players for bad behavior, as happened with striker Dudu.

How long did Leonardo Jardim sign with Flamengo for?

Flamengo finalized the hiring of Leonardo Jardim immediately after the dismissal of Filipe Luís. Thus, on Wednesday (04), the Portuguese coach signed a contract with Mengão for two years, until December 2027. Now, the coach is preparing the squad for the final of the Carioca, against Fluminense.

When do Flamengo and Fluminense face each other?

With Leonardo Jardim’s debut on the sidelines, Flamengo is preparing to face Fluminense this Sunday (08). Furthermore, the Carioca classic takes place at 6pm (Brasília time), at Maracanã, for the grand final of the State Championship.

As tradition dictates, Coluna do Fla will bring all the details about the match between Flamengo and Fluminense, through YouTube, the website, and social media. However, Globo (broadcast TV), GE TV (YouTube),SporTV (cable channel) and Premiere (pay-per-view) will broadcast the final of the Carioca.

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