Leonardo Jardim slams World Cup break, rues Flamengo U20 plight

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Coluna do Fla

·2 July 2026

Leonardo Jardim slams World Cup break, rues Flamengo U20 plight

Flamengo are in Portugal for three mid-season friendlies during the World Cup

Just like the fans, Leonardo Jardim also can’t wait for Flamengo to take the field. After all, the Portuguese coach said this Thursday (02) that he would rather there were no break for the World Cup, even with the absences.

— It’s a forced break. Personally, I would rather not stop because that would mean I’d have the full squad. We have nine players called up and one more injured, 10 players we don’t have available. We’ll try to work in the best way possible, which is why we brought the youngsters -, Jardim highlighted, before adding:

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— We hope the national team players come back without major problems, though we know one or two are injured. They will be absences. But that’s football—anyone working for a team like Flamengo has to be used to these situations. When they return, we have to integrate them quickly because we need the full squad -, he told Flamengo TV.

Who does Leonardo Jardim have available without the called-up players?

The Rubro-Negro squad is in Portugal for three mid-season friendlies while the World Cup is taking place. Without the players away on international duty, the manager took some youth players from the under-20s to complete the squad against River Plate (ARG), Benfica (POR), and Lausanne Sports (SUI).

— We have a very clear idea of assessing the players’ ability. The under-20s didn’t have a very happy season, but we managed to bring together some players who had been out on loan and returned, as is the case with Lorran -, he said, and added:

— We’re going to get to know them better. Sometimes, young players can have an opportunity in Europe, whether through a partnership or a sale. It can be a chance for them to introduce themselves to Europe and the football world. We’ve managed to combine both areas: preparation and development -, the coach stressed.

What happened with Flamengo’s under-20 team?

Joshua, Johnny, Daniel Sales, Daniel Thuram, Guilherme, João Victor, and Alan Santos were the players who traveled with the senior squad. As a result, the depleted youth team drew with Avaí on Wednesday (01).

The 1-1 draw eliminated the Ninho do Urubu graduates from the knockout stage of the Brazilian Championship in the category. Therefore, Fla will not take part in the upcoming Under-20 Libertadores, since only the national champion qualifies.

What is the author’s opinion on the topics Leonardo Jardim addressed?

In fact, Jardim is criticizing the fact that Flamengo have players called up. After all, the coach said he ‘would have the full squad.’ As for the youth level, Leo Nannetti is still training with Brazil at the World Cup, but the absences were not what stopped the youngsters from advancing. I think the club wasted a lot of time with Bruno Pivetti -, said João Vítor Reis of Coluna do Fla.

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