Martín Anselmi under intense pressure at Botafogo | OneFootball

After being eliminated in the third phase of the Copa Libertadores, Botafogo under Argentine coach Martín Anselmi faces a tough stretch in the Brazilian Championship. The first challenge, this Saturday (14), will be the classic against Flamengo.

And while the crisis puts Anselmi in check, the alvinegro needs to react.

The 1-0 home defeat on Tuesday to Barcelona de Guayaquil, which prevented the Rio team from advancing to the Libertadores group stage and condemned them to play in the Copa Sudamericana, left the future of the Argentine coach hanging by a thread.

The press has already begun to speculate about possible replacements, such as Fernando Diniz, as well as Filipe Luís and Marcelo Gallardo, whose high market value makes them practically unfeasible, given that Botafogo is facing financial difficulties.

This Thursday, fans went to the team's training session to protest against the club's current situation.

Reinforcements and a heavy schedule

The classic against Flamengo at the Nilton Santos stadium, for the 6th round of the Brasileirão, could be a turning point for Botafogo, which, since the historic year of 2024, when it won the Libertadores and became Brazilian champion, has not found peace again.

Red numbers and legal battles involving its owner, American businessman John Textor, have ended up impacting the club, which cannot find stability, either on or off the field.

Hired to replace Davide Ancelotti, Anselmi has had to deal with a reduced squad and the late arrival of reinforcements, after the lifting of the transfer ban imposed by FIFA due to old debts related to Argentine midfielder Thiago Almada, currently at Atlético de Madrid.

In this Saturday's classic, three of the main signings for the season may make their debut: Argentine midfielder Cristian Medina, forward Júnior Santos, who returns to the club, and Venezuelan defender Nahuel Ferraresi.

“We are going to compete for titles and I am sure that Botafogo's team will fight for them,” said Júnior Santos at his official presentation this Friday (13).

The arrival of reinforcements is a breath of fresh air when the schedule is heavy. After hosting Flamengo, Botafogo will have three tough away games, against Palmeiras, RB Bragantino, and Athletico-PR.

“Mediocrity is not acceptable”

“He [Anselmi] has a challenge. He is trying to implement a system, new for us, in a situation where we are suffering from injuries in the defensive line,” said Textor in an interview.

“Teams need to adapt, players need to adapt, coaches need to adapt. And we really need to start winning and win everything. We are here to be champions and mediocrity is not acceptable,” he added.

Flamengo, meanwhile, heads into the classic on a high after the arrival of Portuguese coach Léo Jardim.

Last Sunday, in Jardim's debut, the Rubro-Negro won the Campeonato Carioca by beating Fluminense in the final 5-4 on penalties, after a 0-0 draw in 90 minutes.

And last Wednesday, in the Brasileirão, the team defeated Cruzeiro 2-0.

*with content from AFP

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