Filipe Luís explains De La Cruz’s omission in Flamengo v Juventude clash | OneFootball

What happened to De La Cruz, Flamengo's midfielder?

In Flamengo's 2-0 victory over Juventude, Flamengo's coach Filipe Luís chose not to use midfielder De La Cruz. After the match, the red-black commander stated that the absence of the Uruguayan on the field was due to special care for the athlete. Additionally, the coach made it clear that competition for the position is intense.

— Regarding De La Cruz, it's a special care due to the sequence of games coming up. I always hope to see the best version of him from now on. I know he had two weeks to train, and the competition among them is very strong –, he declared before concluding:

— Erick and Jorginho will also return soon. We have a great performance from Allan, and Everton, who always comes in and is very reliable. The one who benefits from this is the coach. My choice for Allan today was strategic for the game plan -, concluded Filipe Luís in an interview on Sunday (14).

It's important to note that before the match, there was an expectation that De La Cruz would take Jorginho's spot, as he is recovering from a thigh discomfort. However, unlike what happened against Grêmio, coach Filipe Luís placed Allan in the Italo-Brazilian's place.

HOW WAS THE FLAMENGO VS. JUVENTUDE MATCH?

Even with the changes, Flamengo performed well on the field. This is because the Red-Black managed to overcome Juventude 2-0, thus breaking the victory taboo in Caxias do Sul. Finally, Mengão remains the isolated leader of the Brasileirão, with 50 points.

WHAT IS FLAMENGO'S NEXT MATCH?

After defeating Juventude, Flamengo now faces Estudiantes (ARG) in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the Libertadores. The match kicks off at 9:30 PM (Brasília time) this Thursday (18) at Maracanã. As usual, Coluna do Fla will show the match details on YouTube. Finally, ESPN (cable channel) and Disney+ (streaming) will broadcast the duel.

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