Filipe Luís: Fluminense did just what I expected in Flamengo loss | OneFootball

Filipe Luís acknowledged Fluminense's superiority but points out Flamengo's own mistakes as decisive

After Flamengo's defeat to Fluminense this Wednesday (19th) at Maracanã, for the Brasileirão, Filipe Luís stated that he was not surprised by the opponent's approach. According to the coach, the rival team retreated, exploited counterattacks, and Flamengo's mistakes facilitated the result.

— Nothing caught me by surprise. They have been playing like this. Nothing changed. The only thing they opted for was not to press at any moment (in the second half). They lowered the blocks, stayed in a low block. They tried to take advantage of the mistakes, the counterattacks. We reached their area with some ease through passing exchanges. Then overcoming it is not simple. The player needs to be creative, inspired, and fresh, and we weren't -, he said, before continuing:

— Then, with the ball at their feet, it's a team with quality. They already had it with Renato Gaúcho, with Mano, when Arias was still there. It's a team that knows how to play and will create problems. The problems they created, almost all, were given by our team. It seems, rightly so, that their superiority was great, and it was. Their game plan worked much better than mine -, he concluded in a press conference.

WHAT'S NEXT FOR FLAMENGO AFTER THE DEFEAT?

With the setback in the classic, Flamengo missed the opportunity to further isolate themselves at the top of the Brasileirão. Even so, the Rubro-Negro remains at the top of the table, with 71 points.

Meanwhile, Fluminense, with the victory, rose to sixth place. Thus, while Flamengo aims for the title, the tricolor team still dreams of a spot in the 2026 Libertadores.

WHEN DOES FLAMENGO PLAY AGAIN?

No time to lament, Flamengo keeps an eye on the final stretch of the Brasileirão. This is because, on Saturday (22nd), the Rubro-Negro team faces Red Bull Bragantino at 9:30 PM (Brasília time), at Maracanã, in a match valid for the 35th round of the national competition.

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