Filipe Luís responds to Flamengo fatigue question at Club World Cup | OneFootball

Filipe Luís argued that Flamengo improved in the second half against Cruz Azul (MEX)

One of the main topics at Flamengo is the physical condition of the team. With over 70 matches in the year and four titles, fatigue is a concern for the Club World Cup. When asked if Mengão felt the weight of the season in the 2-1 win over Cruz Azul (MEX), the coach responded to the journalist by highlighting Flamengo's strong second half in Qatar.

— We could talk about physical fatigue if the team dropped off in the second half, but it was the opposite. The team ran a lot. In the second half, we saw players like Bruno Henrique, who is 35 years old, still attacking space, pressing until the end of the game, the team kept trying to attack and reach the opponent's box until the final whistle. So, regarding the physical aspect, it's quite the opposite. As I said before, I see that our team is in great physical shape — said Filipe Luís.

— Every game is different. I feel that the players are still adapting to the pitch, which is very fast, and especially to the ball, which is very smooth and slips a lot, accelerates a lot. The players are still getting used to this ball. We saw a lot of simple mistakes in control and passing that the players don't usually make — added the Flamengo coach.

HOW DID FLAMENGO PERFORM IN BOTH HALVES?

Flamengo opened the scoring at 14 minutes into the first half, with Arrascaeta, after a mistake by the Cruz Azul defense. However, towards the end of the first half, Cruz Azul equalized. In the first half of the match, the Mexicans had 54% of ball possession.

In the second half, it was a different story. With Flamengo more adapted to the pitch and calmer, the Most Beloved had 56% possession and scored again, once more with number 10 Arrascaeta. In the end, trailing, Cruz Azul even pressed harder, but couldn't find the equalizer.

WILL THERE BE FATIGUE ON SATURDAY?

At another point in the press conference, Filipe Luís lamented the short recovery time between the matches against Cruz Azul and Pyramids (EGY). That's because on Saturday (13th), Mengão faces the Egyptians in the semifinal of the Club World Cup. The match kicks off at 2 p.m. (Brasília time). However, the coach asked the players to make sacrifices in pursuit of their second world title.

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