Jardim: Team effort shines in a very even match

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·3 de octubre de 2025

Jardim: Team effort shines in a very even match

Cruzeiro once again showed that they can compete at a high level in the Brazilian Championship. In a balanced and intense match, the team led by Leonardo Jardim drew 0-0 with Flamengo on Thursday night (2) at Maracanã, in the 26th round of Série A. Even facing the league leader and playing part of the second half with one player less, after the expulsion of the full-back William, the Raposa showed character and left the field with a valuable point.

With the result, Cruzeiro reached 51 points and remains firmly in the fight for a direct spot in the Libertadores, as well as allowing themselves to dream of continuing in the fight for the Brasileirão title. Jardim praised the team's attitude, highlighted the strategy adopted to neutralize Flamengo, and emphasized the team's evolution throughout the season, even against opponents with more expensive squads and more established projects.

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“I think it was a very equal game. A game where both teams wanted to propose the game and both teams aimed to play well and win the points at stake. It's no coincidence that there are two goal chances for each side, similar shots, a very equal game. That was what we intended with Cruzeiro, to play on any field always with the same commitment, with the club in terms of attitude, effort, and quality when we have the ball. That's what we did, respecting Flamengo, which is a giant club, in terms of squad possibly one of the best in South America. But inside it's 11 against 11 and we did well. When we had the ball, we played and created difficulties for the opponent.”

During the press conference, Jardim addressed the difference in investment and time of work between Cruzeiro and teams like Flamengo and Palmeiras. The coach highlighted that Raposa has managed to remain competitive through tactical organization and confidence in the players, factors that, according to him, allow facing any opponent on equal terms.

“It's by working and believing in what our players are. Each with their quality, we work on a collective strategy. Knowing that whoever plays for Cruzeiro must have this ability, on any field, you cannot diminish in relation to the opponent. You may not win, because the result is not what the teams intend. But in terms of commitment and quality, we have to present and that's what the players did. We won 4 points from Flamengo and hardly any other team will win.”

Jardim also took the opportunity to call the fans for the next challenge, against Sport, at Mineirão, and emphasized the importance of turning the good result at Maracanã into a home victory.

“This point will only be worth it if next Sunday against Sport we have the capacity to make 3 points. Now I alert our fans: the players have to start recovering, ice, to prepare ourselves. We have the possibility to fill the stadium and the fans to be the 12th player and give a word of affirmation, of support. We will support Cruzeiro, we want a full stadium until the end of the season.”

Adjusted Tactics and Playing with One Less

Cruzeiro's initial strategy involved changes in the midfield with the absence of Wanderson. The entry of Matheus Henrique happened to reinforce circulation and give more control to the team. The idea was to explore the interior game and make Flamengo disorganize defensively with quick side changes. The plan worked well until the middle of the second half, when William was sent off, requiring a reorganization of the team.

“We changed the tactical setup, we moved to almost a 4-4-2 diamond, freeing Matheus Pereira and Kaio, M. Henrique inside and Christian in front of Romero. It's a team with a lot of interior play and we wanted to be balanced without the ball. And with the ball, gain superiority in circulation. Flamengo is a team that plays almost in a 4-4-2 line and when the team plays and circulates the ball from side to side, they have some difficulty. We had situations in this sense that were positive. In the end, we wanted to take risks, but with the expulsion, we had to balance the game again, but even with 10, I think it wouldn't be deserved to leave here with a defeat.”

Debut of Kauã Moraes and Fabrício Bruno in the National Team

The draw also marked the debut of young full-back Kauã Moraes in the professional team. The youngster came on in the final minutes, at a moment of pressure, and received praise from the coach, who revealed following the athlete since the youth team: “He is a young player, we follow him, I personally saw him in the under-20 of Athletico against the under-20 of Cruzeiro and from there we followed what I was developing. We signed him because we believe in his potential for the present and the future.”

Additionally, Jardim commented on the call-up of defender Fabrício Bruno to the Brazilian National Team, highlighting the defender's consistency this season: “The National Team is attentive and sees the quality and performance that Fabrício is having this season. His call-up is justified.”

Planning for the New Calendar

Another topic addressed by the coach was the change in the Brazilian football calendar for 2026, announced this week by the CBF. For Jardim, adapting to the international model is positive and is already being considered in Cruzeiro's planning.

“I think football in Brazil is adapting to what is the reality of all championships in the world, Europe, Asia, which is to have a first division championship throughout the year. This adaptation is good because we will have a championship that starts in January and ends in December, like in all countries. The nuance is the state championships, which will be played in the middle of the week. The teams that are in the final stages of the Copa do Brasil have to give vacations to the players and train to start on the 11th. We are already planning some ideas to play the state championship, but without harming the planning of the 2026 season, especially the Série A of international competitions.”

Locker Room: Direct Speech and Confidence

Before the match, Jardim revealed having given a frank speech to the players. The coach asked the team to have the courage to play with the ball, even at Maracanã, and reminded them of the victory in the first round to reinforce the group's confidence.

“It was very easy. My conversation was frank, as I am. I told the players that we had to come to Maracanã to play because Flamengo doesn't like teams that play. This week I only worked, 90%, on set pieces and situations with the ball. So that the team would have more confidence to have the ball and circulate. I said they showed their quality many times, we beat Flamengo at home and the game is played within the four lines. I think the players interpreted it well and showed rigor, intensity, organization, but with the ball, we played, to create problems for the opponents. I congratulated them and already told them that this point only has meaning if we win the game against Sport. This is fundamental.”

Season Evolution

Finally, Jardim compared Cruzeiro's performance in the two matches against Flamengo in the Brasileirão and highlighted that the team has maintained a stable competitive standard throughout the season.

“What changed? The players were more or less the same. Of those who played in the first round, maybe Wanderson and Fagner, now William and M. Henrique played. The behavior in terms of pressing the opponent and organization, even if in a different system. Otherwise, the team has managed to maintain a similar competitive and qualitative level, which is our performance in a more or less balanced way.”

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