Coluna do Fla
·17 avril 2026
Leonardo Jardim defends Flamengo ‘talent’, but says: “Not at his best”

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Yahoo sportsColuna do Fla
·17 avril 2026

Despite the Rubro-Negro rout on Thursday (16), some mistakes by Flamengo against Independiente Medellín (COL) drew attention. Jorge Carrascal, for example, made two costly mistakes that, for Leonardo Jardim, do not define the kind of player the Colombian is.
— Carrascal is still a kid, he’s young. A player with a lot of talent. Certainly, right now, he’s not in his best moment. Because of the red cards, because things are not going well, but that does not take away from the quality he has — said Jardim, who added:
— My job as a coach is to encourage him and support him in a way that allows me to get the most out of the athlete’s talent. Correcting him when correction is needed, but encouraging him. That’s football. There are players who have better moments, and others who dip — he said.
The coach added that, in terms of work and dedication, the midfielder gives his all. The Portuguese manager then said the midfielder will overcome his current spell, as he works tirelessly and professionally.
At the Maracanã, in the second round of Group A of the Libertadores, the midfielder received a pass from Samuel Lino that left him with a clear chance to score. However, the Colombian whiffed it while the match was still 0-0.
Then, with Fla leading 1-0, the player lost the ball in midfield. As a result, the mistake allowed a counterattack that ended in Yony Gonzalez’s equalizer. To soften the blow of Carrascal’s mistake, Mengão bounced back with three more goals.
Without Carrascal, who is suspended by the STJD, the Most Beloved stay in Rio de Janeiro to face Bahia this Sunday (19). Therefore, the ball starts rolling at the Maracanã from 7:30 p.m. (Brasília time), for the 11th round of the Brasileirão.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.









































