Plata eyes revival at Flamengo with ‘backing’ from Jardim and squad | OneFootball

Leonardo Jardim publicly said he wants to ‘recover’ Gonzalo Plata

The 2-0 win over Cusco (PER) in the Libertadores opener was not only good for Flamengo. That is because Gonzalo Plata got the chance to return to the pitch under Leonardo Jardim and now has the coach’s backing.

In short, Gonzalo Plata’s time at Flamengo has been marked by controversy. Because of that, Leonardo Jardim even left the player out of the squad list for the match against Corinthians by choice.

Amid rumors of indiscipline, Plata is now looking to bounce back. In this way, some players in the squad publicly showed support for him, such as Lucas Paquetá. Finally, Leonardo Jardim said he will try everything to get the forward back on track.

What happened?

After being left out of the match against Corinthians, Plata showed his frustration. It is no surprise that the player unfollowed Flamengo’s profile on social media and also deleted practically all the photos of himself wearing the club’s red-and-black shirt from Instagram.

At the time, Leonardo Jardim spoke publicly about Plata’s situation. “He is a player who is having integration difficulties. At this moment, to play for Flamengo, it is necessary to be well integrated. We need concentration, attitude, and a great physical commitment to fight for results,” said the coach.

However, after Flamengo’s win in the Libertadores, Leonardo Jardim’s tone regarding Plata began to change. In short, the Portuguese coach said the forward returned in better shape after the March FIFA international break, when he represented the Ecuador national team.

— My goal is to get him back to a good level because he is an international player, with a good level and good physical ability. But as I said before, he had a difficult moment and was not in a condition to help the team. After the national team break, he came back stronger, more focused, and is showing his value, and that is what everyone wants: Plata at a good level to help his teammates and Flamengo -, said Jardim.

What now?

Now, with Plata available, Flamengo turns its attention to the next match of the season. On Sunday (12), the Rubro-Negro side faces Fluminense at 6:00 PM (Brasília time) in the 11th round of the Brasileirão. It is worth remembering that the derby was originally scheduled for Saturday (11) at 6:30 PM (Brasília time).

However, Flamengo asked the CBF to change the date of the match against Fluminense because of the short gap between the Libertadores game and the Brasileirão match. In addition, Flamengo’s travel logistics on the return from Peru ended up delaying the delegation’s arrival in Rio de Janeiro last Thursday (09).

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