Jardim rotation reflects Flamengo plan to manage age, travel and a fixture marathon | OneFootball

According to Globo.com, Flamengo played in three competitions in a week and Jardim responded with sweeping rotation, naming 19 different starters to balance age, travel and physical data. The aim is to cut injuries and use the depth.

Across games against Independiente Medellín, Bahia and Vitória, starters included Rossi, Royal, Danilo, Léo Pereira, Ayrton Lucas, Paquetá, Evertton Araújo, Carrascal, Arrascaeta, Lino, Bruno Henrique, Varela, Léo Ortiz, Alex Sandro, Plata, Pedro, De la Cruz, Luiz Araújo and Everton Cebolinha. Only goalkeeper Andrew has not yet had a chance under the Portuguese.

Up to the World Cup pause a congested calendar will force compromises to keep players fit. From Saturday’s trip to Belo Horizonte to the Athletico-PR game, the last away before the break, Flamengo will cover 20,209.70 km in 22 days. After Curitiba, they host four matches then stop.

Jardim’s approach aligns with a plan from Filipe Luís’s time to ensure strong options across the pitch. He has flagged areas to address in the next window to balance the squad. Rejuvenation is a priority for Bap, with signings avoiding over-26 players, and 2025’s group averaged 27.8 years.

Jardim said squads are built around needs, and in a season of 70 or 80 games players cannot be ever-present. He noted the team are not young, citing recent extra loads for Jorginho and Alex Sandro that led to muscle issues, while Evertton carried the same load and coped.

He added he spoke with Arrascaeta before a match, explaining that Paquetá and Carrascal, the other options for that role, left him alone, so his minutes were managed with the next fixtures in mind. For him, a club with Flamengo’s responsibilities needs at least two players per position.

Source: Globo.com