Tite highlights “drop in confidence” in Flamengo after defeat

Red and black coach justifies fluctuations, takes responsibility for himself and talks about resumption; team has not had two consecutive defeats in the Libertadores since 2012

Per From the editorial team | May 8, 2024, 00:26

Tite’s Flamengo stands out for its defensive solidity – Marcelo Cortes / CRF

O Flamengo officially entered a crisis this Tuesday, 7th, after suffering an off-script defeat. The red-black team lost 1-0 to Palestino and it got complicated once and for all in the group stage of the Liberators cup. The sequence of negative results increases the pressure on the technician Titewho highlighted after the game the drop in confidence at work.

“There is a little word that is very important in football, and the result allows you to do that, which is a confidence builder. The level we were at at a given time fell because confidence also fell. It has a tactical nature to adjust, the individual, the technical and physical. It’s always a whole context. This aspect of confidence makes you flow with things, and we have to recover that”, said Tite, in the press conference after the game.

Flamengo suffered from the uneven pitch at the Francisco Sánchez Rumoroso stadium and heavy rain in Coquimbo, but none of this served as an excuse for the poor performance. The sequence illustrates the bad phase: one victory, two draws and three defeats in the last six matches.

For the Copa Libertadores, there are two defeats in a row: against Bolívar and Palestino. The last time Flamengo lost twice in a row in the continental tournament was in 2012, 12 years ago, to Olimpia and Emelec.

Adenor spoke about taking responsibility for Flamengo’s problems: “You take responsibility first with the coach, because he has the biggest responsibility. But it is shared with the entire work group, but the coach is the first”.

Flamengo has Corinthians as its opponent next weekend, in the Brasileirão. The match marks Tite’s reunion with the club where he is an idol. A new defeat could shake the red-and-black coach once and for all – who has become accustomed to leaving Maracanã booed.

For the Rio team to advance in the Libertadores, they will need to win the two remaining games: against Bolívar and Millonarios, both at Maracanã. The Bolivian team can guarantee their early qualification to the round of 16 if they beat the Colombians in the next game.