In 2018, the final of South America Copa Libertadores between the old Buenos Aires rivals, River Plate and Boca’s juniors. On the face of it, Saturday’s all-Brazil final between Flamengo and Palmeiras may not have the same glamor – Argentine teams have more global marketing, while Brazilian clubs may be more introspective.
But Saturday’s game at Uruguay’s iconic Estadio Centenario in Montevideo can count on more quality. This will be Brazil’s third win in a row at the most prestigious club tournament in South America. This new era of dominance is based on the rise of super clubs – teams with pockets deep enough to assemble strong teams.
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Palmeiras and Flamengo are the first of the super clubs. They have monopolized the big titles. Palmeiras, the team of Sao Paulo’s expatriate Italian community, are the defending champions of the Libertadores. Rio de Janeiro giants Flamengo won it the previous year. Flamengo is the defending champion of the Brazilian national championship. They also won the title the previous year, with Palmeiras having taken the lead the year before.
In 2021, the pair joined the super club pool by spending free Atletico MIneiro, this season’s champions are likely to be champions. Atletico were unbeaten in Libertadores this year, knocked out by away Palmeiras in the semi-finals. Flamengo is also unbeaten. Palmeiras lost an irrelevant group stage match when they put on a weak team. This could be a worrying development for the Libertadores’ future.
But in terms of Saturday’s grand final, it makes for a potential classic, a clash of big heavyweights bringing different styles into the ring. Backed by wealthy sponsors and with the most success in Brazil’s new stadiums, the Palmeiras are solid, pragmatic, cover-up boxers, working behind their punches and looking for space blank to launch a surprise attack. With massive, nationwide support, Flamengo is all the more flashy and less predictable, oscillating between inspiration and chaos, capable of delivering a flurry of dazzling punches or caught off guard and down. fell before a bad blow.
After spending some time arranging the finances, Flamengo learned how to monetize their support base and emerged with a confident strategy. They sell potential young stars to Europe – Vinicius Junior, Lucas Paqueta, Renier – and used the proceeds to bring in two types of players from across the Atlantic. First, the veterans are looking to return home and win some trophies – goalkeeper Diego Alves, left-back Filipe Luiz, centre-back Diego and now centre-back Player David Luiz. Second, it’s hard for players in their twenties to find space in Europe’s strong teams – their superb attacking combination. Gabriel Barbosa and Bruno Henrique, for example, is now joined by the relay center Pedro, and more recently the Premier League duo of Andreas Pereira and Kennedy.
The Portuguese coach, Jorge Jesus, built the winning squad of 2019, betting on four daring fronts. There was a consensus in Brazilian football at the time that it wouldn’t work, that it would unbalance the side and leave it in the front. That now looks like madness. Jorge Jesus took off for Benfica, but all subsequent coaches, including current manager Renato Portaluppi, kept the four strikers unchanged: Barbosa and Bruno Henrique, powered by the exquisite playing talents of Everton Ribeiro and Giorgian De. Uruguayan Arrascaeta. And since the time of Jorge Jesus, the club has continuously added options.
De Arrascaeta has struggled physically. No one likes the same replacement, but shrewd little winger Michael has had a fantastic season and is sure to play his part. Then there’s Pedro, a centre-back who lacks pace but is technically gifted. The two-legged Vitinho is another in the long list of possibilities. The other end of the field has more problems. Since losing the Spaniard Pablo Mari come Arsenal, Flamengo had problems in defence. He is used to playing in the high line, letting his teammates press and catch. The people who replaced him didn’t have the same skill set. They can go deeper, stretch the formation.
There are hopes that David Luiz can resolve the situation. His time at the club has been disrupted by injury, but – and this may seem strange – he is a defensive improvement over what has come before. And of course, in possession, he is very useful with his ability to pass and get the ball out of defence.
There are fewer household names in the Palmeiras team. Center forward Luiz Adriano has considerable European experience, but will most likely be left on the bench. And there’s veteran central midfielder Felipe Melo, who started his career for Flamengo. This will be a big decision for Abel Ferreira, the team’s Portuguese coach. Will he go with Felipe Melo, because of his passing experience and range? Or a dynamic, promising left foot Danilo Better bet for his mobility? One thing is certain. Ferreira will speed up in front, looking to get close to the questionable Flamengo defence. The most powerful offensive weapon is the stocky little Rony, signed as a winger but has developed into an agile, forward-like forward capable of leading the charge.
This year’s key signing is the return of club hero Dudu, a sharp and refined support striker who has provided the team with a greater attacking display than they have ever shown. at the start of the year in two goalless performances in the Club World Cup. And left-footed midfielder Raphael Veiga will be expected to continue his recent good form and provide for the strikers. Will Abel Ferreira pair him up with Gustavo Scarpa, another attacking midfielder? Or could that make the group too open? He’s got plenty of nimble wingers on the bench to fend off weary defenders, and has a strong argument to keep things tight – recent head-to-head record between the two clubs the set.
The last time Palmeiras beat Flamengo was in November 2017. Since then, they’ve had five defeats and four draws – one of which ended in a penalty shootout defeat. This is certainly not a coincidence. The explanation is simple enough. Marshalled by the Paraguayan midfielder Gustavo Gomez, Palmeiras likes to sit deep first Weverton, their excellent goalkeeper. They can defeat the attacking threats of other clubs. But Flamengo came to them with more talent than anyone else on the continent. There is less margin for error. Abel Ferreira certainly hopes that more time to focus on this one match will help him come up with answers. His team must never become too passive.
The goal is to harm Flamengo on counter-attacks as often as possible. And there’s a lesson from 2019, when Flamengo beat River Plate to inaugurate this latest era of Brazilian dominance. The Argentinians were ahead for most of the game and were just three clocks away from the title. But mistakes were punished, and at the end of normal play time they not only lost their lead, but lost the game. Maximum concentration will be needed if Palmeiras is to retain the continental crown and get a lucky 10th against Flamengo.
