Flamengo lost their home match against Santos in the 37th matchday of the Brasileirão. They set up in an attacking 4-4-2, dominating possession throughout the game and putting high pressure on Santos. The Brazilian giants did not give away many chances, but early in the second half, they gave away a big chance which was scored by Marcos Leonardo. Santos set up in a defensive 3-4-2-1, with both wing-backs sitting deep. They had a very negative approach to the match, which clearly worked out as they managed to win away from home. Matheus França (17) made his debut in this match for Flamengo, while right-winger Angelo Gabriel (17) also made an appearance for Santos coming on from the bench.
Ratings:
- A1 – Very good, could play higher
- A2 – Strong potential to play higher
- B1 – Good, strong player at level
- B2 – Potential to be strong player at level
- C – Average for the level, re-watch
- D – Below average in this match
Matheuzinho
Player profile:
- Nationality: Brazilian
- Age: 21
- Date of birth: 08/09/2000
- Club: Flamengo
- Career: Londrina, Flamengo (Y)
- Position: Right-Back
- Preferred foot: Right
Matheuzinho played as a right-back for Flamengo until the 87th minute when he switched to the left-back position. In the first phase of the build-up, Matheuzinho usually stayed on his own half, supporting the build-up play of Flamengo. During the times that he received the pass in that position, he always played a back or sideways pass. When Flamengo progressed higher up the pitch, Matheuzinho occasionally tucked inside to create space for right-winger Everton Ribeiro, who has a very dangerous left foot. The right-back had a lot of involvement in possession and even though he was not that progressive with his passing in this match, he often made the right decision on the ball. In the final third he proved to be good in the 1v1 duels. He was very cautious with putting in crosses into the box and preferred to cut back to his weaker left foot and pass it back to Everton Ribeiro. Matheuzinho only put in a cross when he spotted a teammate in space and managed to provide a great assist for Pedro, but Matheuzinho, unfortunately, was offside. The Brazilian defender has good technical ability and his first touch is consistently good.
Defensively, he showed some weaknesses in this match. In the defensive 1v1 duels, he generally did well to keep his opponent in front of him. Matheuzinho occasionally got beat by pace on the outside but managed to block a few crosses after getting beat by pace on the first meters. The Brazilian right-back had good body positioning in the 1v1 duels and managed to turn quickly. His good footwork helped him to quickly change direction when his opponent made a move on the inside. Matheuzinho stepped up and rushed his opponent quite a few times but he did this unsuccessfully as he failed to block the pass. He left a lot of space in his back open and this also happened when Santos scored the 0-1. Moreover, Matheuzinho sometimes was quite late to respond to runs in behind from his opponent.
Rating – A2
Matheuzinho had a decent performance, but I think he can do a lot better. It will be interesting to keep an eye out for Matheuzinho in the near future.
João Gomes
Player profile:
- Nationality: Brazilian
- Age: 20
- Date of birth: 12/02/2001
- Club: Flamengo
- Career: Flamengo (Y)
- Position: Central Midfield
- Secondary position: Defensive Midfield
- Preferred foot: Right
João Gomes played as a central midfielder and formed a duo in midfield with former Manchester United player Andreas Pereira. The midfielder almost completed the full game but he got subbed off just before the match ended. João Gomes formed a complementary duo with Andreas Pereira. While João Gomes stood out in the defensive aspect, Andreas Pereira was good at progressing play. On the ball, João Gomes often went for the easiest option. Most of his passes went sideways or backwards. His short passing was always powerful and accurate. The midfielder did well to protect the ball when being put under pressure by his opponent. The most danger of João Gomes came from timing his runs into the box well. He opened up a passing lane for Matheuzinho and Everton Ribeiro a few times at the right time and this created a lot of danger in front of Santos’s goal.
His positioning when Flamengo was in possession on Santos’s half was good, too. João Gomes made sure to stay behind the ball and was an important part of the good defence in transition from Flamengo. He picked up a lot of clearances and helped Flamengo recover possession often by simply picking up the ball when it was cleared. Defensively, João Gomes showed good recovery speed after he got dribbled past. In this situation, he managed to recover possession by putting in a perfect tackle to prevent his opponent from shooting from distance. Generally, João Gomes showed good tackling ability and he transitioned from both attack to defence and defence to attack very well.
Rating – B2
I think João Gomes can become a regular starter for Flamengo in the future, but for now, I think Flamengo have better options in midfield.