How Flamengo v Palmeiras became South America’s biggest game

Can anyone stop Brazilian dominance, we asked when the Copa Libertadores this year began?

The answer was a clear “no.”

Because the final, like four of the others, is a Brazilian affair, this will be the seventh time the country has won in a row.

On Saturday, the big guns of Flamengo and Palmeiras will square off against one another in Lima, Peru. The game will be broadcast live on BBC Three starting at 21:00 GMT.

Whoever wins will become the first Brazilian team to win the trophy four times, and almost all of them have come during this era of dominance.

They each had one title going into 2019, which means that either Flamengo or Palmeiras have won the Libertadores five of the previous seven seasons, including this one.

In the domestic league, it is similar. In the last few days, Flamengo pulled away from the Brazilian title race, which the pair have been fighting head-to-head.

They are now five points clear of Palmeiras with two rounds left. The pair will now have won the league title in seven of the previous ten years, regardless of whether they cross the line or if they fall short and become overtaken.

It is predictable that this unprecedented period of one nation’s dominance of the Libertadores has roots in finance.

It was almost certain that Flamengo would emerge once the money started pouring into the Brazilian game and after they had resolved their historically chaotic off-field situation.

Rio de Janeiro is home to a sizable club, one of the biggest clubs outside of Europe, with a sizable fan base in a sizable nation.

This is a result of a successful rebranding in the 1930s, which included signing the three most influential black players of the time and gaining the popular touch.

They won hearts and minds on a national level when the new, glamorous medium of radio invaded Brazil and played their matches there.

Palmeiras’ inclusion in the big two is slightly surprising. That area would appear to be home to Sao Paulo’s largest city, Corinthians, than its biggest rival.

Palmeiras have profited enormously from Corinthians’ financial difficulties, which they have exposed. They are a well-run outfit that has the best of Brazil’s new stadiums for the least amount of money.

Prior to the Second World War, the club was known as “Palestra Italia,” which made them known in Sao Paulo’s vibrant Italian community.

The clubs’ models are similar: they produce and sell young stars and use the proceeds to finance a squad with depth and quality.

In the 2021 final, Palmeiras defeated them 2-1, with Andreas Pereira, a former Premier League midfielder who is currently a Palmeiras player, scoring the winning goal.

Both teams are stronger than they were four years ago, and they can now buy players from Europe and cherry-pick players from the other South American leagues with their swollen funds.

Six foreigners made up the Flamengo starting lineup that reached the final, along with Italy’s Jorginho, an ex-Chelsea and Arsenal midfielder. Four non-Brazilians were the first to start the game for Palmeiras, who added two more as they came off the bench.

They became more wealthy as a result of winning the Club World Cup.

Jorginho, Danilo, Emerson Royal, a former Tottenham right-back, and Saul and Samuel Lino, two other players, have been signed by Flamengo this year.

The Palmeiras have acquired Barcelona’s most expensive player ever, the goalkeeper Carlos Miguel, Paraguayan winger Ramon Sosa from Nottingham Forest, Andreas Pereira from Fulham, and striker Vitor Roque from Barcelona, who is also the most expensive player ever acquired by a Brazilian club.

Few well-known Brazilian players have recently entered the coaching industry.

Filipe Luis is a positive and positive development.

After Losing in the quarter-finals of the previous year’s Libertadores, the left-back from Atletico Madrid (and Chelsea) left-back retired from Flamengo two years ago, took over the youth teams, and stepped up to the seniors.

He looks for a bright future with intelligence and intelligence.

And that includes Palmeiras’ Abel Ferreira, the opposite number.

Five years of Portuguese football has been the club’s manager, which is an eternity.

The young Jose Mourinho has a lot of personality, as evidenced by some of his touchline tics and, more importantly, by how easily he can change his team between and during matches.

His players were fascinated by him right away.

After the disappointing Club World Cup and the defeat of Estevao to Chelsea, Palmeiras had to reevaluate.

Ferreira made a change after Vitor Roque had an unimpressive start.

The coach moved Vitor Roque to the left channel and signed Argentine center-forward Juan Manuel “Flaco” Lopez to play alongside him, acknowledging that the striker prefers space and was not working well when he was squeezed between the center-backs.

Although having a strike duo can strain the rest of the side, they both clicked.

When they last met Flamengo, which happened more than a month ago, that was the case.

Palmeiras high despite being away from home. adapted by Flamengo. They went direct instead of working the ball through Jorginho’s midfield. Although they had less possession and less shots, they won 3-2, perhaps more convincingly than the scoreline would suggest.

There are many reasons to think Saturday’s game will be different. Pedro, a top-scoring player that day, is injured and will miss the final.

A like-for-like replacement is lacking for Filipe Luis. Gonzalo Plata, an Ecuadorian winger who has occasionally played that role but has been suspended, might have been a candidate.

Thus, Palmeiras will almost certainly try to do something different from what they did in October, and Flamengo will not be able to replicate what they did.

Brazilian football’s calendar is insane, and the number of games become endurance tests as a result. Abel Ferreira may have to take a cautious approach because players are now on their last legs, which is frequently his preferred method for big games.

Could he choose five in the back instead? It is a possibility. Flamengo enjoys teasing their opponents, drawing them in, and then switching to Guillermo Varela’s surprise appearance at the far post.

With a back five, Palmeiras could follow the Argentine teams’ lead from the previous rounds.

Ferreira could use his excellent playmaker, the Uruguayan Giorgian de Arrascaeta, and spring Vitor Roque to hold off Flamengo’s exhausted attacking resources.