The defeat to Athletico-PR in the Libertadores semifinals was the second time in 21 games in which Palmeiras did not score as a visitor in the South American tournament. The first setback after 13 matches and only the sixth this year. No team lost as little in 2022 as Abel Ferreira’s.
Flamengo fell ten times, Atlético nine, Santos, 13, São Paulo, 14, and Corinthians, 15.
Having the least defeated team in Brazil in the season did not prevent the flood of criticism on social media, a kind of digital peanut gang.
While Allianz Parque fans sing and ask their players to fight non-stop, Palmeiras’ keyboardists demand explanations for the fact that the club has hired little and has no reliable reserve bench.
The club’s decision not to spend what it doesn’t have comes from before the beginning of the pandemic. Alexandre Mattos was very important for the reconstruction, and Palmeiras returned to be ambitious. But its hiring policy no longer fit in 2020, when liabilities reached BRL 500 million – today it is BRL 550 million.
Hence the option to cast younger ones, to exchange reinforcements like Borja for revelations like Danilo. In 2017, Borja became the fifth biggest signing in Brazilian football history. Flaco López is currently sixth – the Colombian has dropped to 15th. Anderson Barros was hired with the mission to win and reduce costs. He did both, with two Libertadores conquests.
There is a middle ground between cutting investments and ceasing to be competitive. Palmeiras transits in this scenario. It raised BRL 971 million last year, because it won two Libertadores in the same year. It’s unreal. Its normal revenue is in the range of R$ 650 million, which represents a third less than Flamengo.
It will not be easy to remain competitive at the current level. It will be necessary to discover new sources of revenue, and marketing will be essential at this point. Leila Pereira makes the serious mistake of not having a professional director in this area.
The other side is knowing how to lose. It’s not about being conformist or spending what you don’t have. São Paulo and Corinthians need to find their way to titles again. Palmeiras took years to rediscover. In the case of alviverde keyboarders, it would be fair to understand that at some point your team will lose. Just listen to Abel Ferreira to know that.
The risk of winning all the time is forgetting that sport and life are made up of victories and defeats.
The season announces Flamengo as the big favorite in the cups. He plays the best football in the country, leaves space behind the backs of the full-backs, but his defensive protection is better than it was a year ago, when he also came out of the semifinals exalted by his incredible ability to score goals.
In 24 matches, Dorival Júnior has 18 wins, 2 draws and 4 losses. Renato Gaúcho had 18 wins, 4 draws and 2 losses. This Flamengo scored 51 goals and conceded 14. A year ago, they had 64 scored and 15 conceded.
Fluminense and Corinthians are not to be despised in the Copa do Brasil. Neither can Athletico, which could allow Felipão to end his career with his third Libertadores trophy. He has already won twice against Palmeiras, by Abel Ferreira.
The moment makes it seem that everything in this country has become Flamengo x Palmeiras, a new version of “El Clásico” Barcelona x Real Madrid, from ten years ago. Only, here, the grace is still the ball still imposing its surprises.
Fluminense prevented the state tetra Flamengo.
Palmeiras will have to play hard to beat Athletico in the Libertadores semifinal.
I have worked in the news industry for over 10 years. I have a vast amount of experience in covering health news. I am also an author at News Bulletin 247. I am highly experienced and knowledgeable in this field. I am a hard worker and always deliver quality work. I am a reliable source of information and always provide accurate information.
