Opinion – Sandro Macedo: Renato Gaúcho is the coach of the R$ 200 million team

Ah, the wonderful world of national cups, in which just one game can knock out R$200 million or R$10 billion teams to much more modest teams.

In the same Wednesday that Flamengo, the best (and most expensive) team in Brazil, was eliminated, Bayern Munich lost 5-0 to Borussia Monchengladbach (which is smaller than Athletico-PR) and is out of the World Cup. Germany. And no, Bayern was not saving, they played with Lewandovski, Sané, Neuer, Kimmich, Gnabry and great squad.

Earlier, in the afternoon, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City lost on penalties to West Ham in the English League Cup. The first defeat in the last five years of the competition.

But the day is to talk about the elimination of Flamengo and, especially, of Renato Gaúcho.

The saying goes that the fish dies by mouth. Renato, who was once Romario’s fish, will probably pay the price in the next 200 interviews as Flamengo’s coach (if any) for what he said in some press conferences in the past.

When he was at Grêmio, he hinted more than once that it was easy to play nice with Flamengo’s signings. “If one day the president of Grêmio says, ‘look, Renato, you have R$ 200 million to hire’. Then you can charge me for beautiful football”, said the current (until the publication of this text) coach of Flamengo.

Just this Wednesday (27), two journalists questioned the football of the R$ 200 million team. Renato didn’t answer.

In the first game against Athletico-PR, in the semifinal of the Copa do Brasil, the coach spoke of how the VAR intervenes in matches and that, when it’s against his team, they can score too. In this Wednesday’s game, if not for the video referee, the first half could have ended 1-0 for Flamengo: the referee did not see the penalty committed by Filipe Luís, and only he saw a penalty in favor of Flamengo, committed by Gasparzinho in Bruno Henrique. Maybe Renato should have praised the VAR…

The coach also complained about the synthetic turf in the first match against Athletico. Well, in the Maracanã pasture, which some call the grass, where Flamengo plays every week, the field clearly got in the way… Athetico. Watch the second goal of the Paraná: the ball locks in the holes on the lawn more than once and takes away the speed of the attack, which only ended in a goal thanks to the failure of Diego Alves.

Speaking of goals, Athletico-PR’s third, scored by reserve Ivaldo, could win the Puskas award for most beautiful defender goal of the year. Not only did he set up the counterattack, he got ahead to finish with the style and coolness of a striker.

Finally, Renato also likes to talk about the marathon games and the hardship of playing in three competitions simultaneously. Ué, but Athletico is in the Brazilian, in the Copa do Brasil and is a finalist in the Sudamericana.

Maybe Flamengo needs more than a good-natured coach, good at chatting and with domain in the locker room.

But everything will be resolved, forgiven and will be in the past with just one game, when Flamengo (and Palmeiras) can raise the Libertadores cup. Until then, “potatoes baking 1, 2, 3”.

In time, an honorable mention for the best coach of the Copa do Brasil who was eliminated: the Argentine Juan Pablo Vojvoda, from Fortaleza, who took a 6-1 aggregate score against Atlético Mineiro, from the good coach Cuca.