Football Season Guide

Despite having finished second, last season was a disappointment. No titles whatsoever after one of the biggest investments ever made in the country. 2019 has started a little bit more promising, with attendance on Carioca finals, but there were still more bumps on the way. The transfer marker approach has been much more discrete with only four new names joining in. Arrascaeta was the most expensive player ever bought by a Brazilian club. But that was just a small portion of the big sum involved in the move out of rising star Lucas Paquetá. Ironically, De Arrascaeta was the only one of the four new signings who hasn’t had an immediate impact. He is still more of a sub while Caio is already a solid piece in defence and the former Santos attacking duo, Bruno Henrique and Gabigol, have been scoring for fun already. Solving the problem that affected goalkeeper Diego Alves last season was a major part of any success Flamengo may achieve this year. If Everton keeps out from injuries and a place for De Arrascaeta is found on the side, Flamengo has it all to reach success. Some doubts were raised on whether Abel Braga still has it to command such an ambitious and modern project. The squad lacked a proper winning attitude in some moments last season. The quality of the full-backs may not match the rest of the lineup.