Flamengo's marathon of matches at the end of August required plenty of work, organization, and planning. With logistics geared toward providing comfort, rest, and confidence to its players, the club had to alter its usual travel schedule to minimize fatigue and get the best out of its players on the field for matches against Vasco (in Brasília), Internacional (in Rio de Janeiro and Porto Alegre), and Ceará (in Fortaleza). In addition to the team's staff, including doctors, physiotherapists, performance analysts, fitness trainers, and physiologists, the CEP (Performance Excellence Center) provided 24-hour support during the 17 days of total focus on achieving its goals in the Brazilian Championship and the Copa Libertadores.  

The club moved from third place to top the table in the last round with a 3-0 victory over Ceará in Fortaleza. In the Copa Libertadores, after 35 years, the team secured a spot in the semifinals after beating Internacional 2-0 at Maracanã and drawing 1-1 at Beira-Rio. Despite the marathon, the club rested few players and had no injuries reported among the squad. In total, the team traveled 8396 km; the team ran 389 km on the field in the four matches.

Márcio Tannure, Head of Flamengo's Medical Department, explains the importance of integrating all areas to solidify the work.

"We must emphasize the integration between the permanent staff and the professionals who arrived with coach Jorge Jesus. It's normal in Europe to play with almost the same team in every match. We work to offer the coach the best we have in terms of recovery. Our country is very different from European countries, and we have to adapt and try to minimize wear and tear. This collaborative work, respecting all areas, as has been happening, is very important. We have achieved great results. An example of this was this marathon, in which we played with the main team. The changes were technical or due to suspensions, not due to physical issues," says Tannure, who also emphasizes the importance of nutrition in this process:

"We emphasize a lot that work recovery Supplementation and nutrition are crucial to reducing fatigue immediately after training. Physiological assessments are crucial for individualizing and understanding how each player is experiencing this exhaustion and how we can best treat them. We've only achieved success through this interdisciplinary approach. We're happy and satisfied, as the club is a benchmark in this area," he says.

This Sunday (01), Flamengo faces Palmeiras at 16 pm, at Maracanã, for the Brasileirão. The victory puts the red-black team back in the lead of the competition.