Flamengo, the best and most accurate attack in the 2018 Brasileirão
Team combines effectiveness and precision to lead the competition and score more than anyone else
By Lucas Dantas - in
"Invincibility lies in defense. The possibility of victory lies in attack." This phrase is from the book "The Art of War," written by Sun Tzu 400 years before Christ. It's a sentence that can sum up a football match and a campaign. A strong defense can prevent defeat, but victories add points, and you need to attack to... get to them.
Flamengo is not undefeated in the 2018 Brazilian Championship. In every war, some battles are lost. However, the team has the best attack, with 18 goals in 10 games, giving it a positive goal difference of 12, making Flamengo the only team to surpass the 10-goal mark so far.
What's most impressive about Flamengo's attack isn't quantity, but quality. Even with a more positive attack, the team doesn't necessarily have the most shots in its matches. In the derby against Vasco, for example, they had three shots on goal compared to their rivals' seven. And that was enough to win and show that Flamengo's players have more accurate finishing than their opponents.
In the Brazilian Championship, the team is being clinical. With an average of five shots per match, the 18 goals scored demonstrate this. Especially when we analyze how they were scored.
There were only four goals from set pieces: two from Dourado, from the penalty spot, against Fluminense and América Mineiro; one from Geuvânio, against Vitória, and another from Guerrero, against Chapecoense, both rresulting from indirect free kicks. All the others were in worked plays looking for the best moment to score. And the team tries to get close to the area and work the ball to finish. There were 12 goals "in front of goal"only one from outside the area, against Internacional. Furthermore, Flamengo is, alongside Vitória, the only team to have scored in every game so far in the competition.
The top scorer in the Brasileirão is Vinicius Junior, with four goals, followed by Henrique Dourado and Lucas Paquetá, both with three. Vinicius has played in all 10 matches of the competition so far – besides him, only Rodinei has played in all of them. Dourado and Paquetá have both played nine times in the championship.
Speaking of 50 goals scored this year, Vinicius shines again, with 10 goals in 31 games, tied with Dourado, who has 27 appearances. Diego comes in third, with six in 22 matches. In fourth place, Lucas Paquetá has five goals in 29 games, the same number as Everton Ribeiro, who has played 25 times.
As the numbers show, Flamengo's attack doesn't rely on one player as a "reference point." Vinicius isn't a center forward by trade; he plays wide, creating opportunities for his teammates. But with his movement and speed, he's adept at exploiting space and arriving in the right places to score. An example is the goal against Ceará, his second of the match. He initiated the play with a well-placed shot that Éverson saved. The rebound fell to Rodinei, who saw Vinicius coming in at the far post and delivered a perfect cross.
It's a heterogeneous attack, focusing on short, quick passes, seeking to infiltrate the ball. Against Bahia, both goals came this way. Against Fluminense, the second goal came after 56 seconds of passing and nine players' participation until Felipe Vizeu's finish.
It's a precise attack that doesn't shoot (or waste) from just anywhere, but seeks excellence in finishing and can decide the game in a single play. This was the case against Atlético Mineiro, who attacked more and had more possession, but lacked the red-and-black ability to score.
It's an attack with diverse support. Renê, Cuéllar, Jean Lucas, Trauco, and others came from behind, leaving the forwards in a good position to score in various situations throughout the year. It's the most positive attack, putting Mengão at the top of the Brasileirão with 18 goals, seven wins, and five points ahead of the second-place team. As Sun Tzu would say, to win, you have to attack. But attack well.