Will Diogo start? Who will replace him? Will the defense have two or three players? Will David or Jean start? There are many questions, and only Flamengo coach Rogério Lourenço has the answers. On the eve of the match against Atlético-MG at Maracanã, the coach held a press conference at Ninho do Urubu, but he didn't reveal the team that will take the field against Galo. However, he did provide some clues.

"I haven't decided on the team yet. Everyone pays close attention to positioning: three center-backs, two defensive midfielders, one striker... But the key is the player's role on the field. Maybe with one striker, two midfielders play forward, and theoretically you end up with three strikers. Maybe you go with three, but two who keep coming back, and you end up with just one. The tactical scheme is important for setting up players who get forward and help the strikers," he explained.

According to him, the full-backs continue to play a fundamental role in the red-and-black team, as they have since 2006, when Leo Moura and Juan began playing together. In Rogério's opinion, both can play well offensively without necessarily playing as wingers. This suggests that the 4-4-2 formation should remain the preferred formation.

"I think full-backs can be offensive, even with two center-backs. So much so that I came up with this system, and I've worked with it before, and I don't think they necessarily have to be wingers to be offensive. It's a matter of having a balanced team, with the full-backs alternating when pushing forward and the defensive midfielders prepared to cover on counterattacks. But with three center-backs, it's different. The winger plays inside and outside; it's very different. It's like a midfielder who, obviously, starts wide but has the freedom to drop into the middle. They've played like this a lot, but I don't see the need for it here. I don't think their freedom has been hampered," observed the coach, who took the opportunity to highlight the defense's improvement and reveal that he has been working intensively to ensure the offensive system follows the same path.

"Flamengo was a team that scored a lot of goals, but also conceded a lot. We tried three center-backs and three defensive midfielders, four center-backs and three defensive midfielders, but I worked on the team during the offseason and we organized the defense in a 4-4-2. I think we're doing well like this. What we need to improve is the attack as a whole. It's not just the forwards. The games are very even, but it's clear we need to improve. The team is winning the ball back a lot, but we're looking to improve our ball release," he added.

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