One month after returning to Ninho do Urubu, Flamengo are short of peak sharpness and feeling a turbulent calendar, though they have finally posted back-to-back wins this year.
According to Globo.com, the first month of 2025, from 8 January, brought six matches for four wins and two draws. In 2026 they returned on 12 January, the main team debuted nine days later, and seven games yielded three wins, three defeats and one draw.
The plan had roughly 15 days of training before São Paulo in the Brasileirão opener, but poor state results brought the seniors back on 21 January against Vasco. With managed workloads and recent issues for Jorginho, Varela and Luiz Araújo, Filipe Luís has adjusted selections each game.
Filipe initially said the team were close to the desired level, then conceded they lacked time to reach it. After São Paulo he said it was clear players were short physically. He has avoided linking the early return to fitness problems, though Jorginho, after the Supercopa defeat, accepted the shorter pre-season had some impact and urged improvement game by game.
Flamengo chase a second trophy next week. The plan prioritises the Recopa Sudamericana and the Brasileirão without abandoning the Carioca, so fatigued players may be rested. They visit Botafogo at Nilton Santos on Sunday in the Carioca quarter-finals, then Lanús in Argentina on Thursday in the Recopa, and for the first time since turning to the seniors, they will have four days to recover between matches.
