The 2016 season saw Flamengo surpass expectations by finishing in 3rd spot and tied on points with 2nd-placed Santos. They could only muster a 12th-placed finish the previous season, so nobody expected them to be one of Palmeiras’ closest challengers for the title, especially given that they had to go most of the season without a home stadium. With the Olympic Games taking place in Rio de Janeiro, their home of the Maracana was out of use until October, with the team having to instead tour the city and the country to use a variety of alternative venues for their ‘home’ matches. Despite the chaos that this involved, they managed to put together a very impressive second half of the season, under the guidance of rookie coach Ze Ricardo. They had started the season with veteran coach Muricy Ramalho in the dugout, but he was forced to step down in May as a result of a heart issue and the team’s youth coach Ze Ricardo stepped in. He was initially appointed as a caretaker coach, but he did well enough that he won the job full time and he repaid that faith by leading the Rio team up the table. There was no great tactical overhaul behind his success, with Ze Ricardo’s main achievement being that of uniting the dressing room and getting the most out of some players who hadn’t always looked the most interested. He employed a simple 4-2-3-1 and his team did dominate possession in most matches, but the reason they won so many games had to do with the swiftness with which they attacked, with his team often outnumbering opposing defences when they went forward. In the end, though, their title challenge began to wane towards the end, with a series of frustrating draws – five draws in their final seven matches of the campaign – ultimately leaving the gap to Palmeiras too large.
Flamengo benefitted from impressive individual performances in all areas of the pitch. In goals they had the reliable hands of Brazil international goalkeeper Alex Muralha, while the defence was led by the superb Rever, who had one of his best ever seasons. In the two defensive midfield positions, Willian Arao and Marcio Araujo were ever-present, playing the first and second most minutes respectively of any member of the squad. They provided a solid foundation in the centre of the park for the team to build on and the 24-year-old Arao even chipped in with four goals and two assists. Then in the attacking part of the pitch the star man was former Porto, Juventus and Atletico Madrid man Diego Ribas. Not only did he net half a dozen goals, but he also steered the majority of the team’s attacking play, helping striker Paulo Guerrero enjoy a much better season than his disappointing 2015, as he found the back of the net nine times this term.
The future, therefore, looks positive for Flamengo. They seem to have found a talented young coach in the form of Ze Ricardo and they will hope that with a full pre-season he’ll be able to prepare this team for another and more serious title challenge in 2017. The young full-back Jorge continues to develop, while the aforementioned Willian Arao should get even better next campaign. There is no reason why they can’t go on another good run, especially now that they’ll have home advantage again, something they lacked for most of 2016.
