“I heard something I didn’t like and changed my mind”. This was Mano Menezes‘ justification to the press after the 2-2 draw between Fluminense and Grêmioa match that was marked by confusion involving full-back Marcelo.
At 45 minutes into the 2nd half, the coach had a disagreement with the defender, scolded the athlete on the edge of the pitch and decided not to put him on the field. The Rio tricolor was winning 2-1, and the winger would replace Lima.
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Mano gave instructions to Marcelo. However, he got angry and canceled the substitution, sending the full-back back to the bench. “It won’t go in,” said the coach.
The confusion had repercussions across Europe, and especially in Spain, where the full-back is an idol after his successful spell at Real Madrid.
The diary AS treated the case as a “monumental mess”, analyzing that Marcelo “is going through a dark moment in his career” and that “he is currently living a nightmare at Fluminense”.
Jornal AS reflected the discussion between Marcelo and Mano Menezes Reproduction/AS
“A bitter end for a football player who marked an era”, added the AS.
The case was also covered by newspapers Mark e Relief as a punishment for the full-back.
“Marcelo’s contract ends on December 31st, and his renewal now seems far from happening.”
Bro Menezes talks about the confusion
After Fluminense’s 2-2 draw with Grêmio, this Friday, at Maracanã, in the 32nd round of the Brasileirão, coach Mano Menezes explained the disagreement he had with Marcelo.
“I was going to put Marcelo on at that time, but I heard something I didn’t like and changed my mind. I put JK on the edge, he’s a strong player so you have a way out. We always had a way out. I don’t think it was because he joined that the team had any kind of problem”, he began by stating.
“It’s not easy to get into that time of the game, you know that, it’s a closing game. He, in fact, wasn’t coming in to solve any problem, he was coming in to maintain what we were having. And there were two, three minutes left to end the game”, he added.
On the field, Grêmio started ahead with Braithwaite. Arias e Kauã Elias they turned the game around for the Rio team. In additions, Reinaldo closed the score with a penalty kick.
With the result, the Rio Grande do Sul team was in 11th place, with 39 points, while the Rio de Janeiro team is right behind, with 37.
