Botafogo – Flamengo: Filipe Luis outclasses Ancelotti’s son with ease in Pedro’s show (0-3)

In the race for the Brasileirão lead, Flamengo, who had been delivering questionable performances, managed to outdo themselves and defeat Davide Ancelotti’s Botafogo by a three-goal margin, right inside their rivals’ stadium. In the match report, striker Pedro was the main protagonist, which makes the result bittersweet, but you’ll understand why as we go on.

Tactical analysis and match report by Marcus Arboés.

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Davide Ancelotti continues his negative run in charge of the traditional Botafogo club. The son of the Brazil National Team coach still has the board’s confidence, who believe the poor results are due to the number of absences. With 12 unavailable players, Botafogo lined up with: Leo Linck in goal; Mateo Ponte, Marçal (former Lyon and Wolves), Barboza, and Cuiabano in defense; Marlon Freitas and Allan (former Napoli and Everton) as holding midfielders, and Savarino as the number ten; in attack, Santi Rodriguez on the left, Artur on the right, and Arthur Cabral (former Benfica and Fiorentina) as the target man.

On the other side, Filipe Luis, who recently lost the Brasileirão lead to an in-form Palmeiras, also set his team up in a 4-2-3-1 outline. Having only Saúl as a regular absentee, the coach made some changes, but the base of the team remained once again: Rossi in goal; Emerson Royal (former Milan), Leo Ortiz, Leo Pereira, and Alex Sandro (former Juventus) in defense; Evertton Araujo and Jorginho (former Chelsea and Arsenal) as holding midfielders, and Arrascaeta (Uruguay National Team) as the attacking midfielder; Samuel Lino (former Atleti) and Luiz Araújo (former Lille) played on the wings, with Pedro (former Brazil National Team) as the striker.

A dull first half scenario

With several rivals facing each other, fans usually expect exciting and emotional matches, but that wasn’t what Botafogo and Flamengo delivered. In the first half, neither team showed great ambition nor managed to dominate the other through their strategies. Flamengo tried to control the game more, while Botafogo opted to defend in a mid or low block, using transitions and quick attacks to exploit depth behind the defense.

It’s true that Flamengo ended the first half in the lead, but the goal wasn’t strongly connected to Filipe Luis’ main strategy: creating volume down the flanks to reach the box through aerial play, using Pedro or the wingers attacking the box as targets, and Arrascaeta as a free offensive midfielder providing support from inside to outside, mostly on the left side.

Flamengo in possession in a 3-2-5 shape, against Botafogo defending with man-oriented marking in a 4-4-2 outline.

With the ball for most of the time, Flamengo shifted from the 4-2-3-1 outline into a 3-2-5 positional shape, with some players alternating their roles: one of the holding midfielders, Jorginho or Evertton Araujo, would always drop into the backline, either wide or centrally, while the other pushed forward alongside Alex Sandro or, occasionally, Emerson Royal. In some sequences, both midfielders stayed at the same height, forming a 2-2-6 with the two fullbacks pushing high and doubling the volume in the wide channels with the wingers.

Botafogo used individual chases within their zones in a compact 4-4-2 formation. The winger and fullback doubled the marking on the outside, while the nearest holding midfielder covered the pressing fullback’s movement on both sides. Marçal and Barboza were mainly responsible for protecting the box.

Flamengo’s attacking routes down the flanks involved finding progressive passes to Samuel Lino—either isolated or using Alex Sandro’s overlapping runs—to create individual actions and skill-based solutions on the left side, or attempting switches of play for Emerson Royal to receive in space and cross from the half-space toward the opposite side.

Botafogo couldn’t entirely prevent those crosses, but Barboza, Marlon, and Marçal protected the box effectively when needed. Once they recovered possession, they immediately looked for counterattacks using Arthur Cabral as the outlet—who had a poor game—and Artur’s speed down the right flank. The space behind Flamengo’s last line was the “light at the end of the tunnel” for Botafogo, both in transitions and during their attacking organization.

Flamengo pressing high with man-oriented marking in a 4-1-3-2 shape, against Botafogo’s asymmetrical buildup.

Only on a few occasions did Botafogo manage to push the entire team forward into Flamengo’s half. Most of their attacks came either from counterattacks or fast, direct moves trying to escape Flamengo’s high block, but they were held back by poor performances from players expected to deliver much more.

Davide Ancelotti’s buildup usually started on the left side. Marlon Freitas dropped deeper inside, and Allan positioned slightly higher, more to the left, while Savarino and Santi Rodriguez created volume in that area to provide superiority and passing lanes. From that common setup, Botafogo had a few options:

First, they attempted long balls to Cabral to win aerial duels, but he rarely beat Leo Ortiz. Second, the more functional approach involved short, quick passes to escape Flamengo’s somewhat misaligned high pressing, relying on the technical quality of Santi and Allan, especially during the buildup. Lastly, they switched the buildup side to use Mateo Ponte’s space reading and dribbling ability, carrying the ball inward from the right.

In this aspect, I’d say Botafogo’s plan looked more interesting, but it wasn’t enough to create good scoring chances. Flamengo may have been surpassed in pressing sequences, but they delivered a masterclass in defensive recovery whenever their depth was threatened.

The individual above the tactic

In such a tight match, finding the path to goal depended entirely on individual quality and decision-making. Specifically for Flamengo, Pedro was the most decisive figure on the pitch—but he exists in a very particular context: even though he’s considered one of the best strikers in South America, Filipe Luis often chooses to keep him on the bench depending on each match’s tactical demands.

In the first goal’s sequence, the team’s main player, Arrascaeta, attracted his marker and manipulated Botafogo’s midfield line, spinning inward and breaking away from Flamengo’s previous attacking pattern. As he approached the final third, he passed to Pedro in position. Two touches were enough for the technically gifted striker to score a beautiful goal.

Second-half scenario, with Flamengo introducing new players and using a more vertical and direct buildup approach, providing depth for the wingers and central occupation with Pedro and Arrascaeta, as Botafogo pushed their defensive line higher.

Leading 1–0 in the second half, Flamengo continued to dominate possession. Ancelotti brought on Jeffinho, Tucu Correa, and Chris Ramos, changing the entire front line that had underperformed, but these substitutions had little effect. The team didn’t gain depth, and Flamengo remained superior, though with a different tactical approach.

Filipe Luis started using quicker, more vertical, and direct buildups, targeting Arrascaeta and Pedro, and later Carrascal, to receive with their back to goal and find Luiz Araújo and Everton Cebolinha (former Benfica)—who replaced Lino—attacking the space behind Botafogo’s last line, which couldn’t handle this adjustment.

In one of these quick transitions, Flamengo advanced through Cebolinha’s carry down the left, and Pedro, showing outstanding technical quality and vision, produced a subtle lifted pass over the defense to find Luiz Araújo, who only needed to strike firmly to double the lead.

From that point on, Botafogo built some offensive volume but without real danger, and near the end of the match, Gonzalo Plata sealed the 3–0 scoreline with a goal that showcased one of Filipe Luis’ Flamengo trademarks: ball recovery through counterpressing. Still, it’s clear that the main factor in this victory was Pedro’s technical ability to convert chances in tight spaces with minimal touches.

Flamengo’s backup striker, given a starting opportunity due to context, is one of the most efficient players in Brazil in terms of goals per touch. In post-match interviews, Pedro spoke about needing more continuity to perform well and hoping for more starts, while Filipe Luis reaffirmed that he’ll stick to his convictions until the end, regardless of media or fan criticism about his lineup choices.

Takeaways

Davide Ancelotti’s Botafogo, full of absences, now has three losses in their last four games, including two derbies. Some fans are calling for the young coach’s dismissal, but the team remains in a comfortable mid-table position, although likely out of the title race. On Sunday, they face Ceará, seeking to recover both form and results.

Even after a 3–0 win, the atmosphere around Flamengo still feels bittersweet. While they defeated their rivals, Palmeiras thrashed Red Bull Bragantino 5–1 to maintain their lead atop the Brasileirão table. As the team keeps winning, the debates continue, everyone wants to be right about who deserves to start and whether the coach is too rigid in his ideas. The truth is, in a world that demands quick answers, Pedro delivered them.

Flamengo will now face their biggest challenge of the season next Sunday, taking on league leaders Palmeiras, with full coverage from Between the Posts!

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