Fluminense puts an end to a 26- year drought
Fluminense puts an end to a 26- year drought
The team from Rio de Janeiro has won its second Brasileirao Championship under the command of the most successful head coach in Brazil in the past 6 years: Muricy Ramalho.
For some reason in life the accomplishments that taste better are those that are harder to achieve, and if in the process 26 years are consumed, the value of the final result raises its price like a champagne bottle cork lid that is pop out on a podium. This is the story of Fluminense Football Club, one of the four traditional teams (Flamengo, Vasco da Gama and Botafogo complete the list) from Rio de Janeiro, whose last title had been won back in 1984. After a long 26-year wait the trophy has finally returned to Laranjeiras.
Fluminense reached the last match of the season with one point of advantage over Corinthians (67) and two more than Cruzeiro (66), depending solely on themselves to clinch the title. All the team needed was a win against Guarani -third from last- at home in front of the 40.995 fans that practically crowed the Engenhao Stadium. Only one goal was needed to end with the anxiety of 26 years of wait, and Sheik Emerson is the name of who was going to be the hero that afternoon, as he was going to score the so awaited goal that was worth the championship in the 17 minute of the second half, for the delirium of his teammates and supporters.
The progress that Fluminense experienced from last season to the present one is absurd, as the team went from fighting against being relegated to the Serie B in 2009, to be the best out of 20 teams in 2010. The 46 points achieved during the previous year were widely surpassed by the 71 from this season, for a 62% win percentage.
After 38 games the Tricolor only suffered seven defeats and was the team that received the fewer amount of goals in the tournament with 36. If we go deeper into statistics we would find a team that was part of the top 4 teams throughout 34 match days, and that led the competition during 23 of them. These numbers are worthy of a champion and clearly demonstrate why Flu had more merits to win the 2010 Brasileirao Championship, but they do not tell us about the keys for this achievement.
The head cornerstone of this success is no other than the creator of a style that became popularly know in Brazil as "Muricybol", which bases its philosophy in a solid defense (no doubts why they were the team with less goals suffered) that begins with pressing the rival with their forwards, and executes quick counterattacks added to their air game. Yes, we are talking about Muricy Ramalho, who brought his winning formula from Sao Paulo to Laranjeiras.
With this system Ramalho's statistics in the last 6 years are demolishing, as he has practically monopolized the Brasileirao wining 4 out of 6 championships, and finishing as runner up in one occasion also. In his first year in charge of Flu he was able to revalidate that title that had been won in 1984 under former Brazilian National team head coach and 1994 FIFA World Cup winner Carlos Alberto Parreira.
Speaking about the Brazilian National team, Ramalho was offered to take over after former head coach Carlos Dunga's dismissal -as a consequence of the 2010 FIFA World Cup failure- right in the middle of the season, but despite this position being one of his dreams, he refused to disrespected the contract that he had signed with the Tricolor, in an act that pretty much summarizes how strong the values from this gentleman are.
In such a long tournament it is usual that a team suffers changes, and so was the case with Flu, where Ramalho implemented nine different formations throughout the tournament, with one common denominator: everything spinning around Dario Conca. The Argentinean was the most valuable player of the new champions and tournament as well, seeing action in every single game of the season -being substituted only 7 times-, scoring nine goals and serving his teammates the impressive sum of 17 assists, outstanding numbers for a player that always stood up for the team.
It sure was a long wait, therefore long celebrations can be expected, especially when this joyful feeling mixes with the Holydays weather. Brazil has a new champion: congratulations Tricolor!
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