From Heaven to Earth! Fluminense, Copa Libertadores Champions Months Ago, Now Bottom of the Brazilian Serie A

Just a few months ago, Fluminense Football Club basked in glory, lifting the Copa Libertadores trophy and claiming the title of South American champions. They even squared off against European giants Manchester City in the Club World Cup, leaving with their heads held high despite the loss. However, within a short span of months, this team has found itself in an unprecedented predicament, languishing at the bottom of the Brazilian Serie A standings, having accumulated only eight points after 16 rounds with scarce victories.

On the morning of July 12th, Fluminense drew 1-1 away against Criciúma, failing yet again to escape the shadow of consecutive defeats. Despite having stars like Marcelo and Felipe Melo in their ranks, as well as Thiago Silva who has yet to make his debut, the team’s downward spiral seems unstoppable. Fernando Diniz, once a hero who led the team to continental triumphs, was forced to step down due to the team’s plummeting performance. His position was taken over by Mario Menezes, whose immediate challenge is to prevent the team from being relegated.

Fluminense’s descent this season has been precipitous. They have failed to win in their last ten matches, suffering seven losses and three draws. This string of humiliating defeats culminated in Diniz’s dismissal. The team suffered defeats against Botafogo, Goiás, Cruzeiro, Flamengo, Vitória, Grêmio, and Fortaleza, managing to salvage a point only against Juventude, Internacional, and Criciúma.

The team’s offensive prowess has been severely lacking during this phase, scoring a mere four goals. With key players including Marcelo and Felipe Melo underperforming, and Johan Arriaga, who participated in the Copa América, temporarily unavailable, the results are disappointing. However, the team still boasts capable players like Ganso, João Kennedy, Kenedy, and Hernán Cáceres, making such poor performances all the more disheartening.

Fluminense desperately needs a victory to boost morale. After all, they performed admirably in the Libertadores, topping their group with four wins and two draws. They need to address the disparity between their international and domestic performances.