Team focus: Luxemburgo the Fall Guy as the Old World & New Austerity Collide at Flamengo

Vanderlei Luxemburgo is not a man who tends to mince his words. One of Brazilian football's truculent old guard, he has built a fine - if increasingly nomadic - career on a willingness to ruffle feathers. For example, a sample quote, delivered to an underperforming player in training: "You're a s***. You're poor. I own three aeroplanes." 

It was no surprise, then, that Luxemburgo cut loose on Tuesday after his dismissal by early Brasileirão strugglers Flamengo on Monday night. "20 days ago, when São Paulo wanted to hire me, the president said I was a fundamental part of his plans," sighed the 63-year-old. "The board like to win prizes and appear in the New York Times, but they don't know anything about football." 

Luxemburgo's outburst could be read as a lament for the big spending that characterised his last stint at the club. The kind of spending that Flamengo have phased out since former economist Eduardo Bandeira de Mello took the reins in 2013. 

Then, the club's finances were in dire straits. Debts had sky-rocketed. Players were not being paid on time, leading to an embarrassing public wrangle with Ronaldinho, who ended up leaving for Atlético Mineiro. To stop the rot, Bandeira de Mello introduced a policy of austerity, selling off big names like Vágner Love and replacing them with more budget-friendly options. 

It was a risky move in PR terms, but the measures are working. Debts have been reduced year-on-year and Flamengo have been singled out for praise in the international press - hence Luxemburgo's New York Times comment. Fla are now ahead of the curve in a process that will soon affect all of their rivals. A bill is being debated in congress that would force teams to combat the long-standing fiscal ills that have blighted Brazilian football, from overspending and poor planning to outright corruption. 

Such deep cultural changes will only take root slowly, of course, and there will be casualties, not least because the managerial game continues to be defined by rampant short-termism. So Luxemburgo, a product of the old system, can be justified in feeling aggrieved at being sacked just three games into the Série A season, especially having been denied the big-name signings for which he had surely hoped. 

In truth, Luxemburgo was also a victim of bad luck. Fla’s defeat to Avaí on Sunday hung on a horrendous decision from a linesman, who failed to spot that the ball had gone out of play before Anderson Lopes set up Hugo's winner, while the Rubro-Negro really ought to have claimed victory away to São Paulo on opening weekend. Their position in the relegation zone seems a false one. 

The stats support that feeling. In terms of average possession (53.8%), pass success (81.5%), shots on target (4.7) and interceptions per game (13), Flamengo are comfortably in the top half of the table. Only in dribbles per game (a measly 3.7) in offensive stats do they trail the rest of the division, which perhaps underlines the lack of inspiration so far this term. Much of that can be put down to the fact that their biggest attacking addition since last season, Marcelo Cirino - 5 goals and 5 assists in the top flight for Atlético-PR in 2014 - has yet to find form and fitness. 

Ironically, it looks as though Flamengo could turn to a marquee signing to boost morale. Paolo Guerrero - 12 goals from 31 shots on target last season - and Robinho - 3.7 key passes per game so far in 2015 - are two of the names in the mix, with the return of Elias another option. 

Any one of those players would cost a pretty penny in wages and would represent a move away from the cost-cutting project. You imagine Luxemburgo will have plenty more to say about developments in the months to come should that indeed prove to be the case.

How do you think Flamengo will fare this season after sacking Vanderlei Luxemburgo? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below