The ghost that haunted the club is called Jorge Jesus. In 2019, the Portuguese coach was responsible for the most glorious year in Flamengo's history, and fans clamoured for his return after every dull game played.
Since 2020, when Jesus left, no one managed to stay in charge of the team for long, even if they'd won major trophies.
Manager grinding machine
No fewer than eight renowned coaches have passed through Flamengo since 2020, including two World Cup bosses and one from the Premier League.
The first victim was Domenec Torrent (2020), who is a former assistant of Pep Guardiola.
Then came Rogerio Ceni (2020/2021), Renato Gaucho (2021), Paulo Sousa (2022), Dorival Junior (2022), Vitor Pereira (2023), Jorge Sampaoli (2023) and finally Tite (2023/2024), the coach of the Brazilian national team in the last two World Cups.
Quick and effective transition
After ending his career as a Flamengo player in December 2023, Filipe Luis began his coaching career with the club's U17s the very next month. In June 2024, he was promoted to the U20s and two months later won the Intercontinental Cup with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Greek side Olympiacos at the Maracana.
In September 2024, following Tite's dismissal, Filipe Luis was appointed interim coach of the first team and, the following day, he was given the job.
Right from the start, in October 2024, his Flamengo side eliminated Corinthians in the semi-final of the Copa do Brasil.
More titles than defeats
In less than six months as coach, the former Chelsea man won three trophies:
- Copa do Brasil 2024: Victory in the final over Atletico-MG with an aggregate score of 4-1.
- Supercopa do Brasil 2025: 3-1 victory over Botafogo, the reigning Libertadores champions.
- Campeonato Carioca 2025: State title win over rivals Fluminense 2-1 on aggregate.
Filipe Luis has 32 games in charge of a professional team under his belt. He has 23 wins, seven draws and just two defeats. He has fewer defeats than trophies on his fledgling CV.
His winning record of 79.17% is equal to that of Jorge Jesus (79% in 62 games).
In his first Brasileirao, which began at the end of March, Filipe Luis' side are already top of the league after four rounds. Flamengo have 10 points, 11 goals scored and only two conceded.
'Fla' are ahead of Abel Ferreira's Palmeiras, who have been the dominant outfit since Jorge Jesus left Rio.
The magic of Filipismo
Flamengo were looking for a coach who could not only replicate the Portuguese's titles, but also his engaging and prolific football.
Filipe Luis met these expectations. His vast experience in Europe, and also as a player and youth coach at Flamengo, gave him the abilities needed to fight the ghost of Jesus.
His knack to deal with the stars in the squad is also a secret of his meteoric success.
"I'm very practical. There's only one way in football, and that's to win, win, win. That's a phrase (former coach) Luis Aragones used to say a lot at Atletico de Madrid, if I'm not mistaken, and I internalised it," the former full-back told FIFA's website.
"Coaches like Simeone and Jorge (Jesus) were the guys who really inspired me to be where I am today," he added.
On the pitch, Filipe Luís has implemented a flexible system of play in his team - playing mainly in a 4-2-3-1 formation or with a 4-4-2 that has a very fluid attacking duo.
His attack can drop wide or have the addition of Uruguayan midfielder Giorgian de Arrascaeta, who has returned to playing well after recovering from injury. Depending on the need, Filipe has shown that he can also play in a 3-4-3 formation.
Flamengo attack quickly, press high, dominate the midfield and are extremely efficient down the wings.
Targeting the Club World Cup
With a contract valid until the end of 2025, Filipe Luis will be put to the test at the FIFA Club World Cup in the middle of the year.
Check out Flamengo's line-up at the Club World Cup
Since the young coach's work is better than that of Tite, Sampaoli and Vitor Pereira, Flamengo no longer need to be afraid of hauntings - or of European giants.
There's an expression in Rio that goes "Flamengo makes stars at home" - a reference to Vinicius Junior, Adriano, Zico and so many other youngsters from the club's youth system.
Filipe Luis showed that the best solution for leading Fla was also at home.