I think decent showings from Arias in these next friendlies will seal the deal for him. Backup RB has been the contended position under Pekerman. Medina remains on the list so as to not damage the kid's confidence. I felt there was a faint chance Macnelly might not make the final cut but Juanfer's recent injury throws that out the window. Muriel has been with the squad for quite some time but the sheer number of strikers on the squad gives Ibarbo some chance.
If it comes down to Arias and Medina my heart says Arias but my head says Medina. I like Arias' potential better and his style of game but Medina is a bit more versatile and could play CB or RB. I think that may lead Pekerman to lean toward Medina.
I think one of the two has to go. Too many players have been tried in that position. And Armero's only backup is Zuniga. Cuadrado has probably been the most impressive RB after Zuniga but Pekerman prefers him as a winger. Pekerman admitted he shouldn't have used Medina in such crucial matches. Arias is coming off of a good match and Stefan has a lot of ground to make up for. Fortunately both Belgium and the Netherlands have fierce attackers on the left side.
Yo no estoy tan seguro que Perea sea de los seguros. Yo creo que Arias y Balanta ambos llegan al mundial.
Yo creo que llevamos 7 defensas Yepes Perea Zuniga Armero Balanta Arias Zapata De los cuales los unicos que van seguros son Armero, Zuniga, y Armero. No estoy convencido que Perea o Zapata sean seguros, pero de todas formas creo que ambos llegan a Brazil 3 arqueros 7 defensas 8 mediocampo 5 delanteros Eso creo que es lo que va a llevar Pekerman
I don't why we are even including Medina in this discussion. Unless he absolutely blows the competition away in the friendlies, he was the easiest to take out. Balanta vs Valdes/Zapata is the more interesting question. To me either we take 5 strikers and all of the current guys stay, in which case we would have to choose between Macnelly and Aldo. Macnelly wins this although I like Aldo better. Or it could be picking between Aguilar and Aldo and Or we take both Aldo and Macnelly and go down to 4 strikers, in which case Muriel gets left out. Another interesting competition could be Ibarbo vs Muriel. Ibarbo can be used as a striker or midfielder, which gives Pekerman more freedom with the line up.
I already posted the Medina-Arias Debate. I don't think it is as clear cut as you think. Especially with these two matches in November and March still left. I rather Arias go but I think if it came down to those two Medina may win out.
I don't think so. Unless there is some kind of preference for Medina, I think Arias is and should win. If Arias starts Thursday, it's a wrap
I'm sorry, I disagree. I don't know why people are judging Medina only after his only two games in the NT vs. strong rivals like Uruguay & Chile. And before Crzd will tell me that I defend him only because he is a Nacional player, no it's not the reason. In the past year he was the best defender in the Colombian league and Pekerman did the right thing when he invite him. He's very talented and can be used as a CB or RB, performs well in both position. I'm not saying that he'll be a blind pick for the WC, but to cancel him is just wrong. Who can promise us that Balanta / Arias / Murillo will perform better? Did Perea, Zapata & Aquivaldo, who are much more experienced then Medina, didn't cost us points? It'll be a tough battle and I think that we should take 2 RB (Zuñiga & Medina/Arias), 2 LB (Armero & Alvarez/Murillo) and 4 CB (Yepes, Zapata, Perea & Valdes).
Not a chance. He was in this process along with Yepes, He brings speed and experience and as long as he's healthy, Pekerman will take him.
You are right Pibe. We should not judge based on two games only. But it left a bad impression on most of us. And first impressions mean a lot.
I don't know if Balanta will perform better, but given the choice between Arias and Medina, I'll go with Arias. I know Medina got thrown in against super tough teams and I don't blame him for the loss or the draw, but he showed that he's not ready. At least not right now. Arias played against much weaker opposition, but he showed to be comfortable and sure of himself. He showed that he belonged on the field which is something that Medina simply didn't do
You do realize that something is wrong with your common sense, do you? If you take two youngsters to play in a NT for the first time, you put one of them in a tough match, maybe the toughest and you put the pther in one of the easiest match without any pressure (we already qualified), who do you think will perform better?? Who can guarantee that it wasn't the opposite if Arias would start in Montevideo and Medina played in Asuncion? And the reason that you cannot judge according these games is the reason that Pekerman continue to call up Medina.
There is a logic because the issue wasn't just that he was outplayed, is that he looked very scared and looked like he was out of his league. Arias may have also been outplayed by both Chile and Uruguay, but his demeanor in the field tells me he would not crumble under the pressure. Whether it's fair or not, one guy had a very promising game and the other 2 very poor ones. It would be even more unfair to leave the guy who performed well out.
Arias juega en europa.....conoce el tipo de jugadores que va enfrentar (hay un para de comapñeros en holanda) ......seguro es el favorito para jugar por esa banda
Y si juega ambos partidos de titular, no veo por que Pekerman escogeria a Medina por encima de el si obviamente lo prefirio para los partidos
And Mac plays in Saudi Arabia and still in Pekerman's starting lineup, same as Teo who wasn't in form with his clubs and still had his place secured next to Falcao. I don't think that it'll be the consideration whethere to take Arias or Medina.
pekerman en la rued a de prensa, se hacia un “mea culpa“ de decir que se apresuro en alinear a medina...
And yet he keeps to call him...Look, I don't know if Arias or Medina will make it to the world cup, I believe that only one of them, but all I'm saying is that Medina shouldn't be cancelled that easily because of two games like many fans do.
I don't he should be cancelled out just because of 2 games, but there are only so many spots and he is at the back of the line for me.