I've had those discussions with the previous coaching staff, and everyone was always torn up about who to pick as captain. Valencia always had an issue with being outspoken, and he is actually very introverted and socially awkward, which makes him a strange choice as captain. Noboa was always down the pecking order, which meant the natural pick was W. Ayovi....experience and a good voice. I'd also agree that Noboa can be a great pick.
5 more days. I'm coiled up like a spring and ready to burst. My pick for Brazil: Dominguez Paredes-Mina-Erazo-Ayovi Valencia-Noboa-Gruezo(if he is injured then Larrea)-Montero Bolanos-Enner I would pick Mina instead of Achiller because Achiller is so stupid player, and his mistakes could cost us
It's all up to Quinteros.. hopefully he won't start Achillier, like he always does.. and I would rather see Jose Angulo start, instead of Enner.. but then again, Angulo has no experience in the NT.. so I can understand starting Enner.. but Mina has some experience in the NT.. so Quinteros has no excuse to start Achillier over him.. But overall.. I'm not very confident, I don't have high hopes for this copa, after the way we been playing lately.. but I hope I'm wrong.
You're right about Valencia. I think he' become more of a slightly more outspoken leader as he's gained more experience. He's well aware of the fact that he's the best Ecuadorian player of his generation and that a lot of people are counting on him. He's had to become more of a leader almost by necessity and pressure. Noboa I think should be the captain. Then again there' a lot of politics that go into it. Funny thing about Erazo...years ago when he was with El Nacional he was their captain. About midseason or something the team dropped (or he stepped down I don't quite remember) as captain. I don't remember all the details though.
Im actually dissappointed in the way the NT has been these past days. The loss against the US showed Quinteros confidence in emelec players can hurt the team (great players at club lvl but maybe not so much on the NT), also his lack of judgement in making good substitutions is something of concern. This was a friendly so this can be swept under the rug.... only if we destroy the LA Galaxy like any NT team playing a club team from an average league should.... ohhhh wait we tied 0-0. What i learned from this is that we did not learn from that loss in Colombia. Defence is a great concern Achilier is poor, Erazo not that much better, glad to see Ramirez and Mina also did my eyes deceive me and we saw Arbeloa play i mean Quintero always calls this guy and never plays him hope he can get a full 90 minutes a maybe be a solution to this problem. Defence will not improve unless Quintero realizes that Erazo and Achilier cannot function. Goalkeeping is safe in the hands of Dominguez and Dreer even Azcona if he was called up don't know why butterfingers (Banguera) is there. Midfield is alright but there are better pieces we can use would you want a Plata to come on when we need a goal or a Mena, would you rather have a Orejuela or Sornoza coming on instead of a Gaibor. Same thing about the Forwards its clear that not playing enough minutes has affected Enner maybe its time to let the young blood (Angulo) have a shot. I have high hopes this Copa America, Haiti should not cause us to much trouble, Peru is going with youngsters, Brazil have been lackluster but are still a threat. Pero como siempre vamos hacer la cagada. Jugan como son campeones y pierden como siempre as my father put it back in the day. By taking first we would most likely see Paraguay and USA next round taking 2nd will have us seeing Colombia (a shot at redemption). No reason we can't make it far and no reason we can leave early. Exiting in the group stage should put Quinteros in the hot seat imo probably one of the most accessible CA in awhile.
Well, you can't really mix up your thoughts on the Qualifiers matches with this last one against the US. Reason why is because the Qualifiers are of much greater importance. We are in two different moments...once again. Back in March Montero wasn't playing, Anotnio had recently come back from an injury, same with Enner, Felipe was out, and the key guy (Miller) was out too. Add that to Achilier coming back from an injury with no playing time at all in the season. If I forgot a few other names remind me. All those things come into effect. Right now we have Achilier playing for 3 months straight almost, Enner played a decent amount of games although he was held back coming in and out of injuries, Felipe got injured AGAIN, Antonio has been playing consistently just about every game at above average performance levels, Miller is back (not 100% at his true form, but he's doing well and playing), Montero is a starter at Swansea again and had an amazing end of season if you ask me. Two different moments. Two different scenarios. I'd take the moment we are in now compared to where we were back in March any day. That being said I would expect more from the NT this time around, but a friendly isn't exactly the scenario where I'd expect that "more" to be displayed. Ecuador doesn't ever participate in Copa America or in friendlies to impress or have a successful run, so let's not elevate our expectations. I think we got to sit back and just watch what kind of attitude and futbol is executed in the first game and hope it comes with a positive result. Otherwise, it'll be the same story as always in Copa America. Main thing is, I don't want bad results to cause tension and a negative atmosphere in the locker room. We started off this Qualifier really well and I think the main objective right now should be to not ridicule ourselves in this cup and end up feeling pressured walking back into the Qualifier where it really counts.
Robert Arboleda I thought deserved a chance long ago when he was in Liga de Loja because we didn't have much to choose from, but I think our situation with center backs has improved a bit in the last year. Arturo Mina is THAT guy right now. Luis Caicedo always had the potential, he just needed consistency. Dario Aimar is the revelacion of the campeonato as a center back if you ask me. He is quite impressive. It's not easy to go to a big team like BSC and knock out experienced players from the starting line up. He benched Luis Checa, a vet in the campeonato who has been consistent at local level for years. Not a NT player in my book, but his performances in campeonato are decent and most of all consistent. I applaud that. If Aimar holds that form for another season after this, he's onto big things. As far as what I've seen these 6 months, I can say he's impressed me. Why is Aimar on the NT? Easy, because he's 20 or 21 years old, he's never been called up (meaning he's not been part of this process), and his buzz has only been going on for 6 months...he needs more consistency before Quinteros gives him the OK. 6 months of good futbol alone doesn't mean anything. I want to see if Aimar holds it for another year, THEN i'll believe it. Just like Miller did and everyone else who ended up advancing in their careers. Luis Caicedo has had good 6 months or even longer of futbol and next thing you know the following season he's not starting and Arturo Mina comes in and takes his spot. Luis Caicedo has been around for a while, but it is just now that he is reaching his best form. Now Fernando Leon has been riding bench for a while. I guess he will take longer to bloom but IMO he's not NT material. He's too much of a nerve wreck. Unless he matures a little later on, but he's not so young anymore. He's 23 now. If Mina or Caicedo bounce from Indep. soon he better take advantage of it because another young guy will join the fight to start just as soon as it's available. Segovia is good just very young. He has even more to prove then Aimar. I'd say he's the farthest of all the options you mentioned. As of now, No one is going to remove Erazo, Achilier or Mina from the NT. Quinteros seems to have a liking for Arboleda although he must have his reasons. If it works out, then good, but I am not so confident in that kid's skills. Very similar to how I was not so confident after seeing Fernando Leon on the NT. Lately Luis Canga has Norbert Araujo benched and I find his performances to be good lately. Hopefully he's here for the taking. Canga has always been good but he's hidden under the shadows of Araujo and Romero. The potential is there and I'm sure if he earns his starting role in Liga, there will be another name on this list to be fighting for a spot on the NT. So as far as what Quinteros did was a legitimate move, he called up Luis Caicedo and put him on the "reserves" list. Makes sense simply because what you want is pairs or duos that are familiar with each other so that the player can adapt quickly with the teammates he's familiar and unfamiliar with. The adaptation process is much smoother from a coaches perspective. So that's why there was no Aimar or Segovia on this list. It's harder for them b/c how many BSC or El Nacional defenders do you have on this NT. Or how many players from either of those teams in general? Very few. The fact that Mina and Caicedo player together in Indep. and do so well together as a duo is the winning factor overall, so I'm with Quinteros on that one. Add that to the fact that at one point in time Caicedo did play with Ramirez in defense as well. Even better for him.
Line up vs. Brazil apparently is the following: 4-2-3-1 Dominguez; Paredes, Achilier, Erazo, Walter; Noboa, Gruezo; Valencia, Miller, Montero; Enner The only doubt Quinteros has is between Enner and Yoya.
Arboleda- I'd like to see more from him just to see if Quinteros can make my mind change. I don't see this kid being any better than Achilier. In fact I would hope Achilier starts before him any day. If Arboleda were really that good, a top Ecuadorian club team would've picked him up already. He seemed promising early on when he was 20 years old in Liga de Loja, but I haven't seen an evolution in his career. He's still basically in the same place career-wise. I hope Quinteros can prove me wrong, but I don't see it happening. Arturo Mina and Luis Caicedo- YES. Give them the opportunities. Mina I KNOW is good cuz I've already seen it on the NT. Caicedo is still to be seen. Ramirez - Decent player, but nothing amazing either. I hear some team from the Bundesliga wants him again. Let's see if he can redeem himself. He's too short and physically small for my liking in his position. I've always seen him as more of an attacker, but that's not to say that he can't evolve in his position. He's better than he previously was a while back when he played on the NT. Still not better than a 36-37 year old Walter Ayovi that's for sure. He had a really great season in Hungary, but that falls below the Ecuadorian league. So he has much more to prove in my book. The good thing is he's 21 going onto 22. He has time and at the very least has finally consolidated himself in a team in Europe. Hopefully that was his stepping stone. Going off topic, I would like to know if Gabriel Corozo has any chance of going to another European team and playing in the main squad. He just turned 21 and has an entire career ahead of him as well. He was an excellent player in Liga and the best juvenil in the league along with Carlos Gruezo and Jonathan Gonzalez back in 2013. I'd like to see both these guys (Corozo and Ramirez) start making moves into better leagues / at least having more important roles (Corozo). Plata- This kid surprised me in the few games Vizuete called him up. I would definitely give him another chance when he deserves it and the time is right. At this moment it's almost impossible. Why? Because we have Enner, Miller, Fidel, and when healthy- Felipe Caicedo who are all very effective players on the NT. Plata won't out play Montero, Arroyo, Antonio, or Cazares. His main competition would be Angel Mena and even Jose Angulo who's a REAL crack and upcoming star for us. To even think Renato Ibarra has gone on decline in his career. Poor kid, I had such high hopes for him early on thinking he would be the one to fill in Antonio's shoes one day. But in reality, he's never had that many chances to shine on the NT b/c he lived under Antonio's shadow. The problem is he never moved from Vitesse after his 3-4 pretty good seasons. His last one was poor and inconsistent. I think he overstayed in that team and in that league. To think he's been there since 2011. Sornoza, sure give him another opportunity although I'm not so convinced he would take Cazares or Miller's spot. Actually I KNOW he wouldn't. And since he's very one dimensional and can't play any other position, then that makes him less useful than them. Orejuela- I agree. Give this kid a chance. Since Castillo has left, no one has been able to fill in his role consistently. I think Pedro Quinonez and Alex Bolanos have done a decent job, but they're not as good as Castillo was. Sometimes they're good, other times not so much. They have their days. Why not give this opportunity to a 23 year old who's been consistent for over around a year and a half now? I think him and Gruezo could be an amazing duo in the future or at least challenge each other to take on the role next to Noboa. Gruezo is more of a 5 and Orejuela is mixed, but if you wanna play him as a 5 the good thing is YOU CAN b/c his characteristics allow him to. Too bad Jose Cevallos Jr. got screwed over this season with Claudio Borghi who killed his spirits, b/c that kid was definitely screaming out NT at the top of his lungs being the best player that Liga had in 2015 and one of the best of the entire campeonato. By now I would've liked to see Gruezo, Orejuela, Jose Cevallos Jr. and Noboa as the 4 center mids. Yes, three of them may be young, but they have great experience in their hands at a young age which makes them all an exception. Pedro Quinonez and Alex Bolanos are good, but they won't be around forever. If ever they are to get injured, those are the names that come to mind- Gruezo, Orejuela, and Cevallos Jr. Hopefully Cevallos picks his game up in the Segunda Etapa and let's Quinteros know he's ready for the NT. Fernando Gaibor is decent for now. Let's see what his potential is.
Erazo IMO has always had the voice of a captain. You can tell by the way he communicates himself in interviews. He carries himself with the confidence of a leader. Noboa is the same way. At the end of the day it doesn't matter who wears the band b/c they're all leaders on the field guided by a smart and passive leader like Walter Ayovi. I didn't really ever think Walter was a leader, but time made me realize that it should be in the hands of a passive person. If you guys remember the WC incidents it should ring a bell. I don't see Antonio wearing that band after those incidents. An upcoming leader I see coming into our NT is Jose Angulo. Has anyone seen the confidence that kid interviews with. He's very calm, strong and confident personality, but at the same time very humble. Charismatic as well. I see him being one of the main leaders later on if he continues in the path he's in. And knowing how the Cevallos family is, I don't doubt Jose Cevallos Jr. will be another leader in this team in the future. He'll make it here sometime soon, I have no doubts. The day Noboa starts going downhill I see Cevallos Jr. taking that position for a good 8-10 years.
I fully expected Cevallos Jr to win a spot on the NT by this time. He had a great season under Zubeldia last year and I thought he was on on right track toward earning himself a spot on the NT. He didn't do well under Borghi but he's been doing a bit better under Gutierrez. Let's see how he does in the Segundo Etapa. I don't think a callup is out of the question. He'll have competition that's for sure - Gruezo, Orejuela, Gaibor.
Not a fan of Mina to be honest. Yeah he's a heck of a defender but his skills on the ball leave a lot to be desired. That's just me though. I prefer a CB who comfortable in possession. That being Achilier is not that much better so I'm actually inclined to go with Mina. KInda tired of Achilier's mental lapses. When it comes to the LB position, you're right. Walter is still our best choice. Yeah he's 37 and it sucks we haven't been able to develop a younger LB to replace him. At the same time though the fact that he's still a productive player is a testament to him. It's not an accident that he's still playing. He's taken care of his body and that has allowed him to be able to play at a high level well into his 30's. It's funny too because years ago before his move to Mexico I wasn't his biggest fan. Then he made the move to Monterrey and his game took off. He's not going to be around forever though. Eventually father time will catch up to him. I'm not concerned though. We have a lot of options at the position - Ramirez, Pineida, Estupinan, Corozo. They're all young and hopefully they'll continue to improve. When it comes to Corozo, I hope he makes a move to a different team. He's been with Granada's reserve team for two years now. Hopefully he's adapted well to European football and he's ready to take the next step. I'm a big fan of Orejuela's game. He has all the characteristics of a modern midfielder. Sucks Quinteros didn't call him up but oh well. We should be okay with Gruezo for now but I'd definitely like to see him receive an opportunity after the CA. I liked what I saw from Gruezo in the game against the US. He's improved his ball distribution skills and positioning. As I said in a previous post, by playing Gruezo it allows Noboa to play in a more advanced position on the pitch. Gaibor should be a good alternative to come off the bench should the team need more offense.
What are people's opinions on Pedro Larrea? He really doesn't convince me. He's never made it in a big team in Ecuador disregarding this is his first season in El Nacional, but previous to that, he's always failed in the big teams he's played in and only had success in the smaller clubs. He's 30 years old and I don't know why Quinteros has a liking towards him. I feel like he took Orejuela's spot. Noboa and Gruezo are fine. I look at Gaibor and he's decent, but I know we can do better than that when Cevallos Jr. gets back in full form. I really give my vote to Alex Bolanos and Pedro Quinonez over Gaibor and Larrea though. That's for sure. But I agree with The Machine, if there's one name missing on this list it's Jefferson Orejuela. I like that he publicly came out and said yesterday "Soy el mejor volante mixto del pais". Kinda like JUST to let ya'll know. I would like to have a confident player like that in our squad over an old Larrea who has no future or an average Gaibor. And the other obvious is Librado Azcona. He's the most obvious name that is missing on the list apart from Orejuela. Maximo Banguera has been mediocre for a while now. It's kind of annoying to see his name on the list the last 2 years or so, but unfortunately we haven't had options. Now that Azcona is in the picture WE DO. Disappointing to see he wasn't called up. I hope some keeper is on the come up. We need someone else besides Dominguez that's a full bred Ecuadorian.
Larrea is a decent player. Consistent too. As you mentioned though he's never had success playing for a big team. Kind makes you wonder how he'll fare on the NT. His spot should've gone to Orejuela. Quinteros likes Larrea for some reason though. Not the first time he's called him up. Banguera has no business being on the NT. He sucks man. Without a doubt that Azcona should've been called up. Best keeper in Ecuador at the moment. In terms of a young keeper? There's Hamilton Piedra.
Hamilton is decent. We'll see how his career goes from here on out. He has a very long way to go. Doesn't WOW me, but only time will tell. Speaking of keepers, does anyone know where Rorys Aragon is? I just remembered him out of the blue. To think the guy had a great run for a few seasons in Standard, even becoming captain of his team, and then his career went on decline from there on out. I still find his story very interesting, but disappointing. He never made it in Ecuador, but found success for sometime in a top team in Belgium. Don't really remember if his main issue was disciplinary problems or something else I'm not aware of. Hmmm He's 33 as of now. Still has a decent number of years in his career left.
This guy made the jump to Europe is because his sister sent out various videos of him to various teams he went on trail to Inter Milan when he was 23 and had little playing time in El Nacional then they loaned him to Standard then they purchased him. I cant explain his performance in Europe I mean the NT rarely called him up then when he was playing there. when he came here he was unnoticeable. I think they really liked him Europe kinda like Felipe Caicedo in Espanol(When he first went there from United Arab Enmities) they gave him the starting role when he wasnt playing good and was injured and it some how worked for them he gained confidence came back to form and was scoring. That the only way I can explain his success is that they gave him the start based on favoritism and it worked for them. Maybe here in Ecuador he had problems with coaches, the teams not paying him money, the playing time he got etc. I dont think he was undisciplined. His first season back in El Nacional he played 24 times in Barcelona over 2 seasons 8, Mushuc Runa 15, Azoguez 2, and Dep Quito 17. He is unattached now I dont know why nobody would want him.
Another case similar to this one is Jose Valencia any one explain him playing in Several teams in Netherlands top division having played 11 seasons(4 and 1/2 years) in that league capping 92 appearances then some how drooping to Germany's Regional divisions (5th) and coming to Ecuador an not making in it in any teams he didnt even make it in Los Loros de tercera Division. He had some playing time in Liga but is now unattached like Aragon. Why doesnt any teams want them I dont get it.
I'll bet you guys Cabezas will be the NT starter as LB one day if given the chance. In the last game of Ind del Valle against Pumas when that LB got a red card (after giving up two goals!) and Cabezas dropped there... He was freaking good. I know he could win that LB spot. He attacked great but defended even better. With attitude and balls. This was the key IMO to that game.
Lets see who Reppetto choses to fill in the LB position vs Boca and how he does for a full 90 min in that position first. I liked what he did too but it was only one game and for the final 35min. Chances are this will happen later on his career when he looses pace.
Almost forgot about him too. Well, the reason teams don't want them is simple- their performance declined as they got older. The real question to me is why did they shine so early on and then have such a drastic fall in their performance? They both returned pretty early from European ball after finding success there.
He did a good job, but that tells me he's a very modern wing. He attacks AND defends- that draws attention to the top European leagues. I don't know if he drops to play LB for good. Maybe against Boca, but when Ayala is back that's his position. Cabezas is good where he is. That reminds me, I wonder if Jonathan Gonzalez will make a return to Independiente. I had a bad feeling that his decision to go to Mexico wasn't going to work out as well as he wanted it to. The Bundesliga would've been the best option. Good thing he's only 20 going onto 21. Still VERY young. I'd say his best bet is to return to Independiente. I'm pretty sure he could bench Julio Angulo. Julio is alright, not anything amazing. Besides Independiente, I wouldn't venture out to any other top Ecuadorian club team. They are all stacked with players in attacking positions. MAYBE Emelec would find him useful, but they aren't interested in signing anyone right now. I also consider the Argentina league a VERY good place for him to continue his career if Independiente isn't an option. Poor Gonzalez, I saw him and Renato on the right wing giving Antonio a run for his money by now and instead we got Angel Mena who is a good substitute player, but not a 90 min one.
In all likelihood he'll join another team in Mexico. If there's a 1st division club that wants him then that's where he'll go. But who knows maybe he returns to Independiente. Sornoza returned after a disappointing stint with Pachuca, Although in his case he was drafted by a 2nd division team. There was talk of Mena getting sold to a Mexican team. If Mena does in fact get sold then I can see Emelec perhaps making a move for Gonzales.