Tomorrow is gonna be the last official match of this guy in Barranquilla. I am forever grateful to return colombia to a world cup , no matter the result tomorrow. Colombia was shitty for 14 years before him
What do you guys make of the decision to give the armband back to Falcao? I think he's a far better captain than James, but I find it very odd that the exchange wasn't made in the last round of qualifiers. I mean, it's been clear for a year now that Falcao is the guaranteed starter as long as he's healthy. I wonder how James took it...don't think he would have had any problem with it at all if it had happened in September. Now he might read it as a demotion...
I think its smart. After the great disaster Thursday night i think the most salient galvanizing rallying cry Pekerman has available is DO IT FOR FALCAO. All these guys play in a post Falcao world where Colombian players are taken more seriously in leagues around the world and many got there big break at a WC he carried the team to but didnt get a to play in himself because of a twist of fate. This is just more symbolism to help land that message.
Say what you want about Pekerman but he got the job done in Qualifying. Now let's see if he can take this team to the next level. Hopefully he finds a formula that works.
Pekerman has to find a way to make Colombia play better. Depending on the teams we will play in the group stage we can make it to the knockout stage, there you dont have to technically win but at least you shouldnt lose. Here, the teams qualified to the WC so far: No Win: Alemania España Argentina Francia Polonia Bélgica Inglaterra Portugal Brasil Uruguay Tie: Serbia Costa Rica México Nigeria Win: Egipto Arabia Saudita Panamá Irán Rusia Islandia Corea del Sur Japón Our team needs to tactically improve and become a really difficult team to beat. That should be Pekerman's main goal until the WC.
The no win? Are teams we can’t beat? I say Germany.... that’s it. I expect to beat everyone else. We beaten Arg/Brazil in the past who are better then every other team their. Spain we tied in Spain. This will be in neutral ground I have no clue how some of you think I am trolling this forum when. I am the only one who believes in this team and we can be better and so much better. I mean would love if another team eliminated Brazil, Argentina and Germany for us. In the end the players need to show balls and go to win and not for a fancy trip to Europe
Costa Rica last WC beat Italy, Uruguay and tied England when they were already qualified they also won a 4th game and did well the 5th? We don’t have a better team then Costa Rica? Come on people have some ambition!! I know the 90s/00s destroyed your souls with shitty coaches but man look at who we got now!! Another reason I am mind blown when a uncle or older Colombians mentions the 90s team. It’s like k I’ll take one of the goalies and that’s all
Belgica? Polonia? Uruguay? Portugal? Francia? Pienso que hay que seguir a los equiipos , antes de dar nombres aleatorios. Uruguay perdió con Peru recientemente...Portugalo lo elimino chile y mexico estuvo a dos minutos de ganarle, Francia no pudo con luxemburgo... Polonia paso arrasando jugando contra armenia, dinamarca., kazahjistan Se podria decir que aleamnia..... Pero en verdad hay que hacerle seguimiento a los equipos para decir de verdad que tal son
my point is we need te improve at many levels in order to become a team that has better chances in the WC. I also want to see Colombia going as far as possible in Russia
No man I have been bitching about it since after Brazil knocked us up. I mention I want Pekerman fired like 6x a day. I am probably the unhappiest of everyone here by our performance. I think we are a 2nd caliber team that under preforms. I see us like a Spain. I think Chile and Uruguay over preform to be honest but those teams have better coaches. All euro teams to me are over rated because of their leagues. England cough... cough...England. Then teams like Belgium have a ton of guys in top clubs and leagues because of EU passport. Why waste a EU spot on a SA player when you don’t have to. So a gamble on a young SA/African/NA Player is tougher unless they have godlike potential. That’s why before Falcao all our euro players where guys who went because of the NT and to start. Now we have guys who are given a crap ton of time to adapt. Chile has Vidal and Alexis Sanchez that is it. They have like 5’9 cbs that is fking awful unless this is high school freshman team or a woman’s team. Sorry for the shorter dudes here but it’s true. Uruguay has 1 CB, 2 godlike strikers Colombia has 2 awesome CBs, a godlike striker, godlike AmF and top class RM. and other options that need to be found but we have plenty of player. Plus Colombian league >>>> Uruguay >>> Chile We have shitty LBs but so does everyone but Brazil. Our GK isn’t the best but neither is anyone in SA. Euro keeper are over rated because they are crazy tall! They mention De Gea and the Belgium Kid like if they are the next Oliver Kahn or Buffon.
How’s that funny they had a 2 year stint where they won a ton of shit but like Italy in 06 they weren’t the best team at the WC Paraguay with Cabanas was better they just had the worst luck their star got shot Germany, Italy, Brazil then everyone else. Those 3 teams can go with 23 dudes who never played before and still manage to win.
Its funny because it explains why you have such ridiculous high expectations on our team. And why you are frustrated like 90% of the time. We reached the last two games in a good position in the table and the two teams that we have to play was Paraguay in Barranquilla and Peru in Lima. Two games that traditionally are favorable for us, that show that we actually did good qualifiers. The only team that reached that part of the qualifiers comfortably was Brazil; for the rest; last world cup and the last confederations cup finalist we're suffering to the end and both even had worst escenarios than us. What makes Pekerman results even more impressive, is considering that the team was going trough a transition, the core of the team (Zuñiga, Armero, Yepez, Aguilar) weren't there. There was a time when Colombia had aggurably the best (on both flanks) wingbacks of South America. And despite those loses he reached the last part of the qualifiers with enough points to ******** up a game and still qualify directly
Ospina and Zuniga can extend their NT careers by simply coming back to play in Nacional. Why haven't they done this? You think If he's calling up Aguilar while he's sitting on the bench for Cali that he wouldn't be calling up Zuniga or Ospina starting for Nacional? They really need to evaluate their current situation. I really think coming back home would do them justice. If they both were to transfer in winter that would give them enough time to sharpen up before Russia.
Zuniga is training with Nacional. Is the Colombian transfer window even open? Also what is the point of Ospina going to Nacional if they got Armani and Vargas. Potentially all 3 of our WC Gks at the same club? Ospina is an idiot and wants too much money. That ruined his transfer to France and Turkey. Colombia is impossible. Remember Boca wanting him but again if he won't lower his wages he isn't leaving Arsenal. Zuniga.... pretty sure he will join a Colombian team for free once the transfer window opens. No way Napoli wants to continue paying his wages. They gave him a big raise before the WC and him turning to shit. Pretty sure they want him off their books
Based on qualifiers performance, there are two teams that are head and shoulders above the rest and are the clear favorites in 2018: Brazil and Germany. There's a good group of teams that with tweaks here and there and with some luck in the draw (read: avoid Germany and Brazil) could make it to the final: France, Portugal, Argentina , Spain, Italy, Uruguay... Then we have teams that depending on a lot of variables I'd place in quarter finals but are unlikely to beat better teams as round goes by. We're in that group along with England, Belgium, Switzerland, Poland, Mexico, Denmark, Peru.... But a lot of their fate depends on the draw.. Below that, well, there will be very weak teams and other than can be competitive in a couple of games but with no real hope of going deep in the tournament. Off course there will be surprises and disappointments but they are not that frequent. I think a lot of our hopes depend on the draw we get. If we get Russia, Poland, Switzerland or even Belgium I think we can win the group and get a more favorable path. Just hope we don't get Germany, France or a sneaky seasoned Portugal.
I prefer Germany in group stage. They aren’t as good in group stage and it would keep us away from them until the final if they make it.
Every line in the formation to me has a key player. As long as Mina, James and Falcao stay healthy and play at their optimal performance potential then we can beat anyone in the World. Of course other players have to do their part and role players are going to have to step up but I believe those three players will be the key factors to us going deep as contenders.
I said it several times during the Copa 2015 and the qualifiers: Pekerman shouldn't stick with only one formation. We played great in the last qualifiers with 4-2-2-2 and when Falcao got injured we switched to 4-2-3-1 in the WC. Since then we stuck with until he changed it again in Lima and we saw that it's much better to play with two strikers up front.
I have always loved two strikers and have been on the Duvan bandwagon longer than anyone here so I was happy to see that in Peru. That said, some of the sexiest most aesthetically pleasing futbol we played this 2018 cycle was with the 4-2-3-1. But as most people here point out it was with midfielders who could play defense AND link up play offensively. In the Ecuador match in Barranquilla Perez, & Torres opened up things for Cadona, James and Cuadrado and it was beautiful to watch them all pass the ball.
I liked what I Saw in Duvan in his two games but he has 0 goals in yellow and doesn’t light it up in Italy either. He also isn’t very fast which is Falcao weakness as well. I think we need to play different formations based on who we are playing and who is available. The 4-2-2-2 was our best position when we had a nasty Jackson, Bacca, Falcao and Teo as well as wingbacks who attacked well, defended well and could track back Not sure we have the strikers for that position any more we def don’t have the wingbacks. This could be fixed with different CMs then what we currently have. I like the 4-2-3-1 formation but only if Cuadrado picks up his form and Izquerido starts playing like he did in Belgium. With 2 CMs that can pass the fkng ball. I think Sanchez with Davison/Mina is no longer needed. We can use more offensive minded MFs. Also would love to try 3 in the back. What ever formation we pick we need to make sure we get the most out of our best two players Falcao and James. Any formation we play needs to hid our two biggest weaknesses. A goalie who can’t catch the ball(since Nacional a issue not starting to shit on him) and LB. Our 3rd huge gaping hole is 2nd string and bench. While I think we have good players In colombia. Losing Mina, Ospina, James or Falcao and we are not a good team any more. Larger bigger teams like Germany, Brazil can handle the loss but we cant
Brazil relies on Neymar too much. If they lose him they are toast. Germany is Germany. They could probably send their Sub 21 and still sleepwalk their ways into the Quarters or Semis.