Well i see a good match-up against Brazil with key players such as Valencia and Erazo missing it wont be a cake walk. In terms of our attack we cant complain we have Miller, Caicedo, and Enner at our disposal who would've thought these 3 would be healthy at the same time. Luckily we boast some depth in midfield we got some subs which can change the game around nothing says goal than having arroyo coming off the bench for a free kick. Now defense is the place for most concern that right flank will be weak without Valencia, we lose a player which provides extra defensive coverage. i'm rooting for Parades to have a solid performance like we're used to seeing, best thing might be to let Paredes hang in the back and not come up often, without Valencia to cover him the Brazilians will be itchin for Paredes to get caught out position. With Erazo out Achilier will take his place and with Neymar he and Mina better be on the same page. Good to know that we'll have Dominguez in good form he's been doing good in Mexico not a bad place for him to get better as a keeper. Overall possession is key here all it takes is a few misplaced passes for us to go 1-0 down against Brazil, our guys have a habit of playing nervous football (bouncing passes, over crossing, inability to hold solid possessions, turnovers in the final third etc..) for the first 15-20 minutes. Brazil is a former shell of what they used to be but players like Neymar, Willian, Marcelo and Alves will be a great nuisance. We can't be dropping points at home anymore out of our 6 home games left we only need to win 5 to qualify, as always anything on the road is a bonus which is why a win in Peru will put us back on track. Like i've said before this all starts with Brazil if we dont get 3pts here forget about the 3 points in Peru. Honestly 6 points here and we'll have a load of breathing room we only need to qualify directly whether it be 2nd or 4th in qualifying. With 19 points we can mark a few games as must wins (Home: Peru, Venezuela; Away: Bolivia) 28 points is the magic number. I'm hoping for 6, although realistically i feel as if we'll beat Brazil get over confident and come out of Lima with a draw or loss.
I really hope that Jeff and Miller will have a good day tomorrow. Enner is awful in West Ham and is linked with Swansea and Lazio. I'm sad cause Tono isn't gonna play, I follow his games in United shirt, and man, he's in top 3 right backs in the world. With him in the squad, I would say that we have very good chance of getting win, but now, I think draw is the most likely. GO ECUADOR. Love from Croatia!!!!
I'm curious to see who will partner Caicedo up top. I'd like to see Miller up there because of his ball control and ability to dictate the attack. He can also drop a little deeper to link up with the mids. That's something I don't see Enner doing.
I just saw the line up of today on futbolecuador that Quinteros is setting up: http://www.futbolecuador.com/site/n...a-de-once-inicial-de-la-tri-ante-brasil/70335 Alexander Domínguez; Juan Carlos Paredes, Arturo Mina, Gabriel Achilier y Cristian Ramírez; Cristhian Noboa, Walter Ayoví (Carlos Gruezo), Fidel Martínez y Jéfferson Montero; Énner Valencia y Miller Bolaños. My issues with this: 1. Paredes is coming from Watford only having played 120 minutes once this entire month (1 game plus extra time)...and to add more to the issue Cristian Ramirez is a starter in his team, but to my knowledge the Hungarian league is on a "break" currently meaning he hasn't had much activity....and he's going to start in the high altitude of Quito? I predict Ramirez is be out of breath after 1st half if not earlier and Walter will have to move back to cover his position. 2 players in the defensive line with little to no playing time in the last month. Makes me worried. 2. Walter Ayovi next to Noboa- Questionable! Why? Because I hear Neymar is going to play more as a 10 and not so much on the wings. We have a Noboa who isn't a pitbull when it comes to recovery, he only assists in doing so but he's more of a mixed midfielder and then we have a Walter who can basically cover the same function as Noboa, BUT at a much slower pace. Key word here is SLOWER. We can't afford slow against Brazil. Yes, we are in the Atahualpa and they won't be attacking consistently or frequently during the game, but on a counter how confident is everyone of Noboa and Walter filling in the mid section of the field? Hmmmm....questionable. The only fast player in the mid section will be Gabriel Achilier b/c Mina's speed isn't a stand out attribute of his. Noboa isn't fast, Mina isn't, and Walter isn't. The only thing is that Walter is smart with his positioning which is why he's been able to survive for so long as a left back in his club and on the NT. But when it comes to the one on one vs. fast players, he does suffer. And that fast player on Thursday will be Neymar breaking in through the middle. Why not give Gruezo or Orejuela (who have a lot of pace) an opportunity to cover ground next to Noboa. Gruezo is a #5, Orejuela is mixed but his defensive attributes stand out. He's actually a more complete player than Carlos Gruezo. I think Quinteros is making a risky decision here. Orejuela IMO was the best option b/c of the moment he's in and he's just like Arturo Mina....he's one of those players I'm pretty sure you can just start in a Qualifier and they will have a great performance (an exception to the rule). Gruezo knows what it is to play at international level beside Noboa....why not have given him the chance? 3. Enner was the best option on the right over Ibarra or Fidel. Problem is that if we do this we won't have enough power coming off the bench...so I understand Quinteros. Main thing is to bring someone fast in for the second half- that guy is Enner NOT Felipe. Felipe should start even though he hasn't had any playing time yet this season. Miller and him make the best duo as opposed to Miller and Enner which we all know is a struggle at times. If we needed someone to cover Antonio's function the closest we could get is Ibarra as far as characteristics go. If we wanted more effectiveness and goal scoring power the option is Enner. If we want someone who can switch pace and help Miller circulate the ball more in the offensive half to open spaces, then that guy is Fidel. So I guess Quinteros is going for that. I think the main thing he wants is for Felipe to have balls fed to him. So hope for our sake Felipe is on his A game. Fingers crossed.
Alexander Domínguez; Juan Carlos Paredes, Arturo Mina, Gabriel Achillier y Walter Ayoví; Énner Valencia, Jéfferson Orejuela, Cristhian Noboa y Jéfferson Montero; Miler Bolaños y Felipe Caicedo. ^ Looks like that will be the final line up. Enner is starting so the only threatening option we have to sub in is Michael Arroyo. Renato can't be of much help as a sub because what goal threat would he offer? And assume the problem is we can't score, then he won't be of much help. Yoya and Fidel are the two others that come to mind, but I'm not so excited for either. Going back to a previous topic I've spoken about before. We are lacking wingers. We need to produce more. Would've been great to call up Penilla or Bryan Cabezas for this game. I feel like we need them. Hope we can get Cazares back next month and later on the line Jose Cevallos Jr. And dammit Jose Angulo....you were what we needed up front as a breath of fresh air and now we are back at square one. Smh....
[QUOTE=" We are lacking wingers. We need to produce more. [/QUOTE] Who would have thought this 2 or 3 years ago? This should be a good game though. I feel like Brazil will get 1 or 2 in the first half and then Ecuador will pick it up and outlast them for a draw or win by the end. I hope Caicedo is a beast. Look, if it's a repeat of the last match-up in Quito (when Noboa scored a hero header to tie) then it shouldn't be too challenging. They dominated the game but sadly only came out with a point.
Damn. I mostly wanted this lineup! I'm pretty exited except for W. Ayovi. I think its time for him to be a sub but Ramirez as a sub isn't too bad either. This is practically the best we have right now. Should be a good match and I think we can surprise if we manage to score early.
So, Enner signed with Everton, he should be decent tonight. He sucked in West Ham over past 5 months, and although he knew he wasn't wanted, he tried hard. His confidence was veeeery low, but now it's new team, new coach, everything new. Hopefully he will get his confidence back. Guys, I can't wait for the game, sooo excited
Now that you mention Noboa....he's been the main man of the NT this Qualifier. The most consistent. I mentioned it in earlier posts as well. Him and then Miller are the most important players. Noboa has stood out in most of the games, if not all. In a few even being the hero. He's the player who usually has most touches on the ball. He has the vision and gets the ball to our offensive players in the best positions. It will be KEY that he stands out today and it will also be KEY that he isn't covered, pressured, or has any obstacles in his way. He will be vital IMO...once again like he has in the majority of games. This is our guy. Him and Miller linking will be extremely important. If both of them have open spaces and find gaps up front, then Brazil will suffer.
A bit off topic but...next week I'm gonna be in NYC. Anybody know of good ecua restaurants/bars to catch the Peru vs. Ecuador game? Anybodys recommendations are welcome. Live crowd and good authentic ecua food preferably. Thanks!
Also, I haven't seen any of his games for Rostow but from what I understand he's been playing really well and getting full games as of late. Hopefully this carries through to today...
If Paredez can keep Neymar under control we have a chance. Guys Im a bit nervous about this game, honestly my hopes are with Caicedo up top which will open up space for Montero and Enner, Jeff is up against Dani Alvez, thats a tough match up. Fidel has no business starting this match, his performances in PUMAS have been very poor.
ONCE CONFIRMADO DE ECUADOR Alexander Dominguez, Juan Carlos Paredes, Gabriel Achillier, Arturo Mina, Walter Ayoví, Christhian Noboa, Carlos Gruezo, Enner Valencia, Jefferson Montero, Miller Bolaños, Felipe Caicedo.