Rebuilding the NT -2018 Qualifiers

I think he made the list with 24 players this time simply because he did the microciclo training sessions before the Qualifier game (vs. Honduras last month). Since Quinteros has been coach he never had the opportunity to have microciclos which is why he would always have a list of 30 players or so every single Qualifier round. Now that he had the microciclo it wasn't necessary. In this case, we now know who he considers his best 23 players. The 24th player is Gabriel Cortez who has had an excellent campeonato and his few games in Libertadores were good along with his NT performance vs. Honduras. The kid has a lot of potential and is in a great moment. He's basically considered the "invited player" IMO. Now to talk about the list more in depth:

goal keepers:
Librado Azcona- why is he absent? He isn't having good performances in Olimpia. He does start, but he hasn't exactly adapted well to his new team. Banguera on the other hand is in his best moment especially after a great second semester in 2016 winning the title with BSC. Dominguez has more NT experience than Azcona and Dreer is the starter. There is no room for Azcona at the moment.

Defense:
Frickson Erazo: Absent because he's been injured for a while and has not had playing time since he's still recovering.

Pedro Velasco: Just recovered from an injury, so that's why he's not here.

Dario Aimar: Absent why? Well to be honest, there's only room for 4 center backs and he's not in the top 4 at the moment. His 2016 was great and he finished off as one of the best center backs, if not the best, of the campeonato. This year I can't say the same. He's not having a bad year, but he hasn't shown growth either. THIS is where you can tell a difference between players who are going to make it big or not. If you can have 2 consecutive years with good futbol and show growth then you're bound for success. Dario Aimar is slacking now. A bit sloppy at times in defense in comparison to his outstanding work last year. He can recover and get back to his former level I have no doubts about that, but right now he's on chill mode like a lot of other BSC players who are taking it VERY easy after winning the campeonato. He just needs a change in attitude along with them to get to the Dario Aimar we all know, but for now Robert Arboleda > Dario Aimar.

Robert Arboleda: He's on the list b/c of the excellent moment he's having. He's one of U. Catolica's stand out players and despite all the criticism and lack of belief I've personally had in him since I've always considered him average at best, I think he's having a great moment and deserves to be on the list.

Midfield:
Pedro Quinonez: doesn't exactly deserve to be on the list but he's the one player in that position that's had the most consistency. Not a stand out, but he'll have to do. I prefer him over Carlos Gruezo.

Matias Oyola: Not my preference, but Alex Bolanos isn't starting so it's a very similar situation to Pedro's. He'll have to do for now.

Jefferson Montero: HOW is he on this list??? You're telling me a player that hasn't played due to injury since December is worthy of being part of crucial Qualifier matches. GTFO!! BIG mistake Quinteros and hopefully you don't regret giving this opportunity to Michael Arroyo.

Forwards:

All the attacking players on the list deserve their opportunity for one reason or another, even Cortez. The big argument will come when thinking about Junior Sornoza who is one of our best players playing in a foreign league this year and the star player of Fluminense and Juan Cazares who has consistently played every game in Atletico Mineiro and done pretty well lately. Do they not deserve the opportunity over Gabriel Cortez??? Or is Cortez THAT good. I do believe Cortez is a great player, but he's far from proven. He has potential YES, but Cazares and Sornoza are more than potential at the moment. They're the real deal- PROVEN players.

Other people will mention John Cifentes and Michael Estrada not being on the list, but truth is they're not better than the guys we have on the list right now. Great players, but not good enough to cut any of the other guys out.

 

This has to be one of the greatest moments we are having in a while (since 2015) where lots of our players, especially our starters and even players not on this squad list are regularly playing and being stand outs in their teams.

If we analyze the starting line up:
Dreer- consistent as always
Paredes- plays every other game and is more consistently getting minutes compared to nothing at Watford.
Cunti- plays 90 minutes every game in Cruzeiro
Mina- probably the only player in the line up that is in a bad moment and isn't playing consistently
Ramirez- I hope he starts this game and takes over from here on out. Starts every game and is a stand out in Russia. Excellent moment
Noboa- in one of the best moments of his career STILL since last year. He gets better with age it seems.
Orejuela- consistent starter and important player in Fluminense since he got there.
Antonio- Possibly the best moment in his career and one of the most consistent years in his career. He's the highlight player of Manchester along with Zlatan. THAT's a big deal.
Miller- Having a great start of the season in Gremio. He's an important player in his team and is having the best moment in his team since he joined last season.
Enner- Has had a fantastic month with 2 goals and 1 assist in the last 2-3 weeks.
Felipe- Has had 1 goal and 1 assist in this month and is getting consistent playing time now. He's on the rise again.

Assuming these are the starters vs. Paraguay, there's nothing but positivity in the air. It is very possible Ecuador surprises once again this Qualifier with an important win outside of Quito. I'd really say the only two players in the entire squad who are in a bad moment are Arturo Mina and Jeff Montero (coming back from injury). Other than that it is truly the best we have (with the exclusion of an injured Renato Ibarra and Cazares and Sornoza being in a great moment in Brazil right now).

 

if we analyze substitutes:

Banguera- doing well in BSC.
Dominguez- benched in Monterrey.
Mario Pineida- best moment of his career IMO.
Robert Arboleda- best moment in his career. One of the most improved players...he's the talk of the town every week with his great performances in U Catolica.
Gabriel Achilier- one of the best moments at club level he's had in the last few years. Captain of Morelia. He seems like he's mentally in a much better place.
Walter- not starting...on the declining part of his career.
Pedro Quinonez- not a stand out, but he's doing ok in Emelec. Mostly an average player...right now is not any different.
Matias Oyola- doing pretty well in BSC.
Angel Mena- stand out and star player of Cruz Azul. Having one of the best moments in his career since his 2014-2015 season in Emelec.
Gabriel Cortez- one of the stand out players in the campeonato. Lots of people place him in the top 3. Most certainly deserves the attention he gets. He's doing pretty well.
Marcos Caicedo- in the best moment of his career. That Libertadores game and the NT game vs. Honduras, along with the few minutes of NT exposure he's had in Qualifiers tell me he's ready to shine for real when given the chance.
Jeff Montero- coming back from an injury since December.
Fidel Martinez- consistent starter in Atlas...nothing spectacular lately, but he plays for sure.


My overall analysis is VERY positive for these next two games. This is what we've wanted to hear and see....a NT filled with players in a good moment. It's a sense of relief compared to the struggles we went through exactly a year ago.

 

I agree. At this point, the only reason Walter Ayovi is a starter on the NT is because of his experience and the fact that he's the captain. His age, current form, and characteristics aren't favorable for him at the moment. Especially when we have players like Cristian Ramirez who is having a great moment in his career in Russia and Mario Pineida who is the best right/left fullback in the campeonato in the best moment of his career. Either one could start right now. They're both in better form and their characteristics are more suitable for us on the NT.

The problem is Walter hasn't had a BAD game on the NT. He mostly has acceptable and good games. Right now I think we'll really see if he has any fuel left in him since we've never dealt with starting Walter on the NT while he's riding bench at club level b/c let's face it....he's been VERY consistent his entire career and almost never had to ride the bench due to bad performance or poor form. So this will be a first. Ramirez and Pineida are on their toes right now for the grabs. I like both, but since I've actually seen Ramirez in a Qualifier my vote goes to him.