Only watched the second half. He worked the whole filed, made some good tackles and won back 1-2 key balls for counters. I'm sure the second half direction for him was to stay back and prioritize helping the back 4 before thinking about attacking. He had Bruno on lock. Overall the game played very similar to the last game from a season ago. Caicedo continues to show his confidence and often asks for the ball, makes smart passes, and doesn't shy away from his defensive role. just wish Sarmiento had made a quick appearance in injury time
Biased guy here again. Who is the best ecua forward/striker right now? For me it’s Fidel. He gets into positions you don’t see anyone else sneak into. I would seriously call him up since Estrada, Reasco, and Campana are awol.
He may get an opportunity. Estrada doesn't make the team sheet. Campana is injured. Reasco doesn't get minutes. Jordy comes off the bench. Martinez may get a look simply because there's no Ecuadorian striker in good form.
I always wanted him to get taken more into consideration it just that he was always inconsistent at club level over the years. His years in MX and that season in Penarol were good examples. His last season at BSC was great and he was consistent then. He made the right move coming back at the right time. If he continues to score and stay in form he could get looked at for the wc.
They all disappeared. I had big hopes for Reasco thinking he’d be our answer but it’s been met with silence. Jordy should have stayed in Bulgaria getting some playing time and then f off after the WC. Agreed. Seems like this is going to be a “consistent” season for him.
Cuco Angulo also rides the bench. Jose Angulo has only played one game so far this season. If Martinez keeps scoring then he'll get an opportunity by default. Jordy Caicedo messed up man. He should have stuck around in Bulgaria until after the WC. I have no doubt he would have had offers from decent European teams.
There's rumors that Jose Cifuentes has attracted interest from European clubs. If the rumors are true then I hope he goes to a more competitive league. He's had a good season with LAFC so far. Going to a superior league will help him take his game to the next level. Felix Torres should be a case study. He's a good player but has his game improved within the last 6 months? I don't think so. Right now I think Cifu makes the world cup alongside Moises, Gruezo, Franco, and Mendez. Jhonny Quiñonez, Gaibor, and Carcelen are options too.
Gaibor, IMO, has been a bit too hit or miss on the NT to merit further consideration, but with the expanded roster format for this WC, I think he might make the cut. That said, he would clearly be a 3rd option...perhaps 4th at his position. There's a few weeks left for the European transfer window, but I don't think Torres will make any move until after the World Cup. I could be wrong, but the market is highly inflated right now, and will get a bit more hyped by the winter transfer window, but greedy clubs will want to hold and wait for the highest possible payout possible (due to the World Cup vitrina). I'm curious to see how things play out.
I don't think Gaibor would make the list as things stand right now. I think Alfaro will go with 5 center mids. Moises, Gruezo, Franco, Mendez, and Cifuentes are locks in my opinion. That being said injuries can change things. With the expanded roster though maybe Alfaro goes with 6 midfielders. In that scenario I think Gaibor has a chance. It'll come down to who's healthy and in the best form. I'll also add Dixon Arroyo to the list but he's further down in the depth chart.
Listening to some clips and some periodista suggested Alfaro call up tuca. AHHAHAHAHAHA NO. Unless he scores 30 until then no.
Campana out for 6 weeks. Injury Update 🩺#InterMiamiCF has provided an injury update for Leonardo Campana presented by @BaptistHealthSF.— Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) August 8, 2022
It unfortunate. But Martinez, Enner, Mena up front looks good on paper. I remember the last time Martinez played with Enner they had good chemistry and linked and build plays well together. Sarmiento, Jordy, Plata as the subs.
It wouldn't surprise me if some team wanted to jump on our player before the world cup. Players like Estara and Jose Angulo are good examples.
Plata is Ecuador's best player offensively. I don't think he should start on the bench. The team can look lifeless without him. Martinez has never been a standout performer for the NT. El es pecho frio. He'll probably get an opportunity simply because options are scarce.
Im still undecided if we should start with the younger players and have the experienced players come in on the 2nd half to change the game control the score lines or start with Experienced players have the younger guys come in at 2nd to take advantage of fatigue and go more offensive.
Plata is a starter for his team. It used to be that he would only be good for 20-30 minutes with the NT but that's not the case anymore. He's able to start and play for most of the match now. Ecuador should start with the best team possible. Ecuador has options if Plata is out of gas by the 60 minute mark. Hincapie, Moises, and Plata should be starters. Sarmiento is a different story. He'd be better off coming off the bench.
Plata must be a starting option, BUT....the coach should manage his minutes. He's as injury prone as Franklin Salas used to be. Also, he's a really twiggy young man, and he gets bodied really easily...compounding the risk for small injuries that get worse over time.
I think we should start with the best we got. A lot of our guys are young but now they have the experience to face those scenarios. If we had a target man I would agree but we don’t and not starting with Plata will seriously cut our chances of creating anything. Wating until the other team is tired doesn’t sound good to me.
Waiting for the opposition to get tired may work against some teams. That being said relying on this as a game plan isn't something a teams wants to resort to. It's also important to keep in mind who the opposition is. The Netherlands and Senegal are well conditioned teams. Both teams are tactically strong too. Chasing a game against them will be a hard task. The Netherlands is a team that can take advantage of open spaces. Senegal is a team that can manage a 1-0 score.
I think is is a very good assessment of Ecuador's overall failures during the qualifiers. Proper clock and scoreline management hurt us in several games. We did qualify, but I think I can comfortably speak for all of us when I say that we were all pulling out our hair on some occasions when we'd drop a 0-0 tie late in the game, or try to play catch-up. I remember the 2014 WC when we tied France in the final match of the group stage, and that game was essentially us holding on for dear life...I'd say that Senegal at their best and a mediocre or great Netherlands team can be as hard pressing as the French were, and with our attacking options (scarce at the moment) still mainly feed through only a select group of guys, which means we'll be limited in how to deflate the momentum/possession the opponents will have. Opponent stamina is crazy high. I'm scared to see Ecuador trying to holding on against this type of opposition if we can't find a way to creatively distribute the ball and alleviate pressure. Regarding CAF successes/failures at the WC: 2018 - Nobody advanced out of the group stage 2014 - Algeria and Nigeria advanced to the round of 16 (best overall CAF showing over the past 20 years) 2010 - Ghana advances to the Quarterfinals (losing a heartbreaker) 2006 - Ghana advances to the round of 16 2002 - Senegal advances to the round of 16 Considering the strength of many of the CAF squads that have played in WCs, regardless of who is fielded, the overall confederation record merits attention. Many of their best players not only play in Europe, but also play for Europe's elite clubs, but as a squad in a tournament, they can't hack it. While I don't immediately rule out Senegal as a result of this insight, I would say that CAF teams are more than likely to fail to advance from the Group Stage, and there's a multitude of issues why. Ecuador needs to go into these matches knowing they can square up with any team in the group, and play consistently good ball- something which we simply don't do with regularity. I don't know how to coach mental coolness, but this is a big part of where we usually fail.