The real question is what’s worst for these players? Continue the Sham and somehow get carried to the top 8 by Peru losing all their matches, hoping they can play out the slump? or eliminate them first round and hope for a wake up call?
Either of those things sucks. Either we get eliminated now or right away if we make it to the next round. I am just not sure what is going on. Is it coaching? Is it the players? All of the above? I think we have the talent but can’t put it together.
Looking at the positives,we were able to break that goal slump and really If our laterales would cover their sides better we’ll be celebrating.also Enner s awful decision or lack of aim it’s worrisome.
At this point, it's on the players because the coach made the correct changes during the match but the goals conceded came from individual mistakes. We also desperately need a LW because none of the current ones offer any help offensively. They just stand in the corner and then pass back. Another positive is that Moises seems to be getting back to form.
Cristian Ramirez recovered from his injury we could really use him back. Ramirez as LB and let's hope Castillo solves his issue so we can start him on right. If we can not play Gruezo maybe we got to play another defender. Or improvise we can try Fernando Leon as a CDM. We need a player to fill that role. But hopefully our teams and Alfaro game works alot better with gruezo on field.
Campana did so much more this game than E. Valencia has in the past five or so games. His movement and position was so much better and opened up for other players. The issue is that Valencia is that other player and he cannot score. WTH is up with him? He has been terrible as a forward and as a wing as well which is surprising. Again, I felt bad for Estupiñan today. He was running back and forth like crazy and Valencia was no help whatsoever. Valencia cannot defend and has not provided any offensive danger at all. His shots are just plain horrible. I think Valencia’s time as a starter has come to an end in the NT. The issue is that I am not sure who can replace him. Kitu maybe if we line up as 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-2-1. Until we resolve the wing play, anyone playing in RB or LB is going to suffer. Remember how Valencia and Montero use to help defend? It opened up the attack because LB and RB use to be able to move up and attack.
Are we practically out since Peru won? What an embarrassment. I don’t think the coach is working out my dudes.
Alfaro admits the frustration with everyone else…our team is talented, but we’re green. Too inexperienced. We’re struggling to manage adversity and our guys aren’t playing a full 90 mins focused. This gets corrected with time and hopefully more gelling, but this is the key issue- a lack of on-field leadership to rattle the guys into shape during the ebb and flow of a match. Tactically the team was way better today than in prior games, and we scored 2 goals, but we conceded a lot. Venezuela, as a whole, is a team who should not have played for a tie and basically was written off…they’ve got a big chip on their shoulder and they’re playing for respect. Their goals were both beauties. Our guys need mental maturity and commitment to play a full 90 mins at high tempo offensively and defensively. Hincapie is still great, but our reliance on Plata is a massive worry. I’m glad he basically scores every game, but he can’t carry that load forever. Enner is a shadow of his season at Fenerbahce and our other forwards don’t do much better. The concern is collective low morale. We’ve never played good CA tournaments and I think there’s a culture of losing which we can’t seem to shake off. This might change…hopefully. But let’s see what happens. Next up is Peru, right?
might be all the above, plus mix in that teams have already figured us out, and the added pressure these guys are under given all the hype that was created around them after all those really positive results.
Yes I think you hit the nail on the head, this low morale has carried over from the WCQ and now I don’t know how they’ll surmount it. Peru per usual has awoken, and we’re not beating Brazil in their home grounds. I don’t see many avenues of alleviation.
The guys spend too much time on social media and it shows - the negative press, the criticism, the banter....they all play as reflections of it. My biggest fear is the slump lasting beyond the Copa. I almost liken this situation to a plastic surgeon working on a body. There's a moment after the surgery and enhancement where only the doctor sees the "finished" product while the patient is still under general anesthesia. Moments after, the body starts swelling, bruising, and whatever else happens to it....then it recovers for months, and as the swelling, bruises and whatever else subsides, it goes back to what the doctor saw seconds after surgery. I think vs. Uruguay and Colombia in the WCQ, we caught a glimpse of what this team was capable of. We're now in a recovery cycle, and regrettably, it's going to be a painful one (as we're evidencing).
Lol even after all these years, you’re writing still slaps! Great metaphor dude. Every great athlete has to deal with the backlash, it should be part of their psychological training. Even before the social media days, the press would hound these guys, granted it wasnt as magnified or on a myriad of channels, but it’s something that comes with the territory. Albeit I agree that the best course of action should be to stay off of it entirely or have managers that filter the content. My buddy once DM’d Enner before a qualifier game (about 24 hrs) and actually got a response LOL. Focus! All this to ask - does anyone know if the team actually has a psychologist on staff?
It's a great question. Admittedly, I don't know. I'd assume that some type of psychologist exists, but I also wouldn't be surprised in the FEF overlooked this detail. At the club level, the answer is resoundingly YES though. The DM to Enner is absolutely hilarious. But yes, to your point- FOCUS! The difference between someone like Neymar (who I personally dislike), Ronaldo, or a Pogba/Mbappe is media savviness, and many of our guys simply don't have it. They own their own channels and don't have an agency, rep, or image manager that helps control/filter these things, so we'll see them posting up a storm when they should really be watching tape, meeting with staff, or simply resting. Emotional intelligence training and growth mindset setting is such an important facet of this lifestyle, and our guys still don't have it. If you're not coming from IDV or Liga, who are 2 clubs in Ecuador that place an emphasis on education, you're basically a lost puppy out there. These athletes are sooooooo introverted in private life and get overwhelmed by the basic public demands placed on them because of their job. I remember going out to dinner back in 2011 with Neicer Reasco and his wife - he's so awkward with fans in public, and most people are so confused when they think these guys are so jovial, extroverted, etc. I would honestly hate to be a player in this day and age of immediate scrutiny if I don't have a good education or training on how to manage image and fame. I know these guys are reading the comments on their social media feeds....it's enough to break even the toughest of men.
That Reasco bit is tough to hear, especially considering the Agustin Delgado fiasco - these highlight that extra polish that some of us can't attain because of socioeconomic circumstances that are hard to overcome or outside of our control. The Mannings (NFL royal family) are an incredible blueprint for how to manage and carry yourself as a professional athlete. The way Eli navigated NY, and how the family is priming Arch Manning's career on and off the field might seem extreme (he's only in highschool - but you can imagine that he's already on NFL teams radars), but it shields him from plenty of outside distractions/added pressure and just let's him play his game. I wish we could somehow extract this type of institutional knowledge and apply it at some level into our clubs/young promesas.
I’ll take that auto gol!Yesss 2-0 ,Díaz making a difference,Preciado and Pervis doing much better,Campana needs to score or all the haters are going to have a field day with him.
Hopefully we maintain how we started,we’re playing Ok ,Pervis and Preciado finally stepping up,Diaz doing his thing,defense good so far.
My parents are Ecuadorian so naturalIy I try to support this team but every time I watch them play and they lead, they almost always become way too confident in themselves and lose the game. It’s very hard to support this team.