Yea,but some mofos are just taking space .Plata,Estupiñan,Caicedo the only offensive we have ,to some extent Enner and that’s it.IDK why Alfaro insists on leaving players in that don’t contribute one bit,the Carcelen and Jorkaeff subs should have been sooner as Caicedo was freaking spent.
No more Estrada as starter! He's best as an impact sub when defenses are tired. I just hope next world cup cycle we find ourselves a CF cause it'll unlock this team's full potential.
First red wasn’t a red,second one wasn’t either.you can see it in the replays,but the Enner and Estrada misses are unforgivable.we can’t expect our defense to be our offense,as usual Alfaro puts too much faith in ineffective players (Estrada,Preciado)when they’re not up to the task,I rather he try out the subs ,then leave us with 2 positions wide open.
To be fair, Preciado is a sub to Castillo, who unfortunately has COVID. Preciado did a lot of slipping in this game...did the utilero forget to bring longer studs for that pitch? This is the second or third time our guys were slipping all over the pitch. Next match will be w/o Dominguez (red) and Enner (accumulation of yellows). We need a big man up front against Peru, and I think it's time for Jordy to show up and fill the gap.
Estrada can't start anymore. Not only is he not in form but he's low on confidence. Hopefully he goes to MLS and regains his form. I really don't know why Alfaro didn't select Cuco to the squad. He's earned an opportunity for more playing time. I think this is the best game I've seen Plata play. No way we toe this game if it wasn't for him. Angelo had a tough defensive assignment. He has a lot to improve upon but he's still our second best right back. Hurtado is still very green. Lopez is a limited player. Dominguez is a good stopped but el no achica bien. Galindez was clutch. He had some good saves. I liked the attitude the team showed. In years past Ecuador would have broken down after an early goal or red card.
All Jordy needs to do is keep their defense busy so our wingers have space to work with. But that's easier said than done. That's what I like about this new blood. They aren't complacent and HATE to lose. With a little more experience and hopefully a new striker, this team will become a menace in Quito for the next world cup cycle.
Agreed 100%, but the luck of a very quick red for Brazil really helped to even out what would have been an immense advantage...that and the continuous stoppage due to fouls and VAR - the rhythm for both squads was very choppy.
That very choppy play,benefitted Brazil more than us,were it not for their player getting a red ,they would have control the pace.
At this point I don't care how well Dominguez does in Colombia I want Galindez to be our first choice GK. We are so lucky to have him and he is in great form. With him we are no longer the team with the weakest gk in conmebol. I really want Jordy to bring his club level performance to the nt. I hope he plays vs Peru and does well. Man let's go for those 7 points in the next 3 games.
It's probably too early to say for sure but Dominguez may have lost his starting spot for the rest of the qualifiers. He'll be suspended for at least two games so he'll miss the games against Peru and Paraguay. Assuming he'd eb eligible to play against Argentina Alfaro may stick with Galindez for the sake of continuity. Jordy would have been good for this game. His strength and speed would have come in handy. Against Peru we would have been better off with Cuco. We need a striker asap tho. Estrada is not right. Enner no es 9 puro. Jordy has a lot to improve on in order for him to be the undisputed starter. Cuco hasn't convinced Alfaro for whatever reasons. The only other remaining strikers I can think of are Jose Angulo and Campana. Let's see how Alejandro Cabeza performs. He has some interesting characteristics.
Definitely one of the best games to watch very entertaining. If feel the use of VAR disrupted Ecuador from keeping a solid rhythm but considering the importance of those calls it was warranted. Overall very satisfied with the point and how we played. If I’m not mistaken we are the first team to go down to Brazil and still come out with a result this qualifier. A few take aways from the game, Dominguez should not be are starting keeper id much rather prefer Galindez, that first goal is in him IMO. If you are going to come out to get that ball either grab or punch it out of the box, that second chance he provided left our defence scrambling leading to the goal. Estrada cannot continue to start he is very ineffective he literally squandered the gem by Plata, he might have been looking for an open man for a better shot but as our striker you should be taking a crack at that first instinct. Our forwards need to score we have been getting bailed out by our defence which is great but we need to be a threat up top as well. The positives is that our players remained hungry and really wanted this game, so many time have I seen teams lose confidence after going down to Brazil. Tactically we were solid could have been better but going down 1 man really messes up the tactical scheme. Our subs came in and did their job I wish they came in a bit sooner but it’s better than them coming on in the last 10 minutes. Plata really showed up for us and I hope he can do the same vs Peru. But man what is CONMEBOL thinking a Colombian ref and Uruguayan in VAR talk about conflict of interest even Tite made note of it. Regardless that last penalty call wasn’t one I feel like Allison was saved from a second yellow though but what can you do. Looking forward to the Peru game this is where we play for our spot, we need to secure qualification this game. Uruguay is gaining ground and Colombia have a favourable schedule. As much as I like our chances in an intercontinental play-off I’d much rather not be in that position.
I think we should go for the keeper that is in form. Domínguez saved our asses quite a few times past games. Galindez was key in that play where he came out of the area. If it wasn’t for that play we’d have lost 2+
VAR can be an asset when used correctly. My main complaint is it takes way too much time to actually make the decision to check VAR. Red cards, penalties, and goals should automatically be reviewed. Only 48 minutes of actually football were played in the match. Fifa should get with the times and go with a time clock. The goal should be to improve the product on the pitch. Teams know that added time will always be less than what it actually should be. Galindez probably would have remained the starter if he wasn't subbed off due to injury against Chile. Ortiz came on and didn't impress. Ramirez did poorly against Venezuela. Dominguez got another opportunity and performed well. Estrada can't start anymore. Let him come off the bench. Qualifiers are different. The margin for error is small. During club season play yeah it's probably not a good idea to bench your striker after a couple of bad games but during qualifiers and especially at this stage you have to make changes if a player is not playing well. Estrada is off man. His confidence is low right now. His positioning is bad. It's almost as if he's surprised if the ball finds him. It made no sense the ref and var assignments. It should have been am Argentinian ref or a Venezuelan. It's unlikely it'll happen but we could have used Felipe Caicedo. Him and Enner up top would have been good. To be fair I don't blame Caicedo for not wanting to come back. He had problems with the old FEF regime. I'm sure there's probably some resentment there idk. He was also always criticized by fans. And harshly too given the racist stuff he was subjected to. Weiner and Alfaro should give it another go and try to convince him to come back. I think he would he well received by the squad. A lot of the young players probably look up to him. Ecuador defenders have accounted for 7 goals and 4 assists. That has to lead conmebol. Torres is definitely an asset in aerial play. On another note he has to go to Europe. Italy, Germany, France, and Portugal would be good landing spots for him. If he wants to go to take his game to the next level that's what he should do.
Alfaro mentioned that he has talked to Caicedo and there is no ill will with him personally, BUT...Caicedo's wish is to no longer be called up to the seleccion. Being called up is a major honor, and he would definitely be a great senior voice for our younger guys who desperately need to be using, but it's also a major drama magnet - some warranted, and much of it unwarranted. As was rightly pointed out, between the federation's prior administration leading to problematic team politics and power dynamics, to the insane racism that frustrated fans belt out when the team underperforms, it's a terrible mess. I wish he'd change his mind, but this cycle is almost over, and I think it might actually hurt the players more than it would help to bring in someone totally new to the qualifiers at this stage - especially someone of his stature and clout. Remember, he hasn't participated in the slightest during this ciclo. Jordy needs a shot - it's time. It's high risk, but high reward. Without Enner in the next lineup for Lima, I'd think it would be ideal to play a 4-5-1 with Jordy at the point and two wingers totally coming in to start wrecking the Peruvian defenders. I also agree with a time clock....leaving it to the ref's judgement to assess time extensions and following through with it has become a big issue. Yesterday's game, after the 91st minute hack in the box, should have allowed the full 5 minutes of stoppage to be played out....but we were shorted about 2-3 minutes.
I have no ill will towards Felipe. I respect his decision. The same can't be said about Ramirez. I've no respect for the guy. What's his excuse for not representing his country? At least Felipe can look back when he's older and say el puso su granito de arena. I'd like to think he'd be well received by the current players. He has history with Dominguez and Enner. Gruezo, Mena, and Arboleda too to lesser extents. He'd take a spot away from someone else tho so idk. We're cursed at striker. What if Jose Angulo was never suspended? What if Plaza didn't struggle with injuries for the past 2-3 years? Alfaro has to fix this problem. Teams will design game plans to combat Ecuador's wing play. They'll shift their defense to take Plata out of the game. If Plata or Mena don't play well then who steps up? Estrada is not a player who generates plays. He's motivated someone who can operate on the wing or who will drop deep into midfield to contribute. If we qualify for the world cup we're going to go up against the best national teams of the world with good coaching. We'll play European teams with substantial resources that have analysts on hand and whatnot. Jordy deserves an opportunity. Cuco was selected by Alfaro. Reasco is an interesting player but no es nueve puro.
The striker curse, since Tin, Chucho Benitez (RIP), and Felipe Caicedo, has been very real. Much of this also has to do with continuity....who exactly knows how players will develop. You've got the early risers, the late bloomers, and lots of middle ground in between. They tend to fizzle quicker than other positions from what I've noticed, but yes, Ecuador has generally had an issue developing this talent consistently. One of the reasons why we just need to throw Jordy into the deep end of the pool and bide our time. Hes 6 ft 1 and weights almost 190lbs. The guy is literally the prototype of what we need, but it's very rare to see him get minutes....if we go to Qatar, his frame will become even more important against goonish European defenders who are fast, skilled with their feet, and have massive frames. Unfortunately, Estrada's issue is mainly mental - he has a physique and some degree of technical ability to go 1-1 with many players, but his reflexes aren't quick enough, and that's mental. He's in a fog where the body captures the ball but the brain wasn't in the moment and it creates these weird 1-2 seconds of motionless activity - that's his window. I heard his last few matches in MX were not good, and there's been experiencing a notable dip in form. I think he carries over that emotional baggage and hasn't found a way to keep consistent. When he's on, he can be absolutely lethal. When he's off, he's a ghost. It's just tough to predict what version of Estrada we'll see on any given day.