Liverpool is preparing an offer for Antonio Valencia. AC Milan and West Ham are keeping tabs on Jefferson too. Let's hope these are true. Well, in Antonio's case, let's hope he doesn't accept Liverpool lol The MU fans won't take that one well.
Man. What a game by Chile. I wish our players played as good as Chile. They played their hearts out throughout the game. They pressured from beginning to end. Didn't stop fighting even after going up 2 goal. That's how you win. Not fall back and defend when you score one goal. Rueda is a joke.
I'm tired of hoping Rueda will learn. Probably the best thing that could happen is for Honduras to score one early, then we actually are forced to attack. Otherwise I expect the same conservative, not taking it to the opponent approach that has been a feature of Rueda at all his teams.
The Arroyo thing is extremely unfortunate because for me we have CLEARLY been a better team with him playing. We keep the ball better, we pass better, we are more unpredictable and we have a great weapon for set pieces. Nobody would be talking about that miss if they hadn't scored...it was very bad luck for him. We dominated the Swiss those last 20 minutes and were much closer to scoring. As coach I start him instead of Caicedo. But Rueda is very insistent on his lineups so unless there is an injury or death nothing will change.
frankly, i think the manchester united fans would be ecstatic if he left. they don't like him on the line up and constantly berate his lack of a left foot and creativity. Id wouldn't mind him going to a champions league team personally. As for jefferson montero, i feel west ham or Ac milan would make good fits. West ham just bought Mauro Zarate (a good target man/partner for him) and Ac milan is aging and trying to rejuvenate there squad. As for moving on from the last second fiasco (which we are notorious for lol), everyone saying to move the Fudge on is right. We still got six points to play and have a squad that can dominate the next game and give the french a run for their money.
A french team that might already be qualified. If the Swiss lose to France and we beat Honduras, we might be looking at France's "B" team. We really need to start looking for our next coach though. Sad to see our National Team succumb to that defensive minded crap Rueda goes with. Our 2006 team was underrated but we had flare. We attacked with a purpose and that surprised so many skeptics. Against the Swiss, our attacks (aka give the ball to Montero) were so predictable. I still can't believe Rueda let the Swiss control the game after one goal.
Here in Curitiba there are some Ecuadorians arriving already, I'm gonna tell you one thing, people here spending great deal of money are a lot more optimistic than the ones in this forum, funny thing, after I did my degree and went back to Ecuador I kept telling people that the Ecuas abroad are a lot more positive than the locals, I see thats changing, look Im not a youngster like most of you, I am closer to 30 than 20, I can remember Copa America 93 I was a boy of 7 but I remember the hype, I fell in love with our NT, no one here can tell me that any other team in our continent has grown more than us since then. Now the loss was heartbreaking, probably as bad as losing in Quito vs Uruguay back in 2010 qualifiers. Now, I honestly dont think we played a bad game, I think we had bad moments, they capitalized, plain and simple, Now there was things that could have been done differently but thats in every futbol game ever played, Mentality is a word thrown around a lot it has been for the last 20 years, big props to Draskovic, Maturana and specially Bolillo, our mentality has changed, if anything I feel this team could use a little more old mentality, remembering that our talent and stradom is limited but we make up in esfuerzo, entrega, discipline and well planned tactic, do you think De La Cruz, Holger, Reasco or Raul Guerron would have stayed up as Paredez did? Chala, Aguinaga, Luis Gomez, would let the defender that blocked their shot take the ball 60 yards? I strongly believe that those 20 seconds are a perfect example of abandoning the team mentality that has given us so much success, I dont think Montero, Arroyo, Caicedo, Enner suffer from low self esteem or a losing mentality, if anything estos jugadores estan creidos, now did we lose because of that? Absolutely not. Now, I know Dominguez is beyond criticism here for many but truth be told he needs to gain his confidence back, this is fkng up our universe, other than that i fully support same line up vs Honduras. Now, I hope you all dont mind me talking a bit about myself, I promise there's a reason, I do some freelance work on some of the sports magazines in Ecuador and some of the local newspapers, I have gotten a lot of heat for stating what I'm about to type, Ecuador's futbol wont make a major improvement until the Ecuadorians as fans change their mentality, it is us, the fans that have issues, look around on our websites, more people will post critics about a loss than write a constructive comment on a win, look at our stadiums every weekend, people would rather watch a rivals game in Libertadores than go support your team that weekend, yet they demand major acquisitions every offseason. Even here, I am reading about our next coach and what he should change, gentlemen, we are in the middle of the World Cup, giving up after one loss? Is Honduras that good? Wasnt France the same team that needed a repechaje against Ukraine and barely advanced? Look I dont know what will happen in the next 2 games but if we want a mentality change this is the perfect opportunity to start, I agree with hiring Bauza all the way I was one of the first ones to mention it here, but how about we finish THIS cycle first.
I agree, Chile's a perfect example of a team with fans with positive mentality even at their worst. I recall CHile had a mediocre performance in 2010 in comparison to this world cup, yet after they reached the second stage and got knocked out 3-0 by Brazil, their fans still walked around with their flag with pride and supported them. We need to do this with Ecuador, we need to stop shooting our players down on public twitter and public forums because it only weakens their mentality.
Bad News guys, the fourth referee for the Friday game is the Japanese ref that ********ed over Croatia against Brazil. This is adding a little bit of insult to injury.
I don't see the fans being too bad. It's not that we don't support the NT. I think we all do and hope to see it improve. I don't think any of us would mind if we lose by goleada as long as our team plays their hearts out. Pressuring the whole game and taking it to the opposition. What bother me and most is the way we played the first match. We played like scared punks and let the other team control the ball after one goal. We just sat back. We had literally NO pressure at all. This isn't about character but it's about the coaching. It's very clear to most Ecuadorians that the way the NT is being coached is bad. Plain and simple. With this mind set the coach sets on the team we aren't going far. Chile, USA and Mexico play tough and hard. They attacked and pressured the opposition no matter the score. Check the game out of Ecuador and compare it to Chile. You'll see Montero, Valencia, or any of the forward lose the ball they just start walking back! They don't even make an effort to recover the ball. Any team that is coached good would make every single player fight for the ball as soon as they lose it. They would be pressuring the opposition right away. Not wait for them to be knocking on the door steps of your goal. That is why people are upset and disappointed. That is why most of us don't have much hope because we have seen this time and time again with Rueda. He isn't going to change. He is a mediocre coach. It's up to the players now to say ******** Rueda let's go all out and play hard. That is highly unlikely though. I am sure we will beat Honduras cause they are freaking terrible and play dirty but against France?! Yeah I don't know. I hope we play all out.
To be honest with you, CHile played a great defensive and midfield game, but to say that they didn't also bunker a bit is a lie, they were caught more than a few times in a counter attack like we were b y the Swiss but the difference was the Spanish were absolutely shit and couldn't make an accurate shot or they would get dispossessed immediately. Chile has quality players but so do we, the difference is their coach, Sampoali brings a different mentality to those guys, lets recall that this is the same team that under Borghi was trashed two times 3-0 two months apart by Ecuador, and lost 1-3 to Colombians in Santiago. This is the team that was trashed on more than one occasion by Spain 3-0 under Bielsa in friendlies and against Brazil in qualifiers and even the World Cup. The coach makes an enourmous difference and I completely agree, which is why it angers me when people claim our players don't have as much quality as the Colombians or Chileans. Could you imagine how great our team would have been had we picked up Sampaoli back in 2010 when we were looking for national team coaches? Sampaoli I recall was a candidate along with Fossati, Bauza, Rueda, and Markarian.
Pekerman and Tata Martino also were part of the long list of candidates. For some odd reason, Rueda's name was the one taking the lead when at one point we all thought it would've been Bauza or Markarian. I forget why Bauza didn't want to take the NT. I think he wanted to take the NT 6 months earlier and Chiriboga wanted a coach after the WC, not before. Bauza is a very serious coach who likes to have adequate time to plan so he wasn't with Chiri's idea. Samapoli was in Emelec, but his international recognition at the time wasn't what it is now or even what it was after he went to U de Chile where he finally got to show what he's really made of. I always said, if Sampaoli had stayed in Emelec just one more season, Emelec would've reached that next level that they've struggled to reach these last 4 years. That team he built was the strongest Emelec I've seen. That one and also the one Fleitas had. But here's one thing I don't like about Sampaoli. He's very aggressive, but his defense isn't always the best. There's been games where his teams have gotten beat by goleadas. IMO I wouldn't really want him to coach Ecuador....or at least I don't find him to be the best option. I'd choose Bauza. There's no one more ideal than him if you're looking for a very aggressive team w/ an extremely solid defense. Bauza's teams are so compact and the transition from attack to defense and vice-verse are very effective. When Bauza plays away, his teams are a headache to score on, let alone beat. And a great majority of the time, Bauza will leave an away game with points in his bag. This is the kind of coach I want for us. He knows in depth about the young generation that we are going to see within these next 10 years. He's made 3 of our most promising players in the country debut in first division (Corozo, Cevallos Jr, Mercado) and also had Canga on the reserves in 2013 if im not mistaken. The man knows our players, how to properly accomodate them on the field and make even mediocre players stand out. To tell you guys that Cuchara Caicedo, Guagua, and Diego Calderon were able to plays finals of international cups in Bauza's teams and not disappoint speaks highly of him. He brings out the best of all his players, even the most mediocre ones. Although I believe his last 2 years in Liga were awful, I think that's more b/c his cycle w/ Liga was over....but his cycle for the NT is something that sparks lots of interest b/c we know he will bring new ideas to the table and an entirely new mentality. This is the man that transformed the mind of an ecuadorian and said "you can win cups too, not just participate in them". He changed history for us at club level and he deserves his chance at the NT level too.
Ya I agree, Chile vs COlombia 3-3 was a perfect example of how self-destructive Sampaolis teams can be defensively, in fact I'd go as far as saying that they went Ecuador that game and sat back after three goals, letting Colombia get up too close to their side of the field. If anything I think Rueda should use Fidel Martinez as well, I remember how great he played against Australia when he was subbed in, we need to play like we did in that second half vs Australia but this time vs Honduras. I don't understand why Rueda doesn't make us play like that alll the time. We were an entertaining team to watch that friendly in the second half, I really hope Arroyo and Martinez get a shot at playign at least in the second half of the Honduras game.
Oh yeah. Without a doubt Bauza should be coach for Ecuador. He doesn't just deserve it... FEF should be begging him to coach the NT and throwing him bags of money so he accepts. He really did change the mind set of Ecuadorians everywhere. Dude is a legend. Don't know if he likes Chiriboga and his mafia though. Liga and FEF almost always have disagreements it seems and Bauza knows this. I don't think he would take any crap from Chiriboga at all and Chiriboga doesn't like that it seems. He wants coaches that bend over for him.
how long do you guys think chriboga will stay and who do you think will take his place if were luck cevallos will take his place he understands the importance of youth development and i think he could bring some good changes as far as stadium management, youth development, and relegating dept within clubs since he saw it from a players perspective
Yup. This is the reason I think it will be hard to get Bauza. But if Chiri and Bauza spoke about it once, it could happen again. I hope Chiriboga's impression on Bauza didn't change because of his last two seasons in Liga. Bauza right now is a step away from playing another final of Libertadores with San Lorenzo, and if things go right he will win it. This is a coach that will be taken into consideration by European club teams, so if Ecuador wants him they better act fast b/c it's now or never. We can wish to do well in this cup and qualify to the next round which means Rueda will continue for another cycle, or we can accept that we are going to go home and start thinking of the future w/ Bauza in it (fingers crossed). Right now I have a feeling that Gustavo Quintero from Emelec is going to be a strong option for the NT but I'll tell you guys I'm not a fan. The real change would take place with Bauza. He would be the mark of an evolution in our futbol at NT level. At this point, I think it's safe to say Chiriboga is holding Ecuador back from reaching the next level if we stay w/ Rueda for another cycle or don't hire a real competitive coach for the next cycle. Whoever takes charge for the next cycle makes a HUGE difference more than ever. There's no way I'd feel secure with putting the new generation in the hands of another mediocre coach knowing we could've done better.
Cmon man at least until after tomorrows game lets not give up just yet, lets recall the United States back in 2009 Confederation cup lost both their first two games 3-0, once to Italy and another time to Brazil, then the third game they thrashed Egypt and qualified to the knockout round, anything's possible, who knows maybe now that we're under more pressure we'll be able to play more aggressive, well hopefully at least. But if all else fails and we don't make it to the second round, I think it would be best to say Goodbye Rueda, it was nice knowing you.
It'd be great to get to the next round but knowing how Ecuador's attitude is tells me otherwise. Rueda is playing the same line up against Honduras. I'm not saying that we can't beat Honduras, because I'm positive we can. It's actually more likely than not that we defeat Honduras maybe even by a goleada. But take into consideration that if Honduras covers Antonio and Jeff properly, that's it for us. What central creativity do we have? At least when Felipe-Enner play we have none. Noboa does the best he can but he's no Mendez. Gruezo is a defensive midfielder 100%. So on a really good day, Honduras can make it happen for themselves and ruin our day. Now let's say we defeat Honduras and get the three points, at the end of the day we have to defeat France as well. Also to be more sure about ourselves we'd have to beat Honduras by a 2-3 goal margin, and 3 being the more ideal number so we can just barely reach a +2 goal difference. At that point, we'd have to worry about France and winning by a 1 goal margin would maybe be enough but not 100% guaranteed. Also, take in mind that we'd have to place our bets on France beating Switzerland for us to have any chance at all. If Switzerland gets any points against France, they will make our possibilities a lot harder. The real question is: Do you think we can beat Honduras and France after what you saw vs. Switzerland?
Luis Suarez...what a player. If only an ecuadorian had that heart and mentality. My respects for him and standing ovation. What a crack.
My God.... Uruguay! What a game by them. Man... I really hope we win out because its looking like we might be the worst South American team at the World Cup right now (performance wise). Time for the Ecuadorian players go all out! We need to kill Honduras by 3+ goals. What Suarez is to Uruguay its time for Valencia be that for Ecuador. He needs to give us a spark.
Seriously. Completely different team with him. Its crazy how one player can change the way a team plays. They went all out because that is what Suarez does. He gives it his all from beginning to end. What a game. Fantastic World Cup.
This should come as good news, with the performance Costa Rica has had, Pinto's price should rise way above our limitations, which should make all our efforts towards hiring Bauza, the benefits in this are infinite, I'll name a few 1) Quite an expert getting full advantage of Quito, and is quite good at the home/away tournaments (excellent for qualifiers) 2) He'll apply the line of 3 for better or worse, this will give us an opportunity to place one more midfielder. 3) Winning attitude, guy doesnt get intimidated easily. bad things 1) Correct me if Im wrong, but Bauza historically like to play with 1 forward only, recently in the Argentinian championship Cauteruccio was the lonely forward, in the Libertadores he switched schemes a bit, but even in Liga I remember surrounding Bieler with Guerron, Bolanos in the sides, Manzo behind him. I do not think we have a forward of that caliber 2) Do we have a creative mid? Like Piatti that at time counts as another forward? Manzo? Eki Gonzales? 3) Is Bauza affordable?