Right now I will take "decently". We do not have many options that are playing well on the wings/ outside striker position. And as soon as I tune in he is taken off. lol
Y un cabezazo del @cucho1099 pone a ganar al @RCD_Mallorca ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/KOuHVozJJs— beIN SPORTS Español (@ESbeINSPORTS) July 9, 2020
Lol i dont think anyone hates Cucho. We just don't think he is the son of Zeuz and Maradona like some hyped him up. And as a trident, idk. Cucho is not fast enough for the wings. I'd like him better as a back up 2nd forward
Why must it be about extremes? No one here said he was the son of Zeus or depicted him as some sort of Maradona savior. Some people just said that he has good qualities (especially with his grit and attitude) that can help the National team win some games. I do agree that it may be extreme to put him in the starting lineup right now. As much as I like his game and mental disposition I think Diaz would probably be the best bet as starter, then maybe James (even if he does not play much.) But we have to be realistic. We have had a mediocre guy like Berrio start this cycle. We have had a guy like Stiven Mendoza start as recently as last FIFA break. So it is not that crazy to say he has a chance to start for Colombia as some may make it seem.
I mean, when you open the post by addressing it to all the "haters," ya gotta expect some extremism/hyperbole... I've been critical of Cucho for the most part. I did not agree with how our media portrayed him and I totally disagreed with how our youth coaches tried to center play around him when he totally couldn't handle it. But I've been pleasantly surprised with Cucho this season for the main reason the journalist offers. Tactically, he's shown a ton of maturity for Mallorca. As J Mezzy said, his lack of speed and flair do not profile for a successful winger in today's game. And, seeing how the kid used to challenge defenders constantly and lose the ball 80% of the time for his old clubs, I really had my doubts. He's so much more disciplined now. Passes the ball back when he needs to. Cuts in at the right times. And, generally, he looks much sharper in tighter spaces. As a striker, given his size, the kid was always going to have a tough time starting in Europe. But he's showing that he can be an Elkin Soto type of wide man if he works at it. As for the Seleccion, I don't know if you've watched, but Diaz has been quite poor for Porto since coming back. He even lost his starting spot. Edit: Also, the fact those guys at the end of your post have been called to the seleccion by Quieroz probably make things harder for Cucho. While Mendoza has been pretty successful in France, his entire game revolves around his speed. Berrio literally only offers speed. That Quieroz called that guy after not playing at all for 2 years gives us an idea of the kind of winger he favors...
Maybe I should have been more direct with my sarcasm but I thought the green smile face on the bottom would indicate that the Haters thing was a joke.
When a kid in his very first appearance scores a brace for Colombia and has scored goals against the likes of Barca and Real Madrid at his club I can see why the media would hype him up and say crazy things. Right or wrong it is media entertainment for the most part.
He is still playing and scoring golazos even if he is not playing out of this world. Just looking at the potential players who can play in September I do not see anyone else ahead of Diaz. Do you? If so please tell me. I am interested.
Yes, their speed is their strength and seems to be the style Queiroz goes for. But given the current options and who is playing well currently going to the fall there is always a chance for someone looking pretty good getting a chance. Especially a 21 year old kid who is getting good minutes in La Liga.
Cucho has a lot of good qualities and is still super young, young players are going to be pretty inconsistent so its not a surprise he hasn't been Maradona. He's been in some tough situations club wise and has had some bad luck injury wise. I think he'll be a solid player for us and his combination of skills will make him valuable, as a wide forward he's a little limited and as a false 9 he's got a ways to go but could be good in that position. I've never thought he's close to starting for us, but I do think he's close to the squad. Diaz fits a bit better as a wide forward, Muriel is way better there and when on form so is Roger. Morellos is a much better talent at this point to play central, just offers a lot more, Cucho is still an inbetweener but that versatility is useful for squad players. We've had some good players emerge over the last few years that are more suited to start but I think Cucho is still going to be around and will still most likely have a solid career, just don't think he's likely to be a superstar anytime soon.
I don't understand this perspective that only certain people will be available in September. All the leagues are supposed to be back in training by next month. La Liga ends in a couple weeks, so club form now really doesn't mean anything. Champions League ends in late August, so, if we're lucky, only Cuadrado, Muriel, and Duvan can play? Every national team is in the same situation. Major European leagues will not be restarting until after the first rounds of qualifiers. So, if anything, South American based players are more likely to be in form...
You did not answer my question though. If Diaz is not the starter along side (I assume) Muriel and Duvan up front then who do you see starting? James? And if not James then who?
Anybody else who's played there. Roger and Muriel have started there more than Diaz. We know James can play there, but Quieroz has him on the right more. The current situation really doesn't change those circumstances. None of Euros will be coming in ideal form, and, really, the September dates are often like that anyways. Everybody is getting back in shape at that point. My ideal is Muriel - Duvan - James. As much as I love Muriel, he can get inconsistent on the wing. So, he should be there, with Diaz as his sub, until Sinisterra is ready to go. To me, Sinisterra is the best pure LW Colombia has. I guess that's a hot take... Really, Roger could shake this whole thing up. He's going to be the only one actually playing. If a miracle happens, Villa could be cleared and Benedetti could return to form.
When a manager selects a squad for early September FIFA matches I assume he already has an idea of who he wants to have on the roster and who he wants to start based on the most recent matches. And he would have that mental list ready by mid August since the media likes to release things publicly a week to 10 days before the match. The reason why I doubt Roger will start (and even have doubts that he will be in the Roster) is because he was not even on the pre-seleccion list in March due to his crazy club situation. If he was not even on the roster back then,... ... playing a couple games in Mexico in August could change it but I am leaning towards a no on that one. James has played one match since October for club. And may play one or two matches in August. by the time Queiroz needs to know what type of team to put out there. Queiroz leaving him off a few rosters and focusing on different tactics with different types of players leads me to believe he is not a 100% starter. Sinisterra is injured. That leaves Diaz as my choice to be the favorite to start. Especially since he has shown trust in him at times to start and seems to like his qualities on the wings. You can be right and James could be the starter but my money is not on him for anything right now until he consistently plays somewhere.
The truth is @HomietheClown and @villus vastly exaggerated Cucho's attributes. He was callef the best prospect ever produced in Colombian futbol. The talk about his mentality is mind boggling too. Kid has been playing either 2nd division or for shitty teams his entire career. Has he even played an important match to talk about grit and mentality? He is a good player and a guy to keep an eye ob for the NT and for Colombians abroad, but to this day he has shown nothing worth all the drooling he received here
Precisely. And all leagues, besides the American ones, startup in Mid-august. There's next to no club data to go off of at the time. More than at any point in the year, September rosters are as close to the best team on paper, in the coach's eyes, independent of club form. As for the specific call ups in the past: Roger was obviously not in the March pre-call up because he was left out of America's roster in his attempt to force a move out of America. However, he began playing again in March, and his coach came out saying that the situation was rectified. Whether he's playing well or not in September is up in the air. But I guarantee you he'll be playing for America. Meanwhile, Diaz was also not on that March list. He was injured, so that obviously explains that. James was on the March list, at literally the worst moment of his career. And he confirmed that he spoke to Quieroz to leave him off those previous lists. As with the media, assuming Quieroz doesn't value James the way most Colombians do is a bit of an overreaction based on data that's already been debunked. Look, Diaz may start, and that may be the best choice. But predicting that based on call ups to friendlies and current club form in the midst of these unprecedented circumstances 2 months before the match is REALLY hypothetical. The best predictor to any National Team DT's lineups for official matches are precisely his lineups for previous official matches where Roger, Muriel, and James had more opportunities than Diaz did. I mentioned Diaz SPECIFICALLY to comment on Cucho's potential status for the NT--and this is a Cucho thread. Ironically, more to your point, Cucho may be benefiting from this quarantine more than anybody.
I am not predicting anything based solely on callups & current form so do not say that. I am just saying who I would put my money on and telling you my reasoning as to how I got to my odds and conclusion. I do take into account official matches past but with so much uncertainty and how long ago they were I tend to stray away from it as a major factor these days. Just a difference of opinion.
What would be funny for me is if Queiroz surprises us all and starts something like Diaz---Zapata-----Muriel ---James---Barrios---Cuadrado (I am not betting on that but it could happen. I am hoping it happens really.) Back to Cucho...