Bagui is a decent backup but I think Ayovi needs to continue playing RB from now on. Ecuador showed that they can never rely on a defensive game. The high press Australia used in the first half was a huge problem for a team with no experience together. Erazo came through, I was watching Flamengo play the other day and their defense isn't good. Erazo is gonna have to man up and take that spot. He's a foreigner with tons of experience with the NT so starting is a must for him. Paredes is a little shaky on defense but it was evident that him and Valencia understand each other well on the offensive end. Felipao needs to be tried out with our real team against the Netherlands. Martinez played well and Enner Valencia was unlucky but he eventually he will feel calm playing for the NT. Throwing Bone out there was a risk but then again he needed to get some games under his belt after being part of this process all along.
Ayovi playing RB? I think you mean LB... I think Ramirez is a good backup at the Right back position and your right about Felipao playing with the "rest" of the team against holland , but for now Fidel/Enner are looking good ... Enners first touch was horrible today and he missed a clear shot but those two up front look good together!
This are the things I'll take with me, things to think about. 1) I am all for bringing up players, but starting Ramirez was definitely too soon, kid is trying to get a starting role in a second division team in Germany but I'm not mad of him getting playing time. 2) Bagui has no business even being called up to the NT, If Australian players took him so many times,imagine what Benzema or Nazri will do to him. 3) Walter Ayovi is our Left flank defender, he doesnt have the speed, dribble or precision to be our left winger again, wtf was Rueda thinking, 4)Montero needs to start everytime, Rueda did the same vs Honduras, by not starting Montero all our efforts go through Valencia we become more predictable than we already are. 5) Caicedo is struggling, he's lost confidence, he's lost speed (not the fastest guy to begin with) We need him, no matter how fun Enner, Martinez and Montero make it look, we will need a 9 in the World Cup. in such a poor league I dont see what Rueda can do to help Caicedo. 6) Was I wrong or for the last 15 minutes or so until Mendez came in, were we playing a 4-3-3, I mean Montero, Martinez and Enner were all connecting pretty far up, Interesting concept, Valencia and Noboa were feeding them, Castillo helping out Erazo and Guagua, Walter and Paredez, taking the wings, it was interesting. 7) I dont care if Erazo is selling Ceviche de Concha in Copa Cabana in Rio and not playing, he's our starter period. Erazo MAKES Guagua better. 8) It's a friendly, we arent as bad as the first half and we arenot gonna score four goals on a second half to any team in the WC. let's take it for what it is...a friendly.
I agree that we need Caicedo but right now he should only come in as a sub IMO. He just isn't good enough. Martinez plays every week and is consistent and also E. Valencia. Until Caicedo gets A LOT more playing time and starts performing then he shouldn't be considered a starter.
was I not the first to make this call a few months ago?? I told you guys. Even Rueda himself said "I don't know why you guys are asking who I should pair up with Felipe for the WC. I don't even know if Felipe will make it." Called it way before even Rueda said it. It was clear as day. Ener is not going anywhere and between Martinez and Marlon I think we will see the starter for the WC unless Felipe becomes unstoppable in the next 3 months.
My opinion on the game: 1. Note to Achilier: I have backed him up as much as I could vs. Germany, vs. Colombia, and other games where he was faulty, but not completely at fault like he was today. But what he did vs. Australia is a whole other ball game. 2 of those goals were completely his fault. That was the worst performance by a center back that I have ever seen in my years of watching our NT. I'm sorry Achilier, you did good when you first replaced Jairo Campos but you completely lost your form towards the end of the Qualifier and the mala racha continues....If I were Rueda, you'd be the first one out of my list for Brazil. Very disappointed. I still had hopes for him, but at this point stay as far as possible from the NT. I feel bad for him and Morante....they had their moment and couldn't hold onto it and be consistent. Sad truth. 2. Adrian Bone- Not bad. The goals were not his fault at all and he had a few nice saves IMO. Reminds me a lot of Dominguez when he was just starting out although I'd have to say Bone actually has more confidence in himself than Dominguez did when he was younger....although not more talent. There's potential in him, but he's going to have to work hard. Good luck to him, and he makes my list for Brazil. 3. Bagui- Did exactly what I said he would. He's average. Not good, not bad. The reason people here are saying Bagui is awful is simply b/c we were null offensively on the left side. Note to people- Bagui never was and never will be a player who has/had offensive attributes to his game. His characteristics are different from Paredes and Walter. He's more defensive oriented. That's why I always said "es cumplidor" and that's it...basically meaning, he defends ok but don't expect him to go on the attack like JC Paredes. The reason he looked "bad" as people say is because there was no one in front of him like Montero to take full charge of the left wing. Had Montero started, Bagui wouldn't have looked bad. He would have just appeared to be ok like in the game vs. Portugal where he did his job and that's it. Not the best option to back up Walter, but not a horrible one either. My choice would be Gabriel Corozo over him. 4. Guagua- The most solid in defense. Once again, Guagua had a good game regardless of the mistakes his partner made in the first half. Again I am stunned that I am complimenting Jorge Guagua LOL. Seems like a joke, but I gotta tell it how I see it and he has been doing his job and then some lately. I'd be scared to find out him or Erazo get injured..that would be the end of us defensively. Starter in the WC for sure if he maintains this form he's had for a while now. 5. Castillo and Noboa- Horrible first half, and a much better second half. Personally I think they both slacked when they wanted in the first half and played for real in the second half. No one is taking their spots so whoever says Castillo sucks etc. etc.....think about it again and ask yourself -who is ready to play a WC, not a game vs. Mushuc Runa, in 3 months? And your responses better be Alex Bolanos or Pedro Quinonez at best to even enter in an argument. 6. Valencia- Possibly the best on the field b/c he assisted 2 goals and put in the most garra into this game to make the win possible. There's no denying he has matured and become the leader of this squad. He's more than ready to be the captain of this team in the WC. Good job Antonio! 7. Walter- all I can say is that Rueda's idea of putting him as a winger was retarded. He's a left back PERIOD. Much better in the second half compared to his first for obvious reasons. 8. Felipe Caicedo- He may be scoring in his team out in Qatar or wherever he's at, but he's still not the Felipe of 2012 and early 2013. He's not in that form and to top it off, his old partner on the NT who was the IDEAL player that could adapt to his playing style (and viceversa) is no longer with us. That's 2 issues regarding Caicedo. The third one is that Rueda uses him as a #9 target man glued to the box. He doesn't have the freedom to drop down and go back up like he used to with Chucho and IMO when he's not in touch w/ the ball he gets lost. He's not like natural #9's that can show up at any given moment and make a difference whether they've be in touch with the ball all game or not. The way Rueda plays him is very unproductive and it has been seen on the field. The only slight chance that Felipe has to starting on the NT is playing him behind Ener and allowing both him and Ener to have the freedom to switch roles during a game like Felipe and Chucho originally used to do. But adapting Ener to this type of playing will take time which is what Chucho and Felipe had, and what Ener and Felipe don't right now before this WC. IMO Felipe is out of the starting role right now according to what i've seen on the field and according to what Rueda's statement most likely means. It's not about who will be Felipe's partner in the WC right now, but who will be Ener's. Sorry Felipe, I think we'll be seeing you benched. Ener- Good game but he's still in that process of learning and getting more experience at the international level. He's still new to this and people are being hard on him, just like we all were on Chucho. Unfortunately, he's going to have to face a WC really soon...and to think a year ago he wasn't even a legit starter in Emelec. He's advancing and getting better each game so that's a plus. He did have some incredible misses which reminds me of Chucho. But I'll be patient with him b/c I know he has great qualities and can evolve into an even better player. We haven't seen the best of Ener yet which is all I can say. With more games he'll gain more confidence and handle pressure a lot better, but he's slowly getting the hang of things and improving. Fidel- FINALLY Reinaldo, you must have read what I wrote on this forum and understood that Fidel should play as a FORWARD (like he does in his club team), not a winger....and walaaaa, you get a productive Fidel on the NT who scored 1 goal and could've had 2 more to his name with a little more luck. One plus about this game is that Fidel-Ener combo is interesting....although physically their presence in the box isn't too strong, but hopefully we can work around that. Good work Fidel, keep it up!! I'm calling it now that Fidel or Marlon start the WC if Felipe doesn't do something amazing within the next three months or in the 3 friendlies before the WC. Fidel has 1 foot in the door to start. Mendez- 2 touches on the ball. One great pass and the other was the goal. and that's why he's on the NT for those people that doubt him and call him old and useless. Said it once, and i'll say it again- Edison Mendez es unico. Period! Montero, Paredes, Erazo- Good job from these three. I don't feel the need to comment on them. They're obvious starters at this point.
Nice writing. Yes you were right about Caicedo. It's sad though because he was doing so good with Chucho. Too many things at once to over come for one dude though in such a short time. I think he'll be ready by WC when we need him but not as a starter anymore which is fine by me. Loved the dynamic of Martinez and E. Valencia. They bring speed and that missing spark we needed since Chucho left. Their attitude is great too... no more being scared/shy of the opponent like Ecuadorian players use to seem like. They stand up to anyone. Soooo... Who is a candidate to replace Achilier and Bagui? Maybe not Bagui but Achilier for sure. I seriously would take any young kid than him. We need a big, fast, and tough defender to come in just in case Guagua or Erazo are suspended/injured. Someone who can win headers. Come on Rueda try Gruezo out in a friendly at least as a backup for Castillo! I think it's time.
One thing that came out of this game is,whenever Rueda tries to experiment ,we go into the second half with 3 goles against .
It's all part of the plan. Never doubt Rueda. He actually considered letting them get a 4-goal lead before halftime. But he learned enough by 3. Now he is just preparing our strategy in the WC final v. either Brazil or Spain. Even he is not sure which one it will be!!
If the duo is Martinez-Ener for the WC I hope they can go body to body vs. Switzerland, Honduras, and France. 3 teams that are physically competitive. That's the reason I put Marlon up in the battle for a spot b/c Rueda himself said he needs a #9 and that Marlon was in his call up list for this game vs. Australia but unfortunately he got injured. But from what I heard this week, Marlon is already back in training and might start the next game for Monterrey so it's on...We all need this kid to make it happen ASAP. He needs to be at 100 for the WC. If Rueda has any sorts of shame, he'll leave Achilier out of the list. I don't care how much confidence Rueda has in his players and how much trust he has in Achilier, but yesterday was when Achilier crossed the line. His performance was just the worst I've ever seen from a center back. Not even Checa or Guagua on his worst day did that crap. Embarassing to say the least. If Rueda cares for this NT at all, he'll leave Achilier out. Unfortunately, there's few choices for center back. The best I can tell you we have is John Narvaez which is a good option, but we haven't seen him play with the big boys yet. When he was in the U-20 NT, he was impeccable....a freaking monster. He commits a few dumb mistakes and fouls in Emelec here and there but lately that has reduced. I think he's improving as time is going by so he gets the thumbs up from me. I'm actually surprised Rueda has never called him b/c Rueda likes players who can play multiple functions. Narvaez is a center back and a right back so it's a plus for us. Then there's 3 other center backs I'd name- Andres Mendoza, Fernando Leon, Robert Arboleda. Mendoza isn't killing it like he did last season but he's doing ok. Leon is having a good season (and had a very interesting game vs. San Lorenzo in the Lib) and same with Arboleda who has been getting better and better lately. But even these kids are ripe and not prepared in my eyes to play at the international level, especially not in a WC. that's what worries me. It's more out of necessity that i'd give them a shot, not so much b/c i think they'd come and save the day. You gotta be smart with making these type of call ups though b/c you don't want to easily burn one of these kid's careers b/c you called them up to early and made them look stupid in an international tournament. That can easily kill their confidence. but besides these kids our only options would be Checa or someone of his level lmao. No need for that....but at the end of the day i'd take him over Achilier. Doubt Gruezo gets a call up at all though.
I'm really liking the Enner-Marinez duo u front.... haven't seen Ecuador get so many chances in a game in a long time from not just one player but from both, this is something that we need and have been looking for, they are both very fast and with Martinez picardia our chances and goals are going to come, definitely something to look forward to. Felipe had his chance and he never really convince me because of the fact that he always waits for the ball to come to him, never creates or puts pressure on the other team when he doesn't have the ball.... but with Enner and Martinez upfront you saw something different and in one occasion they Enner almost scored. I say lets keep this 2 together upfront and take Felipe as backup for the world cup.
Felipe needs to drop that Spanish chick. She's sexy but looks like a gold digger, and he has been focused on her and his clothing brand instead of his football. It's a shame because we shouldn't be in such a dilemma at this point. But I agree we need quicker, dynamic forwards and Enner-Fidel are both young and hungry. Also is it me or has Fidel bulked up his physique nicely since he went to Mexico? He is lean but not a lightweight, and he has good height.
Yeah, all of the player that play internationally have bulked up. Look at Erazo too. Dude looks bigger now than he did when he was in Ecuador. I don't understand how come in Ecuador our players can't get bulked up? Even Antonio Valencia said in one of his recent interviews that when he went to England he had to hit the gym big time. He said if he wanted to be a started and be competitive he had to bulk up. The quality of coaching/physical trainers in Ecuador must be very low to notice such a difference in such a shot period of time. Crazy.
It's not so much that. In Ecuador it's more so what YOU put in is what you get out of it. If you don't hit the gym and only go to training and that's it, then that's what you'll get out of it. In England, and in the EPL most of all, you gotta have the type of body that can allow you to have your feet planted well on the ground or else you'll get lifted. EPL isn't for lightweights. It's the most demanding league in the physical department, so you won't get by there just barely doing your share of training. You have to put in work and the players know it. And if they go there not knowing that, they'll learn when they get trucked on the field lol. I don't see Erazo having bulked up at all. He looks like the same Erazo i've always seen in BSC. Martinez may have had some gains actually, but not a ton....enough to still be agile like he is. You guys know who did get back in shape though? Michael Arroyo. Arroyo lost MAD weight. They must have told him straight up in Atlante to lose the extra pounds he had from last season cuz he's looking a lot more in shape now. Looks like the Arroyo of San Luis. that gut is gone ^
I don't know where to post this but anyone see this yet? This has to be one of the best goals from an Ecuadorian player I've seen. Tello is the kids name who scored this goal and I think he is from Ind. del Valle. My jaw dropped when I saw it. Damn! http://www.ecuagol.com/ecuagol/index.php?n=49627
ese pelado lo hizo como todo un crack,como se los llevo a todos..hay que ponerle ojo a este jugador Tello.
Arroyo needs to be called up. He's been by far the best player on his team. Putting the team on his back with cool free kick gols and he just had a poker of gols last weekend.