Starts 8:30 PM eastern time. Happy I am able to watch these games since I just literally started a graveyard shift and always have a nice period between when I wake up and work. Now in your opinions based on their match against Uruguay, do you think that we can play patiently and with mental stability? The last time we faced them (Copa America) left a very bad taste in my mouth. Especially due to how we acted with so little confidence. I feel like us able to handle Venezuela will keep us solid enough to snatch a good result. I am hoping for a win as: Bolivia is hosting Argentina and Ecuador is hosting Uruguay and we know that their locations at home often cause upsets in regards to the breathing matter. While Peru is hosting Brazil, I don't know how well they will play as Peru was questionable against Paraguay despite being the away team; if anything they would have gotten a win realistically. Venezuela and Paraguay is a toss-up but it matters little for us. Overall since these matches aren't influenced by fans and literally just fields without the home advantage atmosphere, this can be neutral ground for us ideally.
I think you nailed it. This is a mental test. As frenetic and aggressive as they play (and they do), we have the athleticism and fundamentals to play at our pace and win. With our back four and Lerma and Barrios there is no reason we can't cope if we keep our heads. Vital that C4 use his team and avoid them getting in his head and luring him into foul trouble. If we can absorb their pressure and release C4 and Muriel's speed we can do this.
Chile deserved at least the tie against Uruguay. Especially with how they played in the 2nd half. Chile started 3 young and inexperienced defenders and they did pretty well against Uruguay. The copa america game was terrible. Did better in the 0-0 friendly last October, but without James we struggled to create good chances. Hope we see the same front 6. Love Falcao, but gotta keep going with Duvan.
It is a comfort to know that Colombia can go in trying to get a win but a point can be valuable too. Chile has to press for three points or else they will be in some trouble. No fans works to our advantage too. But Chile still plays at a pretty good pace and might give us some problems on the wings. Expecting a 0-0 but hoping for some sort of smash and grab three points we steal.
4-3-3 works when you have a creative player like James not 3 forwards. I like how team attacks in unison and all return to form a double line of 4 to defend.
I think what he means is - are we going to have an emergency roster addition I.e Muñoz or someone from domestic league. I doubt it only bc of the covid logistcis.
Chile is going to come out guns blazing from the opening - which is something they tend to do with us historically. We need to be the ones controlling the tempo. Medina has the momentum and this will be a huge weight off his shoulders if he can have a good game here. Make me a believer Frodo!! Lerma will make sure Chile doesn’t play dirty - I liked his physical, brute force he showed at times - with Chile both him and Barrios will need to be ready to get more physical but maintain composure
I think he would just add Fuentes again to the mix. That would be the easiest thing to do in a situation like this.
Chile is the big game I liked James as the captain. He is the big game player on the team. The one who takes it on his back and pulls shit out of his ass. And he is the only clear starter. Only player you can’t debate should start also liked how Cuadrado played. For the first goal I was like this asshole going to dive !! balls on the coach for starting Muriel over Falcao! Also like someone said this is the player we all wanted to see when he was 19 and in that season with Lecce where they were comparing him to fat Ronaldo. I have also always really liked and rated Lerma pretty highly. He had a great game. Alzate I like a lot especially on the NT. He seems way more defensive at club level but he does play RB at times so he can be Medinas Backup as well. I hope you guys are right about team just saving energy but we have always been a team that is gased the last 20 minutes or asleep for the first 15. To be a top team we need to be alert the whole game
The great thing about letting them set the pace though is that they will be susceptible to our counters the more they move forward and focus on attack. Muriel had such a great game against them last cycle in Qualifiers. They could not keep up with his pace from what I remember. Hopefully he plays even better now that he is playing with confidence and knows how to score goals more efficiently.
I for one would rather we play at our pace and snap the counters when they present themselves. If we play at their rhythm we get vertigo and play under our abilities. With the talent on our core we should be able to control that pace in an empty stadium. I hope...
It could be one of those type of games where we pick and choose when to play at our pace. As long as we play smart and keep the game close the more pressure goes on their shoulders and not ours.
And keep in mind Queiroz has us very organized defensively so I think we can withstand most of their attacks as long as we pass it quickly to the guys out on the wings when they fully commit.
i'm really liking Alzate's way of playing, not just with Colombia but at Brighton too. I was worried he would just be a standard english midfielder but he's got good technique, dribbling, speed, agility and work rate.
He looked like a different guy yesterday - I think he wanted to show that he can play our style. Self aware.
Got a buddy in NYC who supports his team and is Colombian/Ecuadorian; I mma inquire more details on that player from him.
I like more how he plays for for Colombia then Brighton. He seems more offensive for us and more defensive for them their #8 is super interesting
These guys need to play and aside from James there aren't a lot of 10s playing in the epl. I remember watching Nol Solano playing at RB for Newcastle in his prime (when he was like 80% of Peru's office at the time). Looks like he got to mix it up more at Swindon, but agree with CRZD I'd of thought him a more defensive player after watching him play with Brighton against Everton (and they are a pretty adventurous side).
No Alzate's a versatile player, he plays deep but it is common to see him burst forward with speed and agility, I've only seen him a handful of times but I was able to see what kind of player he is quick.
Venezuela did to us the same mistake we have done to other teams in the past - they gave us space and respect and we capitalized via 3 goals in the first half. Chile will be aggressive from the opening whistle so our boys need to prepared for some rough play and play smart with composure With everyone, except for Arias, healthy and rested, I think we are in a good position to get 3 points. An “away” game in an empty stadium is just a regular game to me, so getting 3 points will be a great way to set the stage for a strong WCQ run. Against Venezuela - we probably played better than any WCQ game last cycle (smart passing, finding space, everyone dropping back, organization, chemistry, less long ball, etc), so I feel we are positioning ourselves to be in the driver’s seat. See you on Tuesday!!!
Chile will have better shots on target than Venezuela becase they simply have better shooters and play better offensively. I hope Vargas comes up huge again. We may need him a lot more in this game than the previous one.