Desolation in South America as talent drains away August 21st, 2007, filed by Brian Homewood While Europe’s leading clubs continue to top up their stocks of foreign talent, the situation with their South American counterparts is one of desolation. Being successful in South America simply speeds up the inevitable process of seeing your best players abandon ship. Three months ago, Colombian provincial club Cucuta were enjoying an unprecedented run in the Libertadores Cup, where they reached the semi- finals before finally being overcome by eventual champions Boca Juniors. Having since lost key players such as goalkeeper Robinson Zapata and striker Blas Perez, they now find themselves back in the old routine, 13th in the 18-team Colombian championship. In Argentina, Racing Club supporters are still seething over the departure of 20-year-old midfielder Maximiliano Moralez, sold to FC Moscow just weeks after playing for the Argentina team which won the Under-20 World Cup in Canada. Over in Brazil, Internacional supporters had only eight months to enjoy the talents of striker Alexandre Pato, who has been sold to AC Milan at the age of 17. Pato cannot actually play for Milan until he turns 18 in September, so he has returned to Brazil to keep training, and the fact he is unlikely to get straight into the first team makes the move doubly premature. This is, perhaps, the most exasperating aspect of the great talent drain. Having left their South American clubs before they are barely out of their nappies, the players are then left to wither on the substitutes bench in Europe. It is a trend which is ruining South American soccer and there seems no way to reverse it. Brian Homewood, Rio de Janeiro
At the club level it's pathetic. I just finished watching the first half of the Millos Nacional game and both teams flop every time there touched, it's incredible I cant even believe some of the calls. Like its not even a mans game. I don't really understand how some of you can defend this type of game being played by both teams. And its not just these 2 teams its all of the games I ever watch from the Mustang. The refs also play a big part cause they call every little thing. Earlier I watched Lanus Estudiantes and the game was more exciting, challenges going both ways, the players would keep playing and players standing up and running threw tackles. To me it's frustrating that the Colombian game has come down to who's the best actors, or who can get the best calls. Most wont agree but I'm sure for those of you who have played soccer you don't dive. Don't get me wrong when I'm fouled I might role an extra 2 times but I don't dive. By the way I don't think that most Colombian players that play abroad dive (considering there mostly defenders) but it seems to be just part of the game in the Mustang.
Identity of Colombia=the way soccer is played in Colombia. Gambetas and one-twos...........Slow paced soccer with changes in rhythms.......this is due to the fact that we don't have as good as athletes as other european countries who can run all game long.....Hence, we cannot play the same way they do. Pinto take note!!!!! Our talented players are not fast but are rich in talent.............that's a reflection of our identity. I don't know how Pinto wants to translate that into a direct-fast pace type of game. It boggles my mind.....
I liked the way they played. To me it looks like Pinto wants an attacking mid that is mobile and starts the possesion in various places. Instead of one that creates from the cetner and suprises with his passing or dribling. Araujo looked [ratical with his passing but but suprised with his mobility. To me the creative mid should be Aldo Leao and Cristian Zapata next to Mosquera. IMO Rufai Zapata out and in with Julio or Ospina. Other than that I liked La Selescion that I saw against Peru, oh and imo Falcao should be a set in stone starter.
I liked the way the team played, everyone is so mad and says we sucked. But, this team is better than the Copa team. Pinto put these guys together for the first time and the 2 Peruvian gols were the fault of Zapata, especially the second one. I also think that Stivin Velez and Falcao impressed me greatly. Aquivaldo was 1st class and Giovanni had a great pass to Falcao for that gol....overall, lets see what happens. Oh and Bielsa, the guy everyone was drooling over to coach Colombia, lost 2-1 to Switzerland in his debut.
uhmmm, the pass was from CASTRILLON! GH was FLAT...Does he know where the net is? --- many better then him!
err.. the pass to Castrillon was from Giovanni! If you don't think the team improved after the was put in the game, then you are blind. Gio is not the best, but he is a lot better than Araujo. McNelly is not that great either, sometimes he plays ok, sometimes you don't see him doing anything in the whole game. Gio only played for less than a half time..and he started our only goal that wasn't a gift from Peru.. Gio deserves at least to play as much, (if not longer) than Araujo did! Same thing with Aldo Leao, who made a great pass for the goal that Carmelo Valencia scored in the Nacional vs. Once Caldas game.. he deserves a chance!!
I second the Aldo call, Aldo should start with Fio as a sub...maybe McNelly, but no neef or Araujo...
Who got the ball from Ringo, who got the ball from Aquivaldo, after Rufay put the ball in the floor for him.... Great Move Rufay!!!!!! Which is not a lot to say. Basically Angustias confirmed what everybody knew from the beginning. I do not know what is the thing, if there is any from Pinto to Aldo. I would say that probably he is one of the most underrated colombian players, but remember that in Fox they called him the "Colombian Riquelme": He's on and off all the time. Still, he deserves a chance as much as Gio or Araujo. I would say that so far he did not call him or Valencia because it would take too many players from A.Nal who have to play 3 games in the following week (after he presented the roll).
If we want to see a true proven Attacking midfielder why dont we put Chitvia in his actual position?? Pinto has insisted on putting Chitiva as a striker when he is a natural born 10. It would be nice to see Aldo Leao play alongside Chitiva in the mid field just to see what this idea of two attack minded mid fielders putting through balls for the strikers.
Chitiva is not 10. Is media punta, and Pinto does not play with media puntas but with two 8's or one 8 and one 10. That's why is not going to be easy for Chitiva, Pino or even Mao Molina in this team. it woul be nice to play 4-2-3-1 like Spanish teams and Brazil so we could use Pino, Chitiva and Ferreira together with Renteria up front. Would be beautiful.
Pinto is too consumed with his quasi-catenaccio 4-3-1-2. The success of Pinto's attack depends of how well can Castrillon can move from defending to attacking. If something were to happen to him, we are F&$%ED, because nobody can do all the things he does.. In a way he was become a modern Pibe in Pinto's scheme of things, he pressures, he defends, he passes the ball, he scores.. So for all those who criticize us for playing with a Maturana styled 10, we have just replaced an exceptional 10 in Maturana's scheme with an exceptional polyfunctional player in Pinto's scheme.. unfortunately it is still ONE player.. Don't kid yourselves.. the star of the team is not Angustias, not McNelly, not Araujo.. it is Castrillon..,, this is why we need a heavy duty offensive midfielder like Aldo Leao to lighten up the load on Castrillon.. because the time will come when he will be injured or stop playing like he does now..
cut the guy a break.. he is no Pibe, but he is a better creative player than Araujo will ever be.. Would you say McNelly is better than Angustias? i wouldn't ... we don't have much to choose from.. which is why i want to watch Aldo Leao play, he could be the man.. because i don't think Ferreira has what it takes..
I'll cut him some slack when you do the same to Rodallega, he's not Asprilla... Which is basically the same formation Rueda used most of the time, with Chorontisima as 5, Soto and Viafara on the sides and Tressor as enganche in the midfield. Here we agree, I want to see Aldo play, I think he has done fairly well when called for the NT. Ferreira is on and off as much as any of the other candidates for that position.
OMG... have you not seen ENOUGH of GH?? The guy has been given a TON of chances for the NT and has failed miserably in most of these opportunities. Is McNelly better...HELL YEAH! McNelly at least is a more daring, vertical type of player as oppossed to GH who asks for the ball --just to give it back to the same player. I'm not saying McNelly is the answer but GH for NT, is a step behind McNelly. For club, GH seems to play a different game... Araujo has some skill but if you're looking for a '10' that is going to try to make a 'run at the goal', then bring on Aldo or Pino. BTW, Ferreira has so far been our most consistent '10'. Most here would rate Ferreira higher then GH. Again, I say give Totono a chance. He's never dissapointed for NT and can play as a true '8' along with Castrillon.
When Troncallega plays in the Argentinian A league for a couple of seasons, we'll be able to make comparisons between both players.. well, i guess that formation didn't really work out, did it? somehow i don't remember Rueda playing as defensively as Pinto.. but then again, Rueda used to change the team every game, which didn't help matters.. Aldo Leao stance and attitude reminds me of Chicho Serna, although they are very different players.. his passing is very accurate, he could be the guy we need, because i have yet to see a good midfield in Pinto's teams
McNelly didn't exactly do great in La Copa America..did he? what about in the second Copa Libertadores semifinal? he is very inconsistent, and tends to disappear from the games.. he is not better or worse than GH.. at least GH has played internationally and has more experience.. McNelly has been given his chance, and in the last two games he played, the midfield wasn't particularly great We don't need dribbling skill in the midfield.. since Pinto wants to skip the midfield play all together, he needs someone who can make fast accurate vertical plays and create plays by passing the ball back and forth. Araujo is not the man, and Pino is really a forward who has admitted he loves to dribble.. the closest player i have seen who can do this is Aldo Leao and GH when he is playing good. From the two horrible games Ferreira played in La Copa America, i doubt he should even be in the NT..
MacNelly & Giovanna both suck, so this means they'll both be on the team. And not on the field at the same time either cause that would make us ALMOST a threat.............Pinto says defense first!
True that, how is it that we play a defensive formation and we get scored on so much? Maybe cause the guy cant pick a team or a line up if his life depended on it.
Well, to give Pinto a break, nobody could have known Calero and IRC were going to play so badly against Paraguay.. what is inexcusable was that he played both guys again against Argentina, knowing what Riquelme and Co. are capable of.. it is not a secret how Basile likes to play.. I think Pinto suffers from an inferiority complex and is always trying to outdo Maturana.. he seems to be always looking to recreate the 5-0 that is going to put him in the history books.. which is why he is always talking trash about how he was going to win La Copa America and yesterday he was saying that Argentina and Brasil can be defeated.. bla bla bla.. Well, duuuh, Maturana already did beat Argentina.. but you ain't going to do it playing with Troncallega and Ferreira, because they are not El Pibe and Asprilla... Pinto is just like LaVolpe.. talk talk talk.. even during the games! it must be the mustache
dude what that hell are you talking about, ferreira was one of few players that did good in copa america. he should starting right now.