It was a dream come true, but not a bed of roses for that. The history of Reinaldo Rueda and his return to the Colombian national team is a happy one, yes, but full of complex problems, difficulties almost always beyond his own management, solutions that are, more than anything, in the realm of uncertainty.
In the already atypical situation of not being able to see them, visit them at clubs, talk to them and their coaches to find out how to use them better and what tools to offer them in the national team, there are problems that make planning for the difficult match with Brazil (March 26) and Paraguay (30), at the resumption of the qualifying rounds in Qatar 2022.
On Rueda’s agenda, several issues in the red for the remaining five weeks before an upcoming tournament:
1. Injuries
– Yerry Mina
He is the first patient in the infirmary. “Mina had a leg problem … I don’t think he will be available for Saturday’s game,” said Antonotti, Everton’s manager, none other than the classic against Liverpool. He came from two games without playing (Tottenham 5-4 and Fulham 0-2) and it was strange not to see him as a starter, which ended on Wednesday against Manchester City, a duel in which he stayed only 20 minutes. There is talk of a problem in the soleus, the fear that it is adductor. If it were the latter, it would be a sure loss in qualifications. We’ll have to wait until Thursday to find out.
– Juan Guillermo Cuadrado
Juventus confirmed that he suffers “a minor injury to his right thigh and” that they will be re-evaluated in 10 days. The Italian press fears that the loss will be up to three weeks, as has previously happened with other players with similar problems. At first it didn’t seem serious, but it couldn’t be in the match against Porto, in which the Italians fell surprisingly 2-1 and will be a sure loss against Crotone and Hellas Verona for Serie A. If all goes well, they will have three weeks of competition Otherwise it will be less than two and that, for a player who has been undisputed in Columbia, is a big headache.
– David Ospina
In the heat of the duel that Napoli defeated Juventus, Ospina suffered a discomfort and had to stay out, although it was about to start. The club confirmed that he suffers from “a first-degree strain of the right thigh adductor”. It is already known that he will not be able to be in the Europa League match against Granada, on Thursday (15:00). The problem is that his replacement in the Colombian national team, Camilo Vargas, comes from 9 goals against (against Uruguay and Ecuador) and the relief in the goal is still a waiting task. Today, the worst Ospina is still the best option for us …
– Luis Suarez
The samarium attacker is not a doubt, but a final loss for the next two months, due to a “fibrillar injury in the right hamstring”, according to Granada. He has fulfilled his dream of selection with Queiroz, but to gain Rueda’s trust will remain pending.
– Falcao
He will be a veteran, he will be in a league that is not one of the strongest in Europe, he will even be a substitute in the Colombian National Team. But he is still the captain, the voice of command, the one who puts order in the authority that discipline, achievements and attitude give him in a dressing room that, without him, has been broken. Therefore, the health of Falcao, who entered the first Galatasaray call after a month and a half break due to an injury (a moderate tension in the anterior right upper muscle group), is a vital problem. He expects to play as much as he can in these five weeks, but with the proper care of someone who is known to be prone to injury. Risk-free commitment … seems like a contradiction in football, but it’s what is required.
2. Logistics problems
There are several disadvantages, especially for Colombians playing in Europe. England, for example, have been unable to travel due to a ban on their clubs, which would explain, according to The Athletic, to FIFA that they will not give up due to complications due to their departure to South America and mainly for ten mandatory quarantine days that you should make on return, when the Cup is defined and the League is at a key moment.
But it’s not the only problem. The European Union only allows citizens and residents to enter, and since the UK came out after Brexit, so has it. This would complicate the programs and that is, those who violate the quarantine are exposed to fines of up to 10,000 pounds and, in critical cases, even to prison.
It is worth mentioning that Portugal, where Uribe, Díaz and Cristian Borja live, has increased the number of covide cases, and the strong pressure of the hospital has forced the establishment of field hospitals and the transfer of patients to the islands. Ok, Cristiano, Juventus and all the stars have just left, but if the situation worsens, the measures could be strengthened.
For those in Spain, it should be noted that Colombia requires a negative PCR for entry by air, in a period not exceeding 96 hours before boarding and that, if you do not have it, it should be done preventive isolation until a negative result is obtained. result or quarantine for 14 days.
In South America there is also the complication of the new Brazilian strain that limits those living in that country, the Cantillo case, to mention one case. It means that at the time of the call it will not only weigh the level, continuity, sports contribution, but the basic issue of travel. And that doesn’t depend on the national team coach.
3. Low level
There are several cases that are not encouraging. Everton was mentioned, but especially James, who moves between injuries and intermittency, although in the middle of it can count a goal in 3-3 against Manchester United, 5 goals and 3 assists in the Premier. Against Fulham (0-1) and Manchester City (1-3 defeat), he was not clearly influential, beyond the blows and mistakes that are inherent in football, as Ancelotti himself explained. This Wednesday, for example, he was not even a starter. He is also the key man of the Colombian national team, a detail that is not minor.
But the case, unfortunately, is repeated. Dávinson Sánchez was criticized and even mocked by Carragher, who compared him to a cone; of Lineker, who put the video of his weak start against Manchester City and thus, without mercy, starting with his Tottenham DT, Mourinho, who used it out of necessity and not out of conviction.
The same thing happens with the left back, because Fabra played a game all year (against Gimnasia, 2-2); Cristian Borja has 6 games this year and a goal with Sporting Braga and Mojica has just arrived in Elche, a candidate for relegation to Spain.
4- And the alternatives?
(…)
With the exception of Edwin Cardona, for many a valuable player, but who in the Queiroz era had the door of the Colombian national team saw his door closed, the creators, if James can not reach, due to physicality or logistics, they do not it seems so clear.
Juan Fernando Quintero left for China, where he has more time for music and social networking than for big competitions, which is a shame because he has the memory of two World Cups, the selection process, even friendship with the left-hander from Everton. Who else? Giovanni Moreno, another without enough rhythm in the Far East? In the microcycle, the leaflets that were revised represented more options to contain the creation, with the exception of Lusi Sánchez and Santiago Moreno, with few options to face the challenge of Brazil or Paraguay and more part of a process than a present. urgent.
5- The process, without trial
It happens that Reinaldo Rueda will have to manage a salary that he followed to the millimeter, that he revised to the heavy in videos, that he detailed in statistical terms, but that, in most cases, he will not see more more than in a zoom meeting or a video call on WhatsApp. It’s not like someone working from home, I would like it to be so simple. Leading a process, explaining the method, the new job, the tactics, the remote strategy can be an impossible task. Ask Carlos Queiroz …
Not to mention the task of smoothing the rough edges inside the dressing room, which DT himself acknowledged in his first press conference, to raise morale, to convey confidence, to raise the band after two blows like those received in November and which are far from being the “outdated problem.” This requires a contact that will not be.
For all these reasons, the Barranquilla microcycle, for many a makeup that proves to work, was a necessity: 8 games in the heat of the Atlantic capital, two in height and this whole list of unforeseen events forces to have the plan A, B and C he was talking about Wheel. We need to look at the League no longer as a remote solution, but as a repository of emergency solutions. Reality demands it.