Regarding the formalization of Reinaldo Rueda to lead the Colombian national team, coach Alexis García spoke with Vbar from Radio Caracol and acknowledged that, although it is not a good time, Valle del Cauca was the one who faced the challenge of qualifying South -American, which will start only in March against Brazil and Paraguay.
“Reinaldo is the ideal coach at the moment, a man with knowledge, experience, wise, who knows the heart of our football. I had said and not against the previous DT, that our players go to Europe because they play Colombian, they should not be brought to South America to play Europeans. We had to improve the speed and certain things they learn in Europe, but the essence and the DNA are the ones that gave us good results “, said Alexis.
He made it clear that everyone should accompany and support his process and he is confident that he will do things right. “You will contribute with all your knowledge and skills. If Reinaldo is doing well, we are all doing well, but if he is doing badly, we should also get on the bus, we should support the processes and join the national team. We have brought Reinaldo for good, we hope that soon we will not judge him as right or wrong “.
Coach La Equidad did not spare praise for the new coach of the tricolor: “I see an evolved Reinaldo and much more willing to make tactical changes. Today’s football has changed, the national team does not always have to play with the same system, it has to be elastic and it is measured with the player’s present ”.
Alexis insisted that getting to the national team is not easy, especially since Colombia has just been defeated in the last two games; In addition, the position in the ranking is not the best. That’s why I sent him the first piece of advice, namely that before preparing for the matches, prepare your mind.
The advice continued. The second was very punctual and focused on Brazil, the first rival at the FIFA meeting in March. “Brazil cannot be played like Paraguay. Brazil is Brazil and we have to respect it, but the first thing we have to do is gain respect, we have to take these players and put them as soldiers of the homeland, of the people who defend Colombia, not them; you have to lower your egos. All this happens through the mental part “.
Alexis García’s third piece of advice was to regain his style, the one that lost the tricolor in its last outings. He asked Colombia to play the ball well again. “The first thing the national team has to recover with Reinaldo is style, an experiment was done and it didn’t work. This is what happens in football, you try a lot of things and you can’t go wrong. You have to recover the relationship with the ball, the bottom starts and the occupation of the space in the attack, but always to take care of what made us strong and with Brazil for a fight is this, for possession.
Finally, García left it to Rueda’s fourth piece of advice to settle in Europe in the coming months, before the play-offs. “I think Reinaldo should not live in Colombia these months, he should be in Europe, where 90% of the players are, to know how they live, to create the environment, to have trust and affection, to know how to prepare. He has to go and share his idea of the game and, above all, see how they will manage their egos ”.