Miguel Falero, the coach of the Honduras under-23 national team, spoke Exclusively with TEN about what awaits the Bicolor in the Pre-Olympic. His dreams, the group formed, the captains and what he knows about the rivals he will face in the group stage.
Why bring Rigoberto Rivas just for a group game? The helmsman says that making the list was complex due to the number of good players. He answers to Ilce Barahona and explains why he did not make the list of the 20.
Read. THE THREE RESERVE PLAYERS THAT HONDURAS WILL BE
What do we know about Haiti, Honduras’ first pre-Olympic rival?
It is usually a French school, it is a team that does not have a strong league, but exports everything that is best to France, where it has a football and cultural connection, but there are different players who play in different leagues. They have three players in France, two in Spain, one in Armenia, one in Italy, one in the United States and one in Denmark. It is a very fast team and depending on that we will prepare.
Darixon Vuelta said they had not seen any videos about Haiti. Was it difficult to have a video about how these teams play?
Yes, obviously they have not had international competition in recent years, the last minimal videos I got were from the last six months, they just played friendly with local teams and faced a team of Mexican amateurs.
Do you feel that this group that played less complicated compared to the other frame, although Haiti I do not think is easy?
Entirely. First of all, because they come from a French school, they have nine players abroad, but their values are in the important leagues and that means that 50% of their footballers have a good level, because they work abroad. The other problem is that El Salvador has registered five players at the last minute who are abroad, Canada also has abroad.
It will not be easy to classify.
Not at all. Since I was on the previous U-23, there have been camps for Canadian junior teams in Fort Lauderdale and they have come a long way. Bayern Munich left-back is Canadian (Alphonso Davies). All this production of players is important, they send them to important leagues and then bring them to take over the work, this makes the area competitive. All island teams, such as Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Haiti, have always been good opponents for Honduran teams.
How do you define the other rivals, El Salvador and Canada?
El Salvador has five players who play abroad, has a coach who knows the young people and knows their work well, has worked in his youth and made good presentations and is making efforts to improve his work. We know the parity represented by the matches with Honduras and which represent a special delivery and will make it a difficult match. I think the baby of the group is still Canada and, as we go to the championship, we will have much fresher information and this will lead us to know the reality after the first two days.
What do you think about the fact that there will be a 25% audience in the matches?
I don’t know how important (CONCACAF) it gives to Coronavirus, it’s one thing to control and take people who are vaccinated, tested, tested with the appropriate protocols to a stadium or open the doors for anyone to enter and infect everyone.
Is there fear?
There are protocols. Things; This is the first tournament in which the public will be activated, well, it is 25%, but we are right in our game. We are also the only team to play at 1.30 in the afternoon.
How is the group doing in its health with the Covid-19 tests?
At an excellent level, fortunately, the infections stopped after those of Edwin Rodríguez and Elvin Casildo, the problem of injuries, too, since we were punished by Carlos Pineda, Jorge Álvarez and Josha Canales. The health problem improved, and the protocols were the best and I followed them in a good way. Fortunately, from an administrative and health point of view, they worked well.
When you go back to a pre-Olympic, what is the difference between the group you led with Luis Suárez in London 2012 and the one you lead now?
There are differences. I think that before there was a greater wealth and now the coaches are forced to work for a better production. Talents come out sporadically, fortunately we form a good group with a special technical wealth. We are confident that we will have a good championship.
Ilce Barahona explained that he would like to have an explanation of why they did not take him into account when he is at a good level at Platense. What would you say?
Unfortunately, the list is 17 players off the field and three goalkeepers. I talked to him personally; He has stopped playing since his last game, two and a half months, I had him, I prepared him and at the moment he has a good level and is one of the values we have to complete the list, but the returns they are today. I can’t keep betting on a can when I have players competing in that position and doing well. Based on all the knowledge he had, he started against Nicaragua and Guatemala. He was permanently observed not only in U-23, but also in Maior. He has always been in the plans because he is a good player. Maybe the date I gave the final list was not the best.
At this point, the captain of this group has already defined; Will there still be Denil Maldonado?
Denil Maldonado is our captain.
And the deputy captain?
Rigoberto Rivas with many possibilities.
Professor, what does Juan Carlos Obregón have to add to the list when there are no videos about his football performance in the United States?
Juan Carlos is an excellent player, he is an excellent person and we value the staff. It is a technical center of attack that holds the ball very well and takes advantage of spaces, which leads it to facilitate the inside game and combinations with the rest of the teammates.
What do you think, before the start of the competition, Mexico and the USA are offered as favorites to qualify when Honduras has three consecutive tickets to the Olympics?
There are two strengths, because from an organizational point of view they are very good, they worked in a good way, they have all the facilities, players who work and were trained in different categories of young people. Canada has been running camps for 10 years and competing in friendlies and tournaments to attract players. All this production and those communities are bearing fruit. Then football has this logic and equates us with those of us who do not have so many figures, but have a great heart, a wonderful spirit and it fits. All matches are special.
Do you feel the weight of reaching this pre-Olympic with the launched story that the three previous coaches qualified for the Olympics?
This is gratifying and shows us the way. It does not provide anything because the past is the past, we are betting on the future with work and the reality will be today, which begins in the game against Haiti on the 19th.
Does this team have the talent to later get the Major already in the World Cup qualifiers heading to Qatar?
Yes. I worked with Professor Fabián Coito and the entire coaching staff. I am very sure that if the data had not coincided today, many of these players, four or five, would have been called up to the Major to play against Belarus and Greece. We believe that we are on the right track and we hope that this U-23 will be a spare wheel for the near future in the adult Bicolor.
Have you already defined which goalkeeper will save the first match of the pre-Olympic?
Yes of course. There is a basis and I will not rush to give the list because I do not want the player to be informed by the press before talking to me that I tell him, but I already have a high percentage of the team that will start the game.