The long-awaited beginning of the Néstor Lorenzo era in the Colombian National Team, the one that is called to get us out of the horrible night of the elimination from the Qatar World Cup and give us the revenge of the 2026 Cup, took place with a very generous balance in the result but with several controversial fronts in the game and its strategy.
The Argentine won the two friendly duels agreed for this FIFA date, 4-1 against Guatemala and 3-2 against Mexico, the latter with a comeback included, being faithful to some ideas but openly contrary to others, exposed by him directly in the press conferences he gave. This was the good, bad and ugly of the FIFA double date:
The good
1- The replacement. It seemed like quantum physics every time there was talk of players with great projection in international football, who combined experience, international contact, talent and youth and asked for a clue in a larger team. And today everything is verifiable in the figures of Luis Sinisterra, Jorge Carrascal and even Jhon Jader Durán. In fact, adding to other young but more consolidated such as Luis Díaz and Rafael Santos Borré, it is clear that there is no reason to force them to continue in line behind the veterans but rather that it is their time to assume responsibilities and stop being musicians of the second line. Lorenzo was amply shown that veteran is not a straitjacket and that they know how to get them out if it gives them enough confidence.
2- Impetus raises everyone’s level. If there was one thing the Queiroz and Rueda teams lacked, it was spirit, rebellion and fire in their legs when things went wrong. And that seems to be picking up now. The aforementioned youngsters are infecting the others with their ambition and this is how a Cuadrado or a Barrios are seen to be very far from their level in the first half against Mexico but repowered in the second, the first in an interior position that seems to suit him better , and the second with a great mid-range goal, dedicated to those who believe he is a flintstone.
3- There is a goal! It should be the main news. In two games, 7 goals were scored, the same number of dates that the team went without scoring and that was the seed of Qatar’s elimination. And three of those goals were from the revelation Luis Sinisterra, worse also from Borré and Asprilla, the forwards, quite an event. They were always there, rowing some from the youth divisions, but only now do they have confidence. If they give them more responsibility, what?
The bad
1-The experience as a straitjacket. It’s one thing to take advantage of the experience of players with two World Cups behind them, to want to show them that they still have a lot of football despite their current status and trust that with this administration they will bear the fruits that never came on the failed road to Qatar. Another is to force yourself to put seven of eleven World Cup players against Guatemala and against Mexico just to prove the theory, without taking into account the actuality of men like James and Falcao, very influential and historical but far from their best physical shape, or what is worse Alzate, who hasn’t gone beyond being a prospect with Queiroz, Rueda and now Lorenzo. His is similar to the Uribe case. A lot of work awaits everyone if they want to continue on the lists soon, because the rockets that command the attack today are waiting for no one.
2- Role of Luis Diaz. The euphoria will pass and in the DT’s notebook he will continue to write the same unanswered question: how to surround the best man on the list to take advantage of him? He will get excited saying that it is a team, that if they wear Sinisterra, Cuadrado or Borré everything will be fine, that it is normal. But is not. Díaz is still outside the offensive circuit in which he was a great star in the last Copa América. Without a doubt, he improved whenever they could next to Borré, Sinisterra, Carrascal… could it be that he lacks filming with those who will be his teammates in four years? Can be. The truth is that the matches go by and the doubts persist: it’s not that it’s not the one from Liverpool, it’s that it’s not from Colombia last year. That is already a symptom in itself.
3- He concedes a lot of goals. Okay, it’s normal that a new coach has no way to guarantee the running of a defensive zone that, even though the players are the same as the last six or seven years, needs to appropriate new ideas. In addition, the subsequent quartet was radically different from Guatemala to Mexico. But three goals in two games is not a good sign and that would have to be tackled from the start. Does it have to do with Ospina and his undisputed role? Yes and no. He could have rehearsed a little more in that position considering that he no longer saves in one of the five big leagues in the world. But you have to win the position. And the job is not easy.
the ugly
-James’s gesture to the stands in his goal against Guatemala even gave rise to memes. He doesn’t look good on him and he knows it, but the haters don’t have the disrespect to which they often come to collect who knows what. He owes no one anything. But he needs to learn to behave as such, even when Falcao does not save him from the stake.
-The interruption of the game against Mexico due to a homophobic shout at the Levi’ Stadium in Santa Clara, California, is a warning sign for the fan who believes that paying a ticket entitles him to anything: tolerance of these acts of discrimination it is zero worldwide and that is non-negotiable. It’s worth stopping being funny.