If the reigning world champion, France, is in the process of replacement and integrated new players such as Kounde, Badiashile, Upamecano, Saliba and Tchouaméni, why can’t Colombia do it if the referents of the previous process failed in their idea of qualifying Qatar and they are not at their best?
The friendlies in the United States should have made it clear to coach Néstor Lorenzo that it is time to risk it for the newest and thank the work that players like David Ospina, Juan Guillermo Cuadrado, James Rodríguez and Radamel Falcao García did for many years.
The Selection exporter, José María Pazo, assured that the coach must have realized that the youngsters are hungry to demonstrate that they have the conditions to surpass the referents who, although they took the country to two World Cups, failed in the last Qualifiers.
“I want to wait to see what happens when the official competition arrives, because I think that the appearance of James and Falcao had more to do with commercial commitments with the businessmen than with the idea that the Argentine coach had, because if not, I don’t understand its ownership in both games. “El Tigre plays at times with Rayo, and James doesn’t have the pace of competition.”
Pazo also mentioned that behind David Ospina and Camilo Vargas there are high-quality goalkeepers who have also been lining up and deserve the opportunity.
“We are talking about Kevin Mier, (Andrés) Mosquera Marmolejo, Álvaro Montero who was there but did not play. The same Jose Luis Chunga. We already know what Ospina can offer the National Team, but we have to consolidate others for the future”.
While in the case of Juan Guillermo Cuadradohighlighted his change of position in the second half against Mexico when he became a front-line midfielder, but he said that in that place on the pitch there are other players who are above his level, such as Sebastián Gómez (Nacional) and Carlos himself Sierra (America).
For his part, the former national coach Luis Augusto García indicated that football cannot be oblivious to the realities that exist in today’s world, where young people are reaching positions that were previously occupied by veterans, as in cycling.
“Experience is fundamental, but one, for example, can have a leader like Falcao on the bench and give him a few minutes so that he can lead the younger forwards by the hand, but in the case of James, I don’t know how positive he is as a leader after the situations that were known after the departure of Carlos Queiroz in his moment”.
For “Chiqui”, in football it is essential to take advantage of the players’ moments and more so with the short work times that exist today.
“We saw that players like Jorge Carrascal, who is doing well in Russia, delivered. Yáser, who is also playing in England, showed his talent and not to mention Luis Sinisterra. I was left wanting to see the scorer Óscar Estupiñán who is also in a great moment in that country”.
The Bogota Coach is not wrongbecause of the 26 mentioned the only ones who did not participate were the goalkeepers Camilo Vargas and Álvaro Montero, the lateral Yairo Moreno and the aforementioned Estupiñán.
He is also the former tricolor selector, Javier Álvarez, who at the time dared to put a juvenile against Argentina in the group stage of the 1999 Copa América as Jhonnier Montaño, who also became the youngest player to wear the senior team shirt (16 years and two months), referred to the renewal of Nestor Lawrence.
Álvarez said that the replacement depends a lot on the thinking, the plans and the project that the coaching staff has. “It is very important that there are players like Luis Sinisterra, Jorge Carrascal, Jhon Durán and Yáser Asprilla, who are already playing with the team and learning alongside leaders who have been to World Cups and are guiding the young players”.
For Álvarez, the team had two good presentations, but the first, against Guatemala, was not the ideal thermometer. However, he highlighted the comeback against Mexico.
“The team showed character, there are players with many conditions, who are learning despite being young. For me, the coach has to find some balance and he can do it with a gradual process”.
Álvarez added that if the Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup start in March next year, Lorenzo already has elements of judgment to execute that renewal process. “Today it is very important that the players come to this challenge strong in the mental and physical part.”
Gildardo Gómez, a World Cup winger with Colombia in Italy 90, said that in today’s football he sees young people reaching the senior teams en masse, especially in Europe, but that in Colombia it is still very scary to put them on.
“Soccer has long since ceased to be old, it is of quality and if these boys are in an important moment, they must be filmed because they will support the processes for the next World Cups. The referents already took two of us and just like we did, we have to give way to those who come after us”.
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players, of the 26 mentioned, did not act: Estupiñán, Vargas, Montero and Yairo.
