It was a dream come true, but not a bed of roses before 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 outside of his own management, solutions that are mostly in the kingdom of uncertainty.
To overcome the already atypical situation of not being able to see them, visit them in their clubs, talk to them and their coaches to find out how to use them better and what tools they can give them in their national team, there are issues that make planning difficult for the game against Brazil (March 26) and Paraguay (30), in the restart of the qualifying rounds to Qatar 2022.
Rueda’s agenda has several issues in the red for the remaining five weeks leading up to an uphill tournament:
1. Injuries
– Yerry Mina
He is the first patient in the infirmary. “Mina had a calf problem … I think he won’t be available for Saturday’s game,” said Ancelotti, Everton’s manager of none other than the classic against Liverpool. He came off 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 game in which he was only 20 minutes. There is a problem in the soleus, fear it is the adductor. If it were the latter, it would be a safe loss in qualifying tournaments. We’ll have to wait on Thursday to find out.
– Juan Guillermo Cuadrado
Juventus have confirmed that he has “a minor right thigh hamstring injury” and that they will re-evaluate in 10 days. The Italian press fears the loss will last up to three weeks, as has happened before with other players with similar issues. It didn’t seem serious at first, but he couldn’t be in the game against Porto, in which the Italians surprisingly fell 2-1 and will be a safe defeat to Crotone and Hellas Verona for Serie A. If all goes well, they will will have three weeks of competition. Otherwise it will be less than two and that is a big headache for a player who has been unquestionably in Colombia.
– David Ospina
In the warm-up of the game that beat Napoli Juventus, Ospina suffered an inconvenience and was forced to stay out, although he was about to start. The club confirmed that he suffers from “a first degree load on the right thigh adductor”. It is already known that he will not be able to participate in the Europa League match against Granada next Thursday (3 p.m.). The problem is that his Colombian national team substitute, Camilo Vargas, has conceded 9 goals (against Uruguay and Ecuador) and the relief in the goal is still awaiting. Today the worst Ospina is still our best option …
– Luis Suarez
The samarium attacker is without a doubt a definitive loss for the next two months, due to a “fibrillar injury in the right hamstring,” Granada said. He fulfilled his dream of selection with Queiroz, but that of winning Rueda’s trust remains 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 for the Colombian Squad. But he is still the captain, the voice of command, the one who creates order from the authority that discipline, performance and attitude give him in a dressing room that, without him, is broken. That is why the health of Falcao, who entered the first Galatasaray call after a month and a half rest due to an injury (a moderate tension in the upper right front muscle group), is a vital issue. He is expected to play as much as possible in these five weeks, but with proper care from someone known to be extremely vulnerable to injury. Risk-free commitment … it seems like a contradiction in football, but it is what it takes.
2. Logistical problems
There are several drawbacks, especially for Colombians playing in Europe. For example, those from England could not travel due to the ban on their clubs, which according to The Athletic would declare to FIFA that they will not give them up due to complications with their departure to South America and especially for the ten days mandatory quarantine they would do on their return, when the cup is determined and the competition is at a key time.
But it is not the only problem. The European Union only allows nationals and residents to enter and since the UK is out after Brexit, it is. That would complicate the schedules, meaning those violating quarantine would be subject to fines of up to £ 10,000 and, in critical cases, even jailed.
It is worth noting that Portugal, where Uribe, Díaz and Cristian Borja live, has greatly increased the number of covid cases and strong pressure in the hospital has forced the establishment of field hospitals and the transfer of patients to the islands. Okay, Cristiano, Juventus and all the stars have just left, but if the situation worsens, the measures could be reinforced.
For those located in Spain, it should be mentioned that Colombia requires a negative PCR for entry by air, within a period of up to 96 hours prior to boarding and that, in the absence of PCR, preventive isolation should be performed until a negative PCR result is obtained or quarantined for 14 days.
In South America, there is also the complication of the new Brazilian strain limiting those living in that country, the Cantillo case, to name one case. It means that at the time of the call, it will weigh not only the level, continuity, sports contribution, but also the basic issue of the displacement. And that does not depend on the coach of the national team.
3. Low level
There are several cases that are not encouraging. Everton was mentioned, but especially James, who moved back and forth between injuries and stoppages, although he can count a 3-3 goal against Manchester United halfway through, 5 goals and 3 assists in Premier. Against Fulham (0-1) and Manchester City (defeat 1-3) he was clearly not influential, apart from hits and fouls inherent in football, Ancelotti himself said. This Wednesday, for example, he wasn’t even a starter. And he is the key figure of the Colombian national team, a detail that is not unimportant.
But unfortunately the case is repeated. Dávinson Sánchez has been criticized and even mocked by Carragher, who compared him to a cone; van Lineker, who posted the video of his poor start against Manchester City and thus without mercy, starting with his DT in Tottenham, Mourinho, who used it out of necessity and not out of conviction.
The same happens with the left back, as Fabra has played a match all year (against Gimnasia, 2-2); Cristian Borja has played six games this year and a goal with Sporting Braga and Mojica has just arrived in Elche, a contender for relegation in Spain.
4- And the alternatives?
Except Edwin Cardona, a valuable player to many but who had the door of the Colombian national team in the Queiroz era, saw how the door was closed to him, the creatives, in case James can’t come, due to physicality or logistics. , they do that doesn’t seem so obvious.
Juan Fernando Quintero went to China where he has more time for music and social networks than for high competition, which is a shame as he has memories of two World Cups, the selection process, even friendship with the Everton left-handed. Who else? Giovanni Moreno, another one without enough rhythm in the Far East? In the micro cycle, the flyers assessed were more options to include creation, except Lusi Sánchez and Santiago Moreno, with few options to meet the challenge of Brazil or Paraguay and be more part of a process than an urgent gift .
5- The trial, without trial
It happens that Reinaldo Rueda will have to manage a payroll that he has followed to the millimeter, which he has judged ad nauseam in the videos, which he has elaborated in statistical terms, but that in most cases he has more than in a zoom meeting or a video call on whatsapp. It’s not like someone who works from home, I wish it were that simple. Managing a process, the method, the new job, the tactics, explaining the strategy from a distance can be an impossible task. Ask Carlos Queiroz …
Let’s not say the job is to smooth out the rough edges in the locker room, which the DT itself recognized at its first press conference, to boost morale, to convey confidence, to increase troop after two strokes like the one in November and those far from ‘problem overcome’. That requires a contact person who will not be.
For all these reasons, the Barranquilla microcycle, for many a make-up to show they work, was a necessity: 8 games in the heat of the Atlantic capital, two in height and all this list of unforeseen events make sure that the plan A, B and C that Rueda talked about. We should no longer see the League as a remote solution, but as a repository for emergency solutions. Reality demands it.