Esportiu Cali will have to take on the idea of no longer having Agustín Palavecino and this Sunday (06:05 pm) he returns to Tunja to face the Patriots and look for a new victory that will keep him as the leader of the BetPlay League I-2021.
Precisely, a goal from the left gaucho gave him the three points and first place to the green-and-whites (10 units) over the weekend in this city, on the fourth day of the contest, against the Boyacá Chicó.
The departure of Palavecino is imminent, probably in River Plate, as is the interest of the Argentine club and the player, although it is not ruled out that an offer from Palmeiras de Brasil. For that reason, it is not part of the travelers to boyacense territory.
Coach Alfredo Arias has two options: Keep Kevin Velasco and Andrés Arroyo alongside Marc Pérez as the only striker, or remove one of the two players from the squad to include Ángelo Rodríguez in Pérez’s side.
It is undeniable that the absence of Palavecino takes away elaboration of game to the list ‘sucrera’ and supposes that it must appeal to a more direct soccer, although the recent experience in the track of the Stage Independence would make think you will use this second alternative, as high pasture does not allow short arrivals in association.
The forced loss to the eleventh initialista in the vallecaucano set is the exit of the right lateral Juan Camilo Angulo by a muscular distension, would move away that it by three parties, and the appearance of Harold Go’mez.
Arias, in a press conference, pointed out that “the team comes from the continuity of last year, I think it is competitive, with all the teams we went out to raise our idea, to win, we believe a lot in this, the players are convinced, they have been brave in a game like the other day in which the court, the conditions were difficult, they still pushed the game, it only marks a path in which we need to improve many things, maintaining the ‘attitude of always wanting to win’.
On Patriotes, he said that “it’s a team that works well, has a definite idea of the game, a fairly compact possession game, with close lines and a short team, both side by side on the court and deep, it has deserved more points he has them and we had a very hard game, because they are also going to fight for possession of the ball, for possession, they are more used than us to this court, but we will go for the three points again ” .
Given that he already knows the Tunja track, he was left to learn about applying, explaining: “Every day you learn everything, it’s a field that hurts all football, it’s not just us, in everyone who practices this floor-level game, with a ball that has to spin or run fast, and it’s like going to a pool table and playing with the fabric raised or with holes, the same thing, they’ll probably say ‘here I can’t play ok ‘but it’s what it is there and all the teams have to go there, everyone suffers, then we have to adapt, try to be very careful not to make mistakes, that the ball stays , which sometimes bounces badly, which sometimes wears you out more and eats your leg, hopefully we can learn and do it better because we face a rival who has been playing well, has not been able to win, but has played well. ” .
On the two called up to Selección Colombia, Jhojan Valencia and Jhon Vásquez, he expressed that “I am very happy for them, for the institution, I am very happy that coach Reinaldo Rueda does this, I think the coaches are to train, we are coaches, the Selection sometimes does not allow you to train because it makes you a selector of 2, 3 days, but it does allow you to work the rest of the year with the other players, raise their idea, get to know them, if they get to go to Europe or somewhere else, let them already know you or you to them at the same time, I think it’s very important that of Reinaldo Rueda, in the long run we will decrease a little this week because we will have these players for sure quoted, but I always think it will serve the player, the institution that they are in the Country Selection “.
Similarly, he referred to Tolima, his first rival in the Copa Sudamericana: “Very good team, together with Santa Fe were last year throughout the season in the regular season the best , because they came in first and second place, this year he started showing regularity, the type of game that his coach has, he has an idea that comes from years, he has a very strong team, even this speech is respect, then when the match starts we will go for the three points, here and there “.
Sunday, February 7th
Stadium: La Independencia (Tunja)
time: 18:05 h
transmit: WIN Sports + and winsports.co
Probable formation:
Guillem D’Amors; Harold Gómez, Hernán Menosse, Jorge Arias, Darwin Andrade; Carlos Robles, Jhojan Valencia, Kevin Velasco, Andrés Arroyo, Jhon Vásquez, Marc Pérez (Ángelo Rodríguez).
DT: Alfredo Arias.
referee: Diego Ruiz (Meta)
attendees: Miguel Roldán (Antioquia) and Geovanny Padilla (Bogotá).
Marc Antoni Garcés
Futbolred Cali correspondent
On twitter: @marquitosgarces