Two points out of six possible has been the balance of the Colombia National Team in the present round of qualifiers. While it is true that there is still a duel at home against Chile, which must be won, many journalists and fans do not look favorably on the exercise of Reinaldo Rueda in the Tricolor table.
Criticisms are mostly focused on three aspects: results (most importantly), reading matches (approach and changes) and style of play. The latter is especially striking.
In both Bolivia and Paraguay, the Colombian team had serious generation inconveniences in the middle of the field. Juan Quintero seemed to be the one called to command the creation, but everything ended up mooring, to surprise of several, in Juan Guillermo Cuadrado.
The above highlights the urgent need to use October 1 classic, at least in matches that look tight and in which individualities are not enough. And this absence has its own name: James Rodriguez.
In the program ‘Team F’ of ESPN Colombia, Faustino Asprilla criticized precisely the football production of the National Team in the Qualifiers and made it clear that this team needs James.
“The problem of the Colombia National Team today is that it does not produce football. Defending we are very good, Reinaldo gave him an order … The problem is to produce football, we have no one to produce. No one puts a goal on the Colombian strikers. It’s very difficult that way“He indicated.
He also criticized the absences of players like Luis Diaz and Roger Martinez in the game of Asuncion for having played days before in La Paz. “I played there too, I played everywhere and absolutely nothing happened to me,” he expressed.
He even assured that he did not understand how “a physical trainer for a blood test” claimed that the player could not act and that the affected person himself did not ask to play because he felt good.
“Go and tell the Pibe not to play, to see what he says. Or to Freddy Rincón. They never come out. One has to say, ‘Professor I’m fine and I want to play’. They already want to change it to a , it’s something else, “he added.
Finally, the ‘Tino’ spoke of the vital importance of James in this team as a game generator: “I always have James on my team and more in the national team because he plays well with the Colombian shirt. Beyond not playing on his team, I don’t care, I have James”.
“I am one of those who think that there are players who play well with the shirt of a national team because there are team players and there are national team players. James is a national team player, his numbers are very good“, Finished.