Colombia national team, under pressure to win in the Copa América: danger or opportunity? Analysis

A few hours after the debut of the Colombia selection In the Copa América, on Monday against Paraguay, it is inevitable that the team will assume the impact of the pressure that has been generated by the way it reaches the championship, being undefeated in 23 games and with great momentum from its players. The local and even international press describe the team as a candidate to reach at least the final. The praise is multiplying, so the team has the task of shielding itself to prevent that pressure from affecting its performance and its objectives.

According to the criteria of

Coach Néstor Lorenzo still does not know the word defeat in the National Team, in his 20 coached games. In addition, the team has had victories that fuel their hopes, such as against Brazil (2-1), Germany (2-0) and Spain (1-0). For all of this, she is seen as a candidate by a good part of the local and even international press. Lorenzo seems to want to prevent that weight from falling on the players, although some of them such as James Rodríguez or Daniel Muñoz have mentioned that they want to go for the title, the coach has preferred a cautious speech.

“I don’t think we are favorites. Argentina, which is the current world champion, and America, also Brazil and Uruguay, they are the group that we want to join,” Lorenzo said.

Pressure on the Colombian National Team

But the pressure is on. Lionel Messi He said that teams like Colombia can excel. Area coaches like Gerardo Martino and Gustavo Alfaro see her as a candidate. This Colombia awakens that, and a climate of great expectation has been generated, something similar, keeping the proportions, with what happened to the team of the 90s led by Francisco Maturana, which reached the United States World Cup with the air of a champion, full of praise, preceded by beating Argentina 5-0 in Buenos Aires, and ended with the early elimination in the first round.

Already Pibe Valderrama, the legendary captain of that team, stated about the current National Team, “It’s a favorite. Colombia is a favorite and I’m also taking the risk: final against Argentina and we won 2-1.” Very weighty words.

One of the historical figures of that ’90 National Team, Adolfo ‘Tren’ Valenciaconsiders that this team today is too strong in the head to be a victim of the pressure generated.

Every day the boys show that they have their feet and their heads in the right place, they show us leadership, confidence, we see a united group

“There is favoritism and I think that is good, that is motivation for the players because of the good time they are having. I see a settled Selection. Every day the boys show that they have their feet and heads in the right place, they show us leadership, confidence, we see a united group, all for the same cause, and the results are given. We hope that just as they have faced friendly matches with maturity, they will do so in the competition,” Tren tells EL TIEMPO.

“You know when someone is misplaced and I see them as mature. Football is about moments, about applying experience, I see them well, they know what they are playing, you see camaraderie, friendship, happy football, everyone runs and works like workers. That’s how difficult it is to lose. I see the National Team concentrated.”

If Tren is asked about the experience of ’94 and compared with the current team, it finds differences. “Our favoritism was with that confidence, that even ‘king’ Pelé spoke about how we were favorites and were going to reach the final. We go out with confidence to play face to face with everyone. The difference was in the form of the game. It never occurred to us in our minds that we were going to be only in the first phase, it was a very well formed group, I don’t know what happened, things were not done well in the games, there was no luck, but we left disillusioned with a country that believed in us. Now we live in the present and believe in these guys,” he says.

‘Colombia is here to compete’

Victor Aristizábal, who was also in the ’94 National Team, believes that there is a climate of favoritism and does not consider it counterproductive. “When a team is given favoritism it is because they see the conditions to fight for any title and Colombia sees that, for the individual and collective moment, but I think that Colombia knows that above favoritism there will always be Brazil and Argentina, even Uruguay is above us in history. Colombia is here to compete and try to fight for the title. We cannot isolate ourselves from being considered favorites, we have a team and Colombia has the idea of ​​going out to fight for the Cup and that is good for the National Team.”

There are even those who consider that the favoritism talked about in the local press is an external issue. Diego Barragan, who was Maturana’s physical trainer in USA-94, says: “In the United States at no time did we believe ourselves to be favorites. One always has to respect history and know that a World Cup is not the same as a Copa América. They say that this National Team has favoritism, a year ago I saw them beat Germany. They have done a process with Lorenzo. There is no talk of favoritism because there is respect for rivals. Uruguay and Argentina have 15 Cups. Colombia, one; So you can’t feel like a favorite because the competition is not easy, you have to play with seriousness and responsibility. Nobody can deny that Colombia has good players, is growing step by step and is going to face difficult rivals. “You have to play and be oblivious to the external issue.” Barragán also considers that this expectation of the media and fans “does not put pressure” on a National Team.

The current team, full of figures and with players who have international experience, and with a very consolidated idea of ​​​​the game, begins tomorrow the real challenge in the Copa América.

PABLO ROMERO

EL TIEMPO journalist

@PabloRomeroET

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