The Costa Rica team is in the renovation phase and has a game idea under construction.
Costa Rica national team
Photo: Buddha Mendes / AFP
By:
Futbolred Editorial Team
June 27, 2024, 11:09 p.m.
The Colombia selection prepares for what will be its next rival in group D of the Copa America 2024the Costa Rica national teama complicated opponent due to his defensive style shaped by Gustavo Alfaro.
The tricolor team will face a Costa Rican team that has left behind its golden generation where names like Keylor Navas, Bryan Ruiz and Celso Borges were and that is now full of young people who want to mark their own history.
Alfaro joined the Costa Rica National Team at the end of last year and since then he has directed nine games where he has achieved four wins, two draws and three losses for a performance of 51.85%.
Game idea
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Copa America 2024
In those nine games, the Argentine has been working on the game idea of this renewed Costa Rica and it highlights the defensive solidity, the balance between attack and defense, the counterattack, the transfer of possession to the rival and the adaptation to each match.
Alfaro has been criticized for much of his time as coach for his conservative style, where he always tries to use defensive midfielders and two fixed forwards.
On the other hand, Alfaro tries to always have a defensive order and be effective on the counterattack, so his game is little elaborate and totally direct, an aspect in which Colombia must take care.
In the attacking zone, Alfaro also likes to play with the ball and looks for pivot forwards who can hold the mark and another attacker who is in charge of scoring goals.
Figures
Francisco Calvo: The Mexican defender from Juárez has established himself as the captain of Costa Rica and one of the fundamental pillars in the Costa Rican locker room. Calvo played 14 games in the current Liga MX out of a possible 16 and managed to play 17 matches with Konyaspor in the first half of the year.
Joel Campbell: The footballer with a past in Arsenal, Sporting Lisbon, Betis, Monterrey, León is the only player left from the Costa Rican golden generation and who currently plays for Alajuelense where he played 55 games, scored 16 goals and registered seven assists.
Manfred Ugalde: The 22-year-old striker is one of the young promises of this cycle in Costa Rica. Spartak Moscow bought him for 13 million euros from Twente in January of this year. Ugalde played 41 games this season, scoring 10 goals and providing seven assists.
