Deportivo Cali will have to get used to the idea of not having Agustín Palavecino anymore and this Sunday (6:05 pm) he returns to Tunja to face Patriotas and look for a new victory that will keep him as the leader of the BetPlay I-2021 League.
Precisely, a goal from the gaucho midfielder gave the Verdiblancos three points and first place (10 units) last weekend in that city, on the fourth day of the contest, against Boyacá Chicó.
Palavecino’s departure is imminent, probably to River Plate, as is the interest of the Argentine club and the player, although it is not ruled out that an offer from Palmeiras of Brazil appears. Therefore, it is not part of the travelers to Boyacá territory.
Coach Alfredo Arias has two options: Keep Kevin Velasco and Andrés Arroyo alongside Marco Pérez as the sole striker, or remove one of the two homegrown players to include Ángelo Rodríguez alongside Pérez.
It is undeniable that the absence of Palavecino takes away the elaboration of the game from the ‘sugar’ cast and means that he must appeal to a more direct football, although recent experience on the La Independencia Stadium field would suggest that he will use this second alternative, already that tall grass does not allow short arrivals in association.
The forced drop in the starting eleven in the Valle del Cauca team is the departure of right back Juan Camilo Angulo due to a muscle strain, which would take him away for three games, and the appearance of Harold Gómez.
Arias, at 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 that, the players are convinced, they have been brave in a match like the one the other day in which the field, the conditions were difficult, they still carried out the game, it only marks a path in which we have to improve many things, maintaining the attitude of always wanting to win ”.
Regarding Patriotas, he said that “it is a team that works well, has a defined idea of play, a fairly compact possession game, with close lines and a short team, both from side to side of the court and from deep, it has deserved more They have points and we are going to have a very tough game, because they are also going to fight for possession of the ball, for possession, they are more used to that court than we are, but we are going to go for three points again ”.
Taking into account that he already knows the Tunja field, he had to learn about learning, he explained: “Every day you learn about everything, it is a field that makes all football bad, it is not only us, all who practice this game that goes at ground level, with a ball that has to spin or run fast, and it’s like going to a pool table and playing with the cloth raised or with holes, the same, surely they are going to say ‘I can’t here play well ‘, but it is what it is, there is and all the teams have to go there, they all suffer it, then we have to adapt, try to be very careful not to make mistakes, that the ball stays, that sometimes he boots badly, which sometimes wears you down more and eats your leg, hopefully we can learn and do better because we are facing an opponent who has been playing well, they have not been able to win, but they have played well ”.
Regarding the two calls to the Colombia Selection, Jhojan Valencia and Jhon Vásquez, he said that “I am very happy for them, for the institution, I am very happy that coach Reinaldo Rueda does this, I think that the technicians are here to train, we are coaches, Sometimes the National Team does not allow you to train because a coach returns to you for 2, 3 days, but it does allow you to work the rest of the year with the other players, raise your idea with them, get to know them, if they go to Europe or another place, what They already know you or you know them at the same time, I think Reinaldo Rueda is very important, in the long run it will decrease us a little bit in that week because we are going to have those players surely mentioned, but I always think that it will help the player , to the institution that they are in the National Team ”.
In the same way, he referred to Tolima, his first rival in the South American Cup: “A very good team, along with Santa Fe were the best last year throughout the season in the regular championship, because they arrived in the first and second place, this year has already 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 game starts we will go for the three points, here and there ”.
Sunday February 7
Stadium: La Independencia (Tunja)
Hour: 6:05 p.m.
They transmit: WIN Sports + y winsports.co
Probable formation:
Guillermo De Amores; Harold Gómez, Hernán Menosse, Jorge Arias, Darwin Andrade; Carlos Robles, Jhojan Valencia, Kevin Velasco, Andrés Arroyo, Jhon Vásquez, Marco Pérez (Ángelo Rodríguez).
D.T.: Alfredo Arias.
Referee: Diego Ruiz (Goal)
Attendees: Miguel Roldán (Antioquia) and Geovanny Padilla (Bogotá).
Marco Antonio GarcésCorrespondent Futbolred Cali
In twitter: @marquitosgarces
