Attacking generates happiness… (Last Tango)

Serious thing, Uruguay, beautiful thing Colombia… And the attacking game is beautiful. When teams attack each other in football, the public laughs, gets excited, gets excited, and hugs each other. Football is a machine that brings happiness… but it is attacked. Uruguay has historically been difficult, due to its defensive mental structure, the toughness of its troops and the dedication, the commitment to the jersey. With Marcelo Bielsa He has added the seasoning that makes it an unmissable dish: he attacks, he proposes, he dares.

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The resultists, the ultra-defensive ones (of which there are tens of millions, although it may seem unusual) look askance at Bielsa, he comes to subvert the order, to kick the ideological board. And he steals their followers, because many Uruguayan fans who loved to see the Celeste defend, heroically resist zero draws, turn around in the face of this magical revelation that it is possible, yes, you can go out and beat Brazil. And beat him. You can go look for victory against Argentina in Buenos Aires. And find it. Then this happens, that today Uruguay is one of the happiest countries in the world because it has a magnificent team and, simply, it goes out to win the games, which is what the fan has asked of his team since 1848, more or less when it was founded. formally invented this sport. On Tuesday, when Uruguay plays again – this time with Bolivia – the anxiety of the entire country until 8:30 p.m. will be almost unbearable. That generates attacking football. In Uruguay, football is a cultural fact, three million four hundred thousand are involved. And euphoric: Uruguay attacks. And like it. And win.

There is an additional enthusiasm: the Rosario strategist put together a young squad, which can last Uruguay to successfully face the next two World Cup cycles.

The Uruguayan coaches, so attached to playing fast and loose, were upset when the association hired Bielsa, a kind of Antichrist: offensive, foreign and on top of that Argentine, something intolerable. Chengue Morales, with brutal sincerity, closed the gap: “Bielsa covered all of our mouths.” Nobody talks about Suárez and Cavani anymore. Why change the violins if they sound so good…?

Uruguay won for the first time in its history, in a series, against Brazil and Argentina, third and first in the World Ranking. And he beat them by playing, going forward. The truly impressive thing was how he defeated the world champion in La Bombonera (a stage that never had a good connection with the Argentine National Team). He closed all his offensive paths, suffocated him in recovering the ball, cut off his game circuits and then hurt him in attack. To a team that had been giving festivals, that had won all the games without even conceding a goal. The 2-0 really should have been wider due to superiority and volume of play.

“I’m going to tell you what football is for me, guys: attacking a lot and then recovering it with the hope of attacking again.” Bielsa’s creed before his players. It was fulfilled. Such was the physical, emotional and football demonstration He says that his people are already excited about the 2026 World Cup. Not to qualify, to win it.

Uruguay, the king of defense, is the scoring leader in the Qualifiers. Who would say… The amazing thing is how quickly Bielsa has managed to spread his seed among the squad. An essential point in the relationship between the leader and his subordinates is to arouse admiration. The Uruguayan players are delighted with Bielsa, they admire him. Thus, the soldier goes to war confidently and redoubles his fervor.

Five thousand four hundred kilometers above Buenos Aires, in Barranquilla, the attacking game also generated an avalanche of joy for an entire nation. The Colombia of Néstor Lorenzo (this is how he will begin to identify himself from now on), he knocked out Brazil, he beat them for the first time in a Qualifier. And turning the result around, something that can happen every thirty years in the case of the five-time world champion. The coach shows his teeth simply by giving the lineup, it is a message that he sends to his players. In that act, the footballer notices the boss’s intention. And Colombia announced James and Carrascal, two 10s, Luis Díaz, about whom nothing needs to be said, Borré, who is not a scorer but has technique, a good-footed midfielder like Kevin Castaño, Matheus Uribe, midfielder round trip that steps into the area and is not denied with the ball, to Deiver Machado, a bulldozer going up his lane. That is, seven elements that know how to play and have a natural inclination to move forward. And a commander who follows a clear line: playing in the rival’s field and seeking to harm the opponent.

Defend…? Of course, whoever defends poorly in soccer, or does not defend at all, surely loses. But the priority objective is to win, and to do so you have to attack. Lorenzo has gone 21 games in a row without defeats: 8 from his former spell with Melgar de Arequipa and 13 with the Colombian National Team. If a coach does not have a high capacity, he will not achieve those numbers. And be careful: it cannot be argued that Lorenzo has “a golden generation.” Yes, a team of good players with a piece of crack like Lucho Díaz, for whom one night the sky opened and everything came together. Regardless of class, there are lovable players and there are also hateful ones. How happy it is when things turn out well for Lucho…! It is the postcard of humility. And there is no marketing for humility, it is something that springs up, it is not imposed.

Besides, the Brazilian eleven was an invitation to attack him. Two poor full-backs (Emerson and Renán Lodi), two lackluster defensive midfielders (Bruno Guimaraes and André) and a series of normal names, without the monsters of other eras. The only really dangerous thing was the attack, with Vinicius, Rodrygo and Martinelli. But, well, it’s Brazil, you always have to take care of something. It was the opportunity to hit the ball, Lorenzo understood it and transmitted it to his players. Because it is the coach who transmits the mentality to the players, never the other way around. Note, as an addition, that Uruguay that subdued Argentina causing a true international impact could have fallen, and even by a landslide, against this Colombia that has no enmity with the goal despite playing without a scorer and without 9, given that Borré It is not 9. He reaches the goal through performance, collective harmony and offensive desire.

A more modest proof that happiness is attacking was given by Bolivia in the debut of its new coach Antonio Carlos Zago. With just a few training sessions, the Brazilian put together a more vertical team, but above all he chose people with a greater attacking vocation. He called the two Vaca, Henry, a plump guy who is accused of being undisciplined among other things, but who is skilled and has one on one, faces, goes forward, and Ramiro, a fine, talented 10, with a pass between the lines and with an excellent finish. Both scored the goals to get out of last place and sink Peru into it. In the opposite of what we preach, Peru hired Juan Reynoso, a speculative coach, and set a negative record: it is the first time in 69 years of Qualifiers that a team did not score a goal in the first five games. Unbearable for Peruvian fans. And in Ecuador they still don’t know if the Catalan Sánchez Bas is defensive, offensive or what.

The most important thing about a selection is getting the coach right. Is demonstrated. Uruguay and Colombia achieved a plenary session.last tango

JORGE BARRAZA
For the time
@JorgeBarrazaOK

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