NI wouldn’t be surprised at all if Costa Rica puts a heavy barrier with a huge padlock in front of its goal again. They did it against Brazil and, despite the fact that their goalkeeper was the figure of the match, and that they came at him with shots on the post and such, they got the zero and the big tie, in the bomb result of the first match of the America’s Cup.
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Costa Rica will propose a more conservative party than Colombia, for sure. He may have a little more offensive flight than he showed against Brazil, but his basic plan will be to avoid being scored on.
I reviewed the last qualifying match between Colombia and Ecuador in Barranquilla, because Gustavo Alfaro, the current coach of Costa Rica, was the coach of the Ecuadorians in that 0-0 that helped Colombia be eliminated and Ecuador qualify for Qatar 2022.
That time, in the first half, Alfaro did not stop the team like a bus crossing under his goal. His defense positioned itself in three quarters of the field and fought the game higher up. But in the second half, with the tie on the way and time running out, he did reverse that and ordered the ‘bat tactic’: everyone hanging on the post.
Against Brazil, Alfaro’s Costa Rica used five defenders and four midfielders all together, tightly closed, on the edge of the area. Even the only forward played well at the back.
Brazil vs. Costa Rica
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What should the Colombian National Team do to break Costa Rica’s lock?
How do you break that padlock and lift that bar? The recipe is the same as always: first, open the court with wing play to stretch the lines and force spaces to open up inside. For example, Brazil brought in Sávio in the second half’s shot, a right forward who, with his play close to the line, created the best advances in Brazil’s desperate shot. As it is, a game with responsibilities for Díaz, Arias, Muñoz or Mojica, Colombia’s band men.
Since Costa Rica – and Alfaro – are not stupid, to avoid opening up, they moved in a block from side to side of the field (’tilting’, they call that) maintaining distances between their players on the field. To counteract this movement, a formula is to play crossed behind the side, that is, take the game on one side to unload on the other with a long game, change front to force the one who finishes the defensive line. The basic idea of Muñoz’s 1-0 goal against Paraguay. And for that, well, there are James and Ríos, among others.
What other lockpick is there to open locks? Key, have mobility to generate passing options in the game between defenders and midfielders to generate arrivals and cause fouls at the edge of the area or from the side and take advantage of the still ball as in Lerma’s goal for the partial 2-0 against Paraguay. In that sense, kicking from medium and long distance is also a natural weapon.
Obviously, they will have to be safe at the back and retreat in an orderly manner: if Costa Rica scores a goal, they will not only put up a lock and key, but they will also put up a barbed wire fence and build a wall at the border of their 18-yard line. A minefield! And, of course, it will be crucial to be patient in this trap match. Brazil has already fallen into it.
Meluk tells him…
Gabriel Meluk
Sports Editor
@MelukLeCuenta
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