The Liga MX gets under way again and the Mexican teams began their respective preseason to face 2022 in the best way, in a year that, unlike 2021, has the Qatar World Cup in November. León comes from losing the Liguilla final against Atlas on penalties and left him at the door of the ninth league in its history.
León and Atlas contested the final of the Apertura 2021 in which in the first leg the ‘Esmeraldas’ prevailed by 3 to 2, but in the second leg those led by Diego Cocca were left with the victory by 1 to 0. On penalties the’ Foxes’ were more precise and took the title.
In an exclusive interview for 90min, Santiago Colombatto, Argentine midfielder of ‘La Fiera’ told how he lives his present in the Mexican team and his reflection on the defeat in the final of the Apertura 2021. In addition, he was very explicit when expressing his Desires to return to European football and more precisely to play in the Italian capital and the comparison between Ariel Holan and Marcelo Gallardo.
Colombatto arrived at the Lion in early 2021 from the Sint-Truidense of Belgium. He quickly became one of the key pieces of the ‘Fiera’ and mainly for his coach and compatriot, Ariel Holan.
How did you deal with the loss to Atlas in the Liguilla final?
It was a fought match, no one was going to give anything away. I would have liked to raise the ninth with the club but it was not possible. Without a doubt, the pain was great, but it is football and we have to turn the page. Hopefully we can achieve the goals in 2022.
Although Leon won 1 of the last 10 tournaments, he is said to be one of the best in Liga MX. Do you feel that?
Yes, León has been doing things well for many years. He is one of the greats of Mexican soccer and he has earned it on the field for his style of play, for always being among the top four. We are going to fight for the top positions and to be in a new final.
You played practically every game in the last semester and won over the fans of León. Do you think you definitely established yourself in the team? Are you at your best in Mexico?
Since my arrival they have treated me very well, I am very happy here and the people have made me feel very comfortable. I don’t like to talk about moments, because the player has ups and downs. I am in a very beautiful stage, I am young, I am enjoying it, I am doing well and this 2022 is a year to exploit my desires as a player and also at the team level. I want to be able to be champion with the club and return to Europe consolidated, which is what I have been looking for since my arrival in León.
How much does having Ariel Holan as a coach influence?
It influences a lot because the ‘Profe’ teaches very well and if one has the willingness to learn, I think it is very important to pay close attention because he has a very European football. He sets up exercises that I have done in Italy and I feel comfortable with him. I think that for us it is an advantage in Mexican soccer.
What makes it different from the others?
It leaves nothing to chance, it is in all the details. He is very strict both tactically and individually and wants to make young people grow. I think that makes a difference with other coaches.
Do the drones you use go over your head?
They fly up there, heh. In today’s football it is necessary to have that visualization, I think it helps us to improve tactically and to capture what Ariel wants on the field.
What does Holan ask of you in games?
He asks me to be more positional, to have the ball and give the team an outlet. Also the fact of not going so high, even though I play as a left midfielder that I have been doing for a year. I feel comfortable there and the ‘Profe’ gave me some indications to continue improving. Nowadays, the more positions you know how to play in modern football, it is necessary. Stepping on the area, giving relief to the defenders, these are things he asks for.
How does the group take the departure of a footballer like Fernando Navarro?
It was a surprise that he left, because he is a boy who spent a long time in León. He is a player who can give you both in tactics and in disorder, because he always appears in spaces. Having players who have won championships helps a lot because for us young people who want to get ahead, they know how to do it and they can give us a hand. Let’s hope he has a great year there in Pachuca except against León.
Colombatto’s case is similar to that of several young Argentines who fail to make their debut in the First Division and go to other countries to try their luck. He began his career in the lower River plate, but when it did not take place, he decided to travel to Italy to find a club. He made his Cagliari debut in December 2015 in a Serie B win over Sassuolo. After a few months, he moved on to Pisa, then Trapani Calcio, later Perugia and finally Hellas Verona. Unable to settle in any Italian club, he changed course and, for the 2019/20 season, he left for Belgium to play for Sint-Truidense.
You could not debut in River where you made inferiors. Is it true that Iván Córdoba got you a test in Cagliari? How was that experience?
Exactly, I did the lower in River and when I arrived in Italy I met Iván Córdoba. It was he who took me to Cagliari. It was a very nice experience where I learned a lot. I arrived there at 17 and Italian football is tactically the best in the world. It was a beautiful thing.
You went through various clubs and never managed to settle down. Did you have the thorn to return to Europe?
I always say that I love it and it is a dream to achieve, which is to play for Roma. It is one of my greatest desires for everything that the capital of Italy means, the infrastructure, the people who are very passionate. It has been a long time since he won the ScudettoSince Totti won, imagine what it must be like to win a cup with Roma. I think it is a team in which I would like to play.
If you had the possibility of having an Argentine soccer offer, which club would you like it to be from?
I always said that one thorn that I had from having done all the inferiors in River from 10 to 17 was getting to debut. Besides, it is the club of which I am a fan and without a doubt that at some point in my career I would like to have the opportunity to play for River. I don’t know if now I think I’m fine here in León and my goals are different. But hey, playing for River would be a dream for me.
Besides, Holan and Gallardo may have certain similarities, right?
Yes, also River plays very well. I think that Argentina is the one that plays the best, the one with the most dynamics, tactically it is the best. And today it is above all. Gallardo has won everything with the club, so nothing can be said to him.
How was the experience of the Olympic Games?
We came from a process already with the ‘Bocha’ Batista of the Sub-20, with Úbeda from the World Cup, which had not done us well. Foyth had gone, Lautaro Martínez had gone, also the ‘Licha’ Martínez. Then there were the Pan-American Games, after the Pre-Olympic and reaching the Olympic Games was something dreamed of for me, because one always dreams of playing for the National Team. It was something impressive, although the results or the objective that we had set before starting the competition were not achieved. But they are are experiences and they are things that football leaves you. The desire for revenge with the National Team remains.
Why do you think Argentina is suffering the Olympic Games? Is there carelessness on the part of the clubs for not yielding some players?
In Rio 2016 I think it was more attractive than in Tokyo 2020, because the clubs did not yield to anyone. It is good that the coach has the best disposition to see what he wants, but in these Olympic Games also ‘Bocha’ Batista has been a bit complicated. Some clubs have not lent to some players they were very important and they came from that process. It was a nice process because we had won the Pan-American Games, we had won the Pre-Olympic Games, then you went to the Olympics and we had a litter and a team that was already used to winning with the National Team. It was a hard blow not to have been able to pass in the first round as it happened to us and more so since Argentina is always aware that we like to reach the final.
Do you see yourself being summoned by Scaloni?
One always dreams of playing for the national team. I think that if you do things well, first here in Mexico, then if God wants to be able to reach Europe, I think it gives another vision for the National Team manager and many doors open up for you. I think it’s good that this World Cup is very close, that it has a very nice group that has won the America’s Cup after a long time. And well, like all Argentines, let’s hope it will be a great World Cup for us. After what happened in Russia, I think it could be a good World Cup for you because of how we come here and because the America’s Cup was won. But one does not stop dreaming of being able to be in a convocation. It all depends on what you do, you have to demonstrate on the field to be there, but yes, without a doubt that it is a dream to be able to represent my country again. I couldn’t get the thorn out of that revenge with the National Team.
If you had to choose a player in the world to play alongside, who would it be?
I always say that I look at Arturo Vidal a lot. Mee would like to share a dressing room with him or Sergio Ramos. They are two players of whom I admire a lot for their personality, for their character, for their strength. I think that if I have to choose, there are two players that I would like to share a dressing room, without a doubt.
For those who do not know you, Santiago Colombatto which player does he resemble?
Messi, heh. The truth is that I think I have my own style, I am a 5 who likes to play ball, who tries to recover, to try to steal ball and give it to the one in front of me, to the hitch, who is the one who can can give ball of goal to the forward. But I don’t like to compare myself to anyone, but rather that I am myself and others are different. Each one is different in what they do.
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