Atlético Nacional coach Alejandro Restrepo takes advantage of the break from Colombian professional soccer to recharge and share the Christmas and New Year season with his loved ones.
However, the Antioquia coach, born on January 30, 1982, does not completely disconnect because he must be aware of the hires made by the team for the next season.
And it is that in 2022 the Green will have great challenges, among which are ending the agony of celebrations in the local League, in which it has not triumphed since 2017; and regain prominence in the Copa Libertadores, a competition in which he holds the titles of 1989 and 2016, conquests that force him to perform according to his history.
Precisely, participation in the continental competition generates great illusion in Restrepo, which will have the opportunity to endorse in the international tournament the campaign that led him to win the 2021 Betplay Cup title and to ride the all-against-all phase of the League Betplay II, which to his misfortune and that of the fans did not manage to settle as everyone expected.
The counselor is not unaware that he could have made mistakes in the auction of the year with the purslane team, but emphasizes that all these learnings will be vital both in the process of personal and professional growth, as well as in the project that he leads in the institution, which is conscious It must be framed, both by the DNA of good football that this club always demands, and by obtaining good results, which are a must for the fan.
Nacional, which to date has only confirmed the connection of Alexander Mejía, is focused on finalizing its hiring before January 7, the day on which it is budgeted to present its reinforcements for the next season to the media.
The next to be announced is believed to be midfielder John Duque, who reportedly had already submitted medical tests. At the end of this publication it had not been announced, but it is expected that in the next few hours its link will be made official. The Antioquia team would also be in the footsteps of Edwin Cardona.
What is your opinion of Nacional’s rivals in the Copa Libertadores?
“We must face the winners of a key from phase 1, in which we have a rival with a long tradition such as Olimpia from Paraguay, and others who in recent years have also been participating in previous phases and in the knockout rounds both of the Copa Libertadores as of the South American Cup, like César Vallejo ”.
How well do you know them?
“They are traditional rivals, important in their countries and in South America. We know that the context of international football today is all very even, even, among all the rivals we know each other. As they are direct elimination keys, attention, preparation and competitiveness in these games are important. We also understand that moving forward there are already some possible adversaries, but the initial attention will be placed on those first rivals, which we must analyze, continue in their previous phase and see how their present will be, the incorporations they have and their moment in the season, at the time and place that we have to face them ”.
Personally, does that participation in the Copa Libertadores excite you, does this participation in the Copa Libertadores cause you anxiety?
“Yes, it is a great challenge as a coaching staff, but mainly as an institution. Returning to the Copa Libertadores is having the possibility of contesting the entrance to that group stage, we know how important it is within the prestige at the South American level and also what is transcendental for the institution in every way. We are very excited to be able to compete at the highest South American level, to be there in that context of international football, that the players continue to represent this shirt with the pride and determination it deserves ”.
What do you expect from 2022 personally and professionally?
“To continue in that search to be better, to progress day by day and to improve ourselves as individuals and as a team. As a group, to achieve that objective of advancing in the Copa Libertadores, to compete for the objectives and goals that the club proposes, which are always linked to the achievement of championships. I hope to grow as a person, as a coach and continue to fill myself with that knowledge around what the institution and the people around me generate ”.
Do you think there was something wrong with Nacional in the 2021 auction?
“Well, as human beings I believe that one always has that possibility of learning from situations in which a goal is not achieved. I feel beyond not being able to achieve a goal, positive elements could be extracted to grow, be better, take steps forward and see if at some point something could not be done well for having made a mistake and not doing them again, for On the contrary, come out stronger, be resilient to this. A fundamental element in the human being is to transcend, in the search for that he must seek to be better, always seek to solve, is what I have bet on during the past six months in command of the team and I hope that it can continue to be like that for a long time”.
What can we say about the hiring and the specific names that have come up?
“There are many names that have come up that have surely been being analyzed by the Transfers Department and by the coaching staff. We do not dare to give a part because we know what football is like. You have to take into account all the situations that you have to measure, that you have to weigh, when you have something closed they will be announced in due course. It is looking at what possibilities we have to improve ”.
How does Alejandro Restrepo live this Christmas and New Year season?
“Very calm, I take advantage of the time to reflect, rest and draw conclusions about what this semester has been, what has happened, the moments, regardless of whether they have been positive or negative, I think that each of them was drawn An apprenticeship. I also take time to share with my loved ones, the family, with my girlfriend, with close people, with friends, to whom football often does not allow you to have as much time and truly as enjoying a lot and every space that I can share with them ”.
What did you ask the Child God?
“The first thing is health and having the possibility to work for the different objectives and goals. I always ask for health for myself, family, work group. Then there is the approach we have to go for our objectives, goals and dreams ”.
How to take the football environment in which one day you are an idol and the next villain?
“First by understanding the role we play within a club, within an institution and a sport like football. Understanding that this is a game where the result is something very important, but also having a clear conscience for the work you do, of the acceptance that there is towards the sports project and that there is always a possibility of improvement. Everything is summed up in that word, the awareness that must be had of the moment and the place, of making each time the present build a promising future ”.
How to surround Aldair Quintana after the events that put him in the public pillory?
“First of all, you cannot forget two elements that are very important, first is the professional behind and the person. It is always essential to bear in mind how important it is when we lead groups, that we work with people and professionals, and that their behavior also depends on our decision-making ”.
What is the best moment you have lived in Nacional?
“Many happy moments come to mind from the sporting point of view. The first days of training, seeing that the group is assimilating an idea of the game that starts from what you have in your head. Also see that game idea reflected in the results and more with a title; all those are very beautiful moments ”.
Have there been many hard passages?
“In difficult times I put player injuries ahead, especially Baldomero Perlaza’s. It is something hard on a personal level to see the pain of a member of the squad who had that desire to compete for the proposed objectives and not being able to be there hit us all a lot. Afterwards, the complex moments of defeat, which are difficult to assimilate, especially when the internal one knows that one had prepared for important things ”.
What message do you leave for Nacional fans?
“That they continue to encourage, that they continue to believe in a sports project, in the processes, and especially in the players who have shown that they want to return to that essence, to good play, to recover the club’s DNA, which we know that beyond playing well, it must also have a winning seasoning. I hope that the fans continue with that good vibe and energy that they transmit to us in every game, in every moment ”.
How do you see Reinaldo Rueda’s process with the Colombian National Team?
“I can give my concept as a fan and in that role I see it with great enthusiasm, with the enormous desire of always, that the National Team achieve qualification for the Qatar World Cup, because I am one more Colombian and I give strength to my compatriots, too. for the Colombian coaches and for the players I know, who are part of that process “
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