Regarding the recent failure of the Colombian National Team that was left without a World Cup after two consecutive participations, the Colombian coach Jorge Luis Pinto delivered in sports blog his concept of what the Qualifier against Qatar was for Reinaldo Rueda’s men and referred to the mistakes that could have been made.
The former coach of Millonarios, with experience in national teams and participation in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, went further and spoke of what is coming for the tricolor. He assured that in a maximum of two months there should be a new technician.
“In an objective way, without destroying anyone, because we cannot destroy ourselves at this time when we are in a bad way, the leaders are guilty for appointing the technicians so late, both Queiroz and teacher (Arturo) Reyes, who all we knew that he was not going to stay, and then appoint Professor Reinaldo after eight months, when they had lost matches, concentrations. In the National Team you have to take advantage of the minimum time allowed by FIFA and if not, it is very complex”, was the first Pinto’s analysis.
And he added: “the second thing, to see that in the design of the Qualifiers project they were going to play in Barranquilla; they say that the weather affected them. They did not play a friendly match in Bogotá to test certain players and see them at altitude, then go to Bolivia and Quito. The other thing is not knowing what happened against Ecuador. They say that the players grabbed each other and that’s where Professor Queiroz came out.”
As a coach, Pinto recognized that both Queiroz and Rueda have a lot of responsibility because “we made mistakes and there’s no denying it, in the choice of players, in the changes (…) There are mistakes that get out of hand in the design of the team to play at home or away. No stable players were found, who can play at home and away, those constant changes somehow affect the performance of the team. The other thing is what they talk about the players, who fought , that they didn’t speak to each other. All of that came together and affected the team.”
Should there be a romp ahead of the 2026 World Cup? “You have to assess what moment they are in when they compete again, if they are playing. Two or three have to assess their age and their performance factor. For me, Ospina is very honest and Falcao himself. They should say if they don’t feel to return, you have to listen to them. That the directors also look at what the players do that do not leave all the total responsibility to the coach. A total change cannot be made. Colombia cannot be a clean slate because there is a base, and There are also good things, not everything was bad, there is good projection. What is needed is time to work”.
Finally, Pinto acknowledged that whoever replaces Reinaldo Rueda must do so as soon as possible. He encouraged the FCF to do so before the middle of the year. “In two months for him to take advantage of this FIFA date and start in some way to try new players. Suddenly he is not going to call Ospina, Falcao, Cuadrado, but they are going to give space to three or four who have 10, 12 , 15 games and they haven’t stabilized. That’s where Colombia is winning and that’s what sometimes the directors don’t believe. That the team with U-23 and U-26 players, who are going to be in the next World Cup, leave, and play test competition matches in Europe, South America, Africa. That process of formation, of building a team.”
