After beating Fortaleza and leave practically sealed its classification in BetPlay Cup, millionaires focuses on the League. The next challenge could leave him as the only leader of the championship considering that he visits the pointer Magdalena Union.
In the pre-match, Alberto Gamero announced at a press conference that one of his main players is in doubt due to physical issues, he analyzed the rival’s virtues and revealed how he deals with players from the lower divisions.
Analysis of the duel against Unión Magdalena – It is a very important game for us, we are going to play with the leader and they will play with the second. It will be very attractive. It is a team that had a very good start and with a player who began to score goals like Ricardo (Márquez). I am the happiest that he is having this moment. We will face a complicated team in Santa Marta. We will seek to manage rhythms, the game, put what we want. We will face the leader and if we want to get a good result we must play a great game.
Union Structure – It is a team that in recent games has had a 5-3-2 or 5-4-1 structure. We’ll look at that. We have to think that they will have three plants. They are strong, they are looking for a medium-low block, but in Santa Marta they put a little more pressure. They defend well, they play directly, they occupy the back of the rival defense, they have little ball circulation because they look for depth. We will seek to occupy those backs by enlarging, we will try to have more time with the ball and we will seek to open the band, that the lanes are occupied. As they say, entertain on the outside and penetrate on the inside.
Facing the team from his native Santa Marta – It is a joy. It is the team that gave me the opportunity in terms of football and it is the team from my land. The joy is more when seeing the moment that the Union is going through because I know that in Santa Marta I was looking for that. I also have that responsibility and with the professionalism that everything deserves. I went with Tolima in 2019 and we won; Today I’m going with Millionaires with the idea of getting a good result. It gives me satisfaction to face Union in A because it is a team that deserves it, they have worked for it. He still has this rest of the year to sustain himself, God willing he can do it.
Problems with the venue and the courts – That is nobody’s fault. It could be something about the weather, we haven’t trained on our field for more than 15 days. We have had that great possibility that they have lent it to us, but it has been difficult. We have tried that the group does not suffer.
Injuries, news – We are waiting for (Juan Pablo) Vargas today and tomorrow because he has a little discomfort in his ankle, but he told me that it has improved. We have the whole group because Larry (Vasquez) came back.
Possession of the ball as the main weapon – Almost all the work we do is based on possession of the ball. If you have the ball, you will be closer to winning because the rival will not attack you. We have always had that idea. We train the circulations, the circuits, the camaraderie. We do that on a five-lane basis, we put a lot of emphasis on that… We’ve evolved, but we’re still lacking in progressive possession.
Formation of the Magdalena Union – The structure will remain. The four previous games in the League he did it like this, in only one he played with a line of four. That’s what I look at most… We must disorganize the zone of three in the background and in the middle.
Opportunity for Óscar Vanegas – Today we have Vargas and Llinás playing well, Cuenú is coming on. This is with peace of mind. He knows that he came to a team that had a strong line of four, a line that came from being the least scored last semester. He has to come to work and he has understood. When it comes time to play, I know he will give us a hand because of his experience, good footing, good start, aerial game.
Offensive and defensive vocation – We use both phases. When we have the ball we must attack. The two midfielders of mine must attack. Even a center back of ours comes out playing from behind and reaches an attacking position. The clear thing is that when he loses the ball he has to defend more. Here we do not believe that the goals are scored by the defense and the goalkeeper, here they defend ten and they have understood it well. You have to get used to the player.
Management of minor divisions – Here we are the ones who arrange things. For example, the boy who came, Benavides. He did not have years in Millonarios, he was new because he arrived and spent 5-6 months for the Copa Libertadores sub-20. I myself got angry with him because I had talked to his parents in Santa Marta and I promised them that I would have him here. Suddenly, from one moment to another he was gone. Here we are doing things straight, according to what is said. The player who leaves Millionaires, I ask him to reconsider. I have realized that those who have wanted to leave is because they wanted to. Some will suddenly be playing, others not. Most of the U-20 team has a contract, what happens is that there are players who arrive, we evaluate them and in a moment they are signed. We have Kevin Cortés, Asprilla, Paredes, Brochero, Beckham Castro, Arévalo, another right back that I love. I think yesterday they renewed their contract 10-11. They are evaluated.
