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“I needed to learn to work as a team, to work collectively, something that is fundamental in big teams”, valued one of the first coaches that Gonzalo Plata had at Sporting Clube de Portugal.
In dialogue with the media Recordthe technical director Leonel Pontes remembers how the process was to launch the Ecuadorian Plata as a starter in the Sporting CP team.
Once the tricolor winger left for Real Valladolid for a definitive transfer that the Spanish club reported on Monday, Pontes commented that Plata needed to learn to work as a team.
“I needed to learn to work as a team, to work collectively, something that is essential in large teams. There was a set of collective ideas, both defensive and offensive, I saw that it cost him a lot to put them into practice”.
When he landed in Lisbon -in March 2019- the then Ecuadorian youth team was received at the Academia Sporting facilities by the coach of the main squad, the Dutchman Marcel Keizer.
The Portuguese tried to carry out an induction job for the Ecuadorian through the discipline of the sub-23 squad.
Silver’s period of adaptation in the youth group was brief; five performances between Liga Revelação and Copa Revelação. He also won minutes in the Copa Portugal sub-23… until DT Keizer took him to the main group and allowed him to debut in the first division of Portuguese football with Sporting CP on August 31, 2019. He entered the change to 90+2 minutes in his club’s defeat against Rio Ave, at home, for the fourth date of the Liga NOS (national championship).
His debut as a starter, however, was thanks to Leonel Pontes.
There, the man from Guayaquil coincided with the current Portuguese international and Manchester United footballer Bruno Fernandes.
Failed to take hold
During Leonel Pontes’s interim role in Sporting CP’s senior team, Plata received confidence and playing minutes. But something would not work.
“Gonzalo needed time, because there are players who find it a little more difficult to incorporate this type of aspect (collective play and defensive responsibilities) into their game. The fact that he couldn’t have continuity with Sporting meant that he couldn’t incorporate these aspects into his game, ”explained Pontes.
Asked about the transfer of the tricolor to Real Valladolid, he added: “I think that Valladolid wants to ensure it because they recognize his offensive potential -after all, he is an attacking player- and because they believe he can grow, in terms of maturity, becoming in a more balanced player in the two facets (attack and defense) of the game”.
Plata played for Sporting CP from January 2019 to August 2021. In his first campaign, adding local league and international tournament, he had 1,201 minutes in 23 games (12 starts) according to the Sporting Lisbon website. In addition, he contributed with two goals and two assists.
At the end of January 2021, the newspaper AND SHE WAS reported that the Guayaquil athlete was relegated to the second team of Sporting CP.
“According to our newspaper, the most recent victim of this demand from Rúben Amorim goes by the name of Gonzalo Plata, who since the beginning of the week has been relegated to the secondary team of the lions, guided by Filipe Celikkaya,” said the sports media.
After two months away from the work of the main team, led by Amorim, Plata publicly apologized and He was able to rejoin Sporting training on April 8.
“It’s about managing expectations and staffing. Plata is 20 years old, many things happen in his life and we try to see what is best for the player, ”explained Amorin, who is still in charge of the Lions today. (D)
