Gustavo Alfaro defines ‘structure’ of Ecuador to receive Venezuela

With casualties, but with “interesting” alternatives, DT Gustavo Alfaro sets up the starting eleven of the Ecuadorian soccer team for the duel that he will hold this Thursday with Venezuela.

“We have important absences, but you have to try to put together the structure of the team in the best possible way”Alfaro said in a virtual press conference.

The strategist’s notes seek solutions for the absences of full-back Pervis Estupiñán, as well as offensive players Michael Estada, Ángel Mena and Enner Valencia.

That structure that Alfaro talks about has its own names, such as in the bow, where Alexander Dominguez has an advantage for the title after the outstanding performance in Colombia (0-0).

In defense, Alfaro recovers Byron Castillo on the right wing, absent in recent games due to injury, and in the central defense he has no doubts: Félix Torres and Piero Hincapié they will be those who open before the llaneros, a duo that “is performing” And what, according to the strategist, “it is about disarming as little as possible how well it is working.”

The forced change is for the left-handed band, with two options: Christian Cruz and Jackson Rodríguez, but with the Chavo as the chosen one.

“I have been observing it for a long time, it is a side with an important route, used to playing on that field (Casa Blanca) and at the height of Quito, by virtue of what we intend. He is a full-back with a trade that gives us that wide field, which forces Venezuela to move, “said Alfaro, who did not ignore the” good time “of Rodríguez, “a boy with a lot of speed and travel, with a very good advance capacity ”.

The Low of Mena would give way in the midfield to Jhegson Méndez, complemented with the work of Carlos Gruezo, Moisés Caicedo and Gonzalo Plata, common elements in the tricolor formation.

The most felt by the DT are the casualties in attack, “That’s why we look for elements that step on the area and that become defining elements when we have the transitions,” said Alfaro, a condition that meets Ayrton Preciado, the call to fill the vacancy of Valencia.

For him last place in attack, Alfaro has three options: Jordy Caicedo, Bryan Angulo and Djorkaeff Reasco, Between which the numbers registered by the Tri will make the difference.

Caicedo goes to the head with four games in the Alfaro era, one as a first baseman, and 88 accumulated minutes. Angulo adds three presentations, to change, and accumulates 19 minutes. Reasco debuted in the friendly against Mexico, came in to play 25 minutes. Neither has annotations.

For the game of date 13, Ecuador arrives as third in the table and Vinotinto in last place, also with important casualties such as that of the attacker Salomón Rondón, for not being in “physical fullness”.

The llanero team has been working in Quito since Monday, where the interim coach Leonardo González hopes to surprise, repeat performance and result of what happened in October, in Caracas, with 2-1 in favor of Venezuela. (D)