The name 'Colombia' is synonymous to salsa and football. A country which treat their football as a religion has redefined their presence in footballing world after an astonishing performance in the FIFA World Cup 2014. Despite an absence of 12 years from the grand stage, the team in yellow and dark blue grew from strength to strength and reached the quarter finals - thanks to the star power of James Rodriguez and Juan Cuadrado.
Their U-17 side coached by Orlando Restrepo are no different. Qualifying for the World Cup after a gap of 8 years the team is still counted among the favourites for the World Cup and are deemed as toughest challenge in the group by Indian under-17 coach luis Norton de Matos.
"Colombia is the toughest of all in our group. They are a strong physical squad and looks like a team who knows their strengths and weaknesses," said de Matos. "They are very fast and can create a lot of problems for their rivals."
leaving no leaf unturned, Colombia deserve full marks for their dedication to be in the showpiece Final in Kolkata on 28th October. While most of the teams arrived in India less than a week before the start of the tournament, Colombians landed in New Delhi two weeks prior to their first match - against Ghana on 6th October. To get some match practice in these conditions, Restrepo's boys played a friendly match against under-20 side of Minerva Punjab in Gurgaon and won it 1-0.
los Cafeteros' assistant coach Alfredo Araujo explained the reason behind the early arrival.
"We are back in this tournament after a while," said Araujo. "So we don't want to be underprepared. Coming to India two weeks earlier gives us the time to get use to the weather here. We got a talented squad and it would have been a shame if we they were jet lagged before the match and also not given time to adjust and play to their potential."
Team with variation
Rightly pointed out by Araujo, Colombians, as expected, do have a squad full of talented and versatile players.
like the senior team, the forward line of the under-17 team glints of a luminous future. Yadir Bentacur (right winger) and Jaminton Campaz (left winger) are two different set of wingers on either side of flanks. An ambipedal Campaz is a pocket-size winger who uses his pace and trickery to terrorize the defenders. Bentacur, on the other hand, is a tall, well-built versatile player and can play as a No 10 (player behind the striker) too.
Brayan Gomez, a centre-attacking midfielder, is another interesting prospect of the South Americans. Blessed with silky feet, this kid with a diminutive figure is a treat to watch. A certain threat in free-kick situations, Brayan is a talent worth looking forward to.
But when it comes to goals, the team relies on forward Deyman Cortes. A fox in the box, Cortes is a tall striker who likes to play among the lines, and uses his physique to get the better off his marker. Capable of darting runs, the striker is an expert first-touch finisher.
In heart of the defence, plays the captain Thomas Gutierrez. A ball-playing centre-back, Gutierrez is a creative option at the back of the field. Also quick feet, the skipper can be a makeshift right back if needed.
Coach Talk
60-year-old Olrando Restrepo is an experienced manager with a profile of managing 13 teams over a span of 26 years in Colombia. Taking charge of the under-17 squad in August last year, Restrepo propelled the team to a fourth spot in the Campeonato Sudamericano Sub-17 in Chile, subsequently qualifying for the under-17 World Cup (along with Brazil, Paraguay and Chile); leaving behind strong names such as Argentina and Uruguay.
Resptrepo's team were applauded by many for their attractive brand of football, and the coach confirms that's how the Colombians prefer it.
"Our philosophy is to play attacking football and see a lot of possession. It allows the players the freedom to express themselves. That's how we like our football in Colombia," said Restrepo.
Tactical Chalkboard
Restrepo likes to play in a 4-2-3-1 formation but switches to 4-4-1-1 or a 4-4-2 depending on the game. They start off with a lot of intensity early in the game as opponents are pressed deep in their own half.
As mentioned earlier, the team likes to see a lot of possession. So winning the ball quickly, after losing it, is a priority that sees a lot of zonal pressing and zonal man outnumbering by the Colombian tacticians.
The team likes to play a lot of lateral short passes but quickly reacts and catches pace at the first exposure of space in the forward line, especially on the wings, which are the primary outlets of attack and are supported by overlapping full-backs. Diagonal long passes from one flank to another and long balls from the back to wide forwards are a common occurrence.
In the middle, CAM plays an important role to build attack through layoffs and one-touch passes for the forwards. Presence of two defensive midfielders or a double pivot — Etilso Martínez and Andres Perea — makes it difficult for the opponents to launch couter-attacks, even somehow managed, having two quick centre backs — Andres Cifuentes and Gutierrez — is another challenge to outrun.
For Colombians, football is a religion, and winning a game is all they care about. "like any other team, we came in this tournament to win, that's our goal," said assistant coach Araujo.
But Colombia is not just any other team and with a balanced squad, they are certainly the team under spotlight to go the distance in this tournament.