Ratings
- A1 – Very good, could play higher
- A2 – Strong potential to play higher
- B1 – Good, strong player at level
- B2 – Potential to be strong player at level
- C – Average for the level, rewatch
- D – Below average, don’t follow up
Match overview
In the semi-finals of the Copa Sudamericana, Corinthians faced Independiente del Valle at home for the first leg of the tie. The Ecuadorians lined up in a 4-3-3 formation, with a mix between some experienced players and some young prospects. They tried to play it out from the back and build-up patiently, but Corinthians put high pressure and wanted to keep the ball in the team as well.
However, the visitors kept calm on their own half and managed to find a teammate always. This was mainly because of the good positioning by Pellerano and Franco, who were always in space to receive the ball. Just before half-time, Independiente del Valle scored after a well-executed counter. In the second half, Corinthians tried to put even more pressure on the Ecuadorians but it did not help as the substitute Cabeza assisted the 0-2 of Torres.
Score: Corinthians 0 – 2 Independiente del Valle (Torres ’44 & ’69)
Angelo Preciado
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Ecuadorian
- Age: 22
- Date of birth: 18/02/1998
- Current Club: Independiente del Valle
- Career: CD América de Quito (Y), Independiente del Valle (Y), Independiente del Valle
- Position: right-back
- Secondary Position: right winger, left-back
- Preferred foot: right
Angelo Preciado played as a left-back and did well. Both full-backs of Independiente del Valle were tasked to put pressure on their direct opponent and they did this quite well, giving the wingers no time on the ball. However, this also meant that they were out of position often. Against Pedrinho, Preciado won most duels apart from a few, where he showed that he is not the quickest on the turn.
Preciado was very aggressive in defence, but this did not lead to him making a lot of fouls. He managed to get in front of his opponent often which meant that he intercepted some passes. The young Ecuadorian has good pace and acceleration and won every physical duel against Pedrinho. Also, he won most aerial duel, even though he stands 1.78m only. This was mainly because he timed his jump well.
In possession, the 22-year-old was okay but he has a lot of room for improvement. This lays especially in his decision making, as he sometimes decided to shoot from distance instead of just passing it. His dribbling was quite good, but he sometimes just started to run with the ball without knowing where to go. Also, because he is right-footed, he seemed quite limited going forward as he passed it backwards a lot with his right foot.
Angelo Preciado positioned himself well on the opposition half as he worked very well together with Cristian Dájome. When Preciado played in the halfspaces, Dájome would stick close to the sideline and drop a bit deeper, while it was the other way around when Preciado stayed close to the sideline. Preciado made both overlapping and underlapping runs, but he certainly prefers doing the latter.
Rating: A2
I would like to see him play as a right-back.
Luis Segovia
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Ecuadorian
- Age: 22
- Date of birth: 26/10/1997
- Current Club: Independiente del Valle
- Career: CD El Nacional (Y), CD El Nacional, Independiente del Valle
- Position: central defender
- Secondary Position: left-back
- Preferred foot: left
Luis Segovia played as the left central defender and formed a partnership with the experienced Richard Schunke. In the first half, Segovia seemed nervous and he did not do well. He let Pedrinho make a run in behind and made a very clumsy foul, getting lucky to not get a yellow card. In possession, he liked to dribble it out from the back but he seemed very uncomfortable in doing so.
His passing technique seemed very average, especially when he tried to switch play and play a cross pass to the right winger. In the second half he played more to his strength by keeping the ball on the ground and choose for the simpler options. He kept very calm under pressure and not panicked, even when he was put under pressure in his own box.
Luis Segovia did well to close gaps on the left side of the pitch when Preciado was out of position and seemed quite strong in the 1-on-1 duels, even though he only had a few of them. For the rest, he did not had that much to in defence besides clearing some crosses, as Corinthians failed to create chances through the center.
Rating: A2
I need to rewatch him. It was interesting to see him dribbling it out from the back at times and I am curious to see if he has gained more confidence in doing so, as this match is from September 2019.
Anthony Landázuri
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Ecuadorian
- Age: 23
- Date of birth: 19/04/1997
- Current Club: Independiente del Valle
- Career: Independiente del Valle (Y), Independiente del Valle
- Position: right-back
- Secondary Position: central defender
- Preferred foot: right
Anthony Landázuri played as a right-back in this match. Both full-backs of Independiente del Valle were tasked to put pressure on their direct opponent and they did this quite well, giving the wingers no time on the ball. However, Landázuri combined this often with making fouls as he used his physical advantage in the wrong way, pushing his direct opponent to the ground.
Landázuri struggled against his direct opponent, as his opponent turned him quite a few times in the final third and had a shot against the post. However, he showed decent pace and acceleration. In possession, the Ecuadorian seemed okay. He once showed his dribbling ability, but as Preciado, he did not know what he started and ran into a busy area which eventually meant that he lost possession.
Rating: B1
At this level, he is a good right-back. I don’t think he has a higher ceiling, though.
Alan Franco
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Ecuadorian
- Age: 21
- Date of birth: 21/08/1998
- Current Club: Independiente del Valle
- Career: Independiente del Valle (Y), Independiente del Valle
- Position: defensive midfielder
- Preferred foot: right
Alan Franco played as a right central midfielder and impressed. When Landázuri left his possession, Franco covered the right side of the pitch to make sure that the defensive structure kept intact. He was very aggressive in transition and did well to coach his teammates often. In both defence and attack, the 21-year-old Ecuadorian kept calm and composed.
On the ball, Franco seemed very confident and quite dominant. He did well to drift out wide when Independiente del Valle were put under pressure to provide an extra passing option for the defenders. This helped them very often. He plays a lot of smart passes and managed to find the slightest of gaps between two opponents to play it into. He has very good ball control and technique.
Rating: A1
Alan Franco is ready for the next step. It will be interesting to rewatch him and see how he has developed.
Jhon Sánchez
Player Profile:
- Nationality: Ecuadorian
- Age: 20
- Date of birth: 30/07/1999
- Current Club: Independiente del Valle
- Career: CD Sandino (Y), Manta FC (Y, L), Manta FC (Y), Independiente del Valle (Y), Independiente del Valle
- Position: right winger
- Secondary Position: left winger
- Preferred foot: right
The Ecuadorian winger played as a right winger in this match. He sometimes switched to the left. Jhon Sánchez had a rather quiet match, but he managed to show glimpses of talent. He has very good pace, showed good bursts of speed and was very active in transition. He did well to track back and follow the left-back of Corinthians around.
In possession, he made the right choices. Especially after the 0-2, where he cut back under pressure to pass it backwards and slowed the pace of the game down. This was something that was very good, as a lot of wingers choose to try to dribble past a few opponents to possibly score a third. He showed decent technique and ball control as well. He got subbed off shortly after the 0-2 as he got injured.
Rating: A2
Not yet a strong player at current level, but he showed glimpses of talent which are interesting to keep an eye out for.
Miscellaneous notes:
Alejandro Cabeza came on as a sub and made a very good impression, assisting the 0-2 of Torres and keeping very calm under pressure.
Target Scouting 