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 in this match
Sportivo Luqueño played an home game against Olimpia and set-up in a 4-4-2 formation. They dominated the first half against Olimpia and managed to get an early advantage as Pitta scored two goals in the first ten minutes. Olimpia controlled the game after 35 minutes and managed to score twice in the second half. They also played in a 4-4-2 formation.
Hugo Fernández
- Nationality: Paraguayan
- Age: 22
- Date of birth: 02/12/1997
- Club: Olimpia Asunción
- Career: Olimpia Asunción (Y)
- Position: Left Midfield
- Secondary position: Left Wing
- Preferred foot: Left
Hugo Fernández played as a left midfielder in the 4-4-2 system of Olimpia Asunción. He mainly focused on attacking rather than tracking back and Fernández wanted to make a good impression by attempting a lot of dribbles and going for his own success often rather than looking up to spot a teammate. The Paraguayan often moved into the half-space to create space for the left-back but didn’t have a great understanding with his left-back as he failed to reach him multiple times because he attempted a dribble.
He struggled to get past his defender and made some unnecessary fouls when he failed to win the dribble. He kept trying to get past his opponent even though there was no space for him to attempt a dribble at times. He occasionally got past his opponents which looked good, but he made the wrong decisions in the final third, except for one situation where he chose to pass the ball to Domingos Duarte. However, the pass was not accurate and the chance was wasted. His crossing ability was average, he nearly scored from one he mishit.
Férnandez had okay agility and decent pace. He got subbed off after 45 minutes and it was easy to see why.
Rating – D
It was a tough match for Fernández, who should look over the ball more often.
Diego Duarte
- Nationality: Paraguayan
- Age: 18
- Date of birth: 08/04/2002
- Club: Olimpia Asunción
- Career: Olimpia Asunción (Y)
- Position: Striker
- Preferred foot: Right
Diego Duarte played as one of the two strikers in the game against Sportivo Luqueño. He impressed with some good touches coming from both long balls and powerful short passes. The Paraguayan striker rushed his shots in these situations though and could not benefit from his good touch. It is something he needs to work on as he could be really dangerous with such a good touch. The youngster showed good technique overall and proved to be an interesting player to watch.
He had good positioning in this game and got into shooting positions often. Diego Duarte nearly had a very big chance to score when he made a good run into the box, moving away from his defender. However, Hugo Fernández did not get the pass right and the chance was wasted. The striker used his body well to hold his opponent off when he attempted a dribble. His energetic attitude helped him in these situation, as well as in putting pressure on the back line of Sportivo Luqueño.
He drifted wide on a few occasions to make runs in between the left-back and left central defender of Luqueño and was quite effective even though he did not get found often. There was another thing though that Diego Duarte needs to work on and that is when he plays with his back towards the goal. In these situations, he struggled to keep his balance when he got put under pressure while he received the ball. This made it even harder for him to link-up with his teammates, while he has the technique to do so.
After watching the match, I saw that it was his debut for Olimpia Asunción, which is very interesting to keep in mind. At the age of 18, he has a lot of time to work on the things he needs to improve on.
Rating – A2