CS Emelec lost the match against Barcelona SC with 2-1 after what was a very even match. It was a rather high level and interesting to see how the youngsters played in this match. Emelec set up in a 4-2-3-1 and did well to find space between the lines in both the first phase of the build-up and in the final third with especially Joao Rojas being good at moving between the lines. Both Joao Rojas and Bryan Carabali got subbed off after 64 minutes which was also the end of the game for me since those were the only players that I wanted to cover. I also kept an eye on Jackson Rodriguez and José Hernandez but both did not impress that much and would’ve gotten a B2 rating based on the 64 minutes that I saw. The former didn’t look good defensively while the latter played out of position.
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, re-watch
- D – Below average in this match
Bryan Carabali
- Nationality: Ecuadorian
- Age: 22
- Date of birth: 18-12-1997
- Club: CS Emelec
- Career: Club Estudiantes (Y), Deportivo Cuenca, Emelec (L), Emelec
- Position: Right Winger
- Secondary position: Left-Back, Right-Back
- Preferred foot: Right
Bryan Carabali played as a right winger for Emelec in the away match against Barcelona SC. As the last time I watched him, he was very comfortable in possession and not your typical South American winger. Bryan Carabali is a winger who likes to create chances instead of shooting on goal. He struggles to get past his opponents using skills and often chooses to play smart passes instead of taking on his opponent. The winger played a lot of smart passes, but was very accurate in doing so and found Joao Rojas in space between the lines at once where Rojas drew a foul instead of having a shot on goal. In other words, Bryan Carabali has good vision in the final third, next to having the ability to play difficult passes in midfield to evade pressure.
He got his through passes into good areas but got some of these passes slightly wrong which led to the pass being intercepted. However, at one occasion, Bryan Carabali found Jose Ordonez, who made a run in behind, in space and played a perfect cross with good curve on it. The striker of Emelec hit the post though and could not score the rebound as well. The Ecuadorian winger often chose to stick close to the sideline, maybe because his manager told him to do so, but he would be more dangerous when he could play in a more central zone where he could exploit his ability to play through passes more.
I don’t think that he is well-suited to this role and he should probably play (more often) in an inverted role with an attacking-minded full-back behind him who can make both under- and overlapping runs. He is ready to play at a higher level, but he should be very careful with picking out his next move. Belgium would probably be the best pick for him if he does want to move to Europe.
Rating – A1
Joao Rojas
- Nationality: Ecuadorian
- Age: 23
- Date of birth: 16-08-1997
- Club: CS Emelec
- Career: Independiente del Valle (Y), Aucas, Emelec (L), Emelec
- Position: Attacking Midfield
- Secondary position: Winger
- Preferred foot: Right
Joao Rojas played as an attacking midfielder in a 4-2-3-1 for Emelec in the away match against Barcelona SC. The Ecuadorian midfielder showed good strength in the duels as he often tried to hold off his opponent, putting his body between the opponent and the ball. He then could turn his opponent and draw a foul or use his decent acceleration to drive forward with the ball. Rojas is very press-resistant as he has multiple ways to evade pressure, such as the above mentioned holding off the opponent, but also by playing first touch passes or turning the right way. He scans often and already knows where his teammates and opponents are when he has not received the ball yet.
The attacking midfielder often made a first touch to then play a through pass on the second touch and it can be said that he is very quick at making his next move when he is being put under pressure. His main quality was finding space between the lines in the final third, but when he received the ball in this position, he would not do enough to actually create a chance or shoot towards goal. Rojas looked very comfortable on the ball but was not decisive enough and did not create any chances. This could also be the case because Ordonez and both wingers were not that active in making runs in behind when the ball was in a central position. Ordonez only made runs when the ball was out wide and a cross could be played into the box.
When building up, Joao Rojas was very active and he often drifted out wide to open up a passing lane which helped Emelec out a lot. He then tried to dictate play and to play as the playmaker, which was good to see. Out of possession, he got dribbled past a few times, but he was quite active as well.
Rating – A1
He’s ready to play at a higher level in a better and high-intensity league, but I don’t know what his best position is yet. He could play in a free role on the left as the playmaker, as an attacking midfielder or as a central midfielder. I would like to see him playing on the left at once since he has a good kicking technique as well and Jackson Rodriguez is quite attacking-minded which could work well with Rojas moving inside to create space.