Vélez formed with a 3-4-3 trying to own the game and control possession of the ball. Vélez had 58% of possession in the game, but it was very predictable and could not reach the oppositions goal clearly. In shots, Peñarol surpassed Vélez with 14 to 4 (at goal 4 to 2). Peñarol was more direct and attacked spaces between right/left midfielders and defenders.
The second half Velez changed to form with a classic 4-4-2. The team settled down better and did not suffer as much on defence. With the entry of Thiago Almada and Centurión, their attacks were faster and the team was a little more dangerous. With the final 1-1, Vélez Sarsfield qualified for the round of 16 of “Copa Sudamericana”.
Thiago Almada
- Nationality: Argentine
- Age: 19
- Date of Birth: 26/04/2001
- Club: Vélez Sarsfield
- Career: Vélez Sarsfield
- Position: Attacking Midfielder / Left Wing
- Preferred foot: Right
Thiago Almada entered at 12 minutes of the second half and was placed in the position of attacking midfielder behind center forward. Despite having played just over 30 minutes, it was enough for him to be the different of the team and become Velez’s most valuable player in the match. He is a small player, very explosive both without the ball and while carrying it. In Argentina, he is one of the greatest player in 1v 1.
He entered very motivated and with great off the ball movements to permanently stand out. He appeared unmarked behind the defensive midfielders and from there he could generate danger to the opposition side. According to the player’s statements, his favorite place to play is as a playmaker, with freedom to find spaces and move around the attacking positions. At the same time, he likes to lean on his teammates to play and then find space taking advantage of his acceleration speed. Sometimes when the ball does not reach him, he tends to come too deep in the field to generate play, overlapping with his teammates.
In defense he can make good initial pressure in the opposite half with the intensity that characterizes him, but clearly defensive duel is not one of his strengths. He does not save on efforts when making defensive transitions.
Technically he is a gifted player, his main virtues being dribbling, his pace and creativity. He has an impressive change of pace which makes it very difficult to predict its movements. He has good ball control and stands out for oriented control. In general, good passing quality is characterized. His passes generally try to be vertical and progressive. Being a player with high acceleration, he can be imprecise when passing at high speed.
Has no problem in playing with his back to goal, cause he is very fast and intelligent, and he tends to take a quick turn to leave opponents behind. His teammates look for him in different situations, even when he is marked, since they know that he is a player who can solve in small spaces or pressure situations.
The main point that must continue to improve is his shoot accuracy. He has no problems, nor does he need too much time to make a shot, but there is no doubt that his shot directions can be improved, especially for his punching quality and individual technique.
One of the issues that attract the most attention is his personality to face difficult moments. He took the penalty in the 93rd minute and kicked with tremendous calmness. It is not the first time that he has demonstrated this virtue despite being 19 years old. In previous games he had done the same in key moments: Against Aucas in minute 95 and against River Plate in minute 83.
Rating – A1
He is a young footballer, and has a future ahead of him to enhance his football qualities. Without any doubt one of the great appearances of Argentine football of these years. He probably has future in an important team in Europe, if he maintains regularity in his performances.
Hernán de la Fuente
- Nationality: Argentine
- Age: 23
- Date of Birth: 07/01/1997
- Club: Vélez Sarsfield
- Career: Vélez Sarsfield
- Position: Right Back
- Preferred foot: right
De la Fuente was located as a right midfielder in a 3-4-3 formation. It was a different position for him, as he rarely plays there. De la Fuente is a player in very good physical condition, who has an important physical condition, so it is a position in which he could perform well.
Tactically, in defence, he did not have a good game, since Peñarol attacked his side many times and he could not prevent it. One issue to improve is the tactical order and the choices of moments to pressure. One weakness he has is that he makes a lot of fouls, since he is very aggressive in defence and at times this is counterproductive. He must also improve in aerial duels, mainly when the attacker is behind him and they are crosses from the opposite side. Besides this, generally speaking he is a good defender.
On the other hand, in offense, he attacks spaces very well and knows how to identify the moments to do so. Plus, it perfectly complements the wing. When Velez are building up with De la Fuente in possession, he gets inside looking for diagonal passes. He likes to combine with his teammates constantly and works very well as a team.
Technically, he is a very good player and also has a decent left leg. He excels in short passing, as well as first touch passes. He has good ball control and his dribbling is also an important weapon in offense. He has really good crosses, and one of his strengths is having his head raised when sending them, in order to find his teammate.
Physically, he is a fast player with good physical resistance. He could improve his strength since there are opportunities where the opponent wins duels for that reason.
In the end it was a good game, but he was substituted at halftime as the coach wanted to be more aggressive in attack and switch to a more classic defensive system with 4 defenders.
Rating – A2
It was not De la Fuente’s best game, but he definitely has very good conditions. He was a starter player in the pre-Olympic Games and has the potential to play in the 5 major leagues in Europe, but an intermediate step in the Minor Leagues could be a logical next step.
Francisco Ortega
- Nationality: Argentine
- Age: 21
- Date of Birth: 19/03/1999
- Club: Vélez Sarsfield
- Career: Vélez Sarsfield
- Position: Left Back
- Preferred foot: Left
Francisco Ortega played as left midfielder in the 3-4-3 formation. It is worth clarifying that Francisco Ortega came from playing 90 minutes 4 days ago after 8 months of inactivity due to the pandemic. He stood the game well, but at times it seemed that he lacked that final speed that characterizes him.
Ortega is a left back player who is characterized by his good defense and correct decisions when attacking. Tactically he had a decent game, especially the second half where he settled better with the line of 4. He is very attentive to runs in behind and covers these well. On offense he works in conjunction with the winger, mainly to attack different corridors. A notorious virtue he has is to attack the space well and a surprise arrival to the box.
He is very good at putting pressure on the opponent and has aggressiveness on defense duels. In aerial duels he is good and has an acceptable height to be a left back (1.77m).
Technically he is a correct and safe player. He does not risk much in passing, mainly looking for the simplest option. As a weakness we can mark that he is not skilled with his right leg, and uses it very rarely. He is pretty good in progressive runs, and the confidence to often shoot on goal. Something to improve is his control, since if he receives the ball with the right leg, he generally has difficulties.
Physically he has a good final speed, although he must improve in acceleration, since if the opponents winger is very fast, he is overwhelmed in the first meters. Considering that he played 4 days ago, we can say that his stamina is good and that he has considerable strength and power.
Rating – A2
Ortega did not have a good first half, but in the second he improved considerably and at times we could see the conditions he has shown in the Argentine Tournament. He was already followed by European teams and there is no doubt that a logical step for the left back would be Europe.