Millonarios faced Deportivo Cali in the round of 32 in the Copa Sudamericana, which is the equivalent of the Europa League in South America. The home team set up in a 4-4-2 while the visitors set up in a 4-2-3-1. Deportivo Cali took control over the game and dominated possession in both the first half and second half. They tried to play the possession game but failed to really progress the ball further up the pitch that easily which resulted in them playing a lot of long or sideways passes. Millonarios scored early in the second half, but Deportivo Cali got back into the game through two late goals and eventually won the away game 1-2.
Ratings:
- A1 – Very good, could play higher
- A2 – Strong potential to play higher
- B1 – Good, strong player at level
- B2 – Potential to be a strong player at level
- C – Average for their level, rewatch
- D – Below average in this match
Andres Colorado
- Nationality: Colombian
- Age: 21
- Date of birth: 01/02/1998
- Club: Deportivo Cali
- Career: Deportivo Cali, Cortuluá (L)
- Position: Defensive Midfield
- Preferred foot: Right
Andres Colorado played as the left defensive midfielder in this match. The Colombian youngster had a slow start to the game with some loose passes, but really got into the game after ten minutes and started to play better then. When on the ball, Andres Colorado looked confident and quite dominant as he was playing powerful passes into the midfield that were quite accurate. However, his off the ball movement need a lot of work if he wants to play as a defensive midfielder for possession-based teams. He should recognize spaces better and be more active in forming triangles in the first phase of the build-up. Andres Colorado mainly dropped deep between the two central defenders.
The youngster is not a spectacular player on the ball, but can help to progress the ball further up the pitch when he is in the right position, but as mentioned above, he should work a bit on that. However, if he does not play in such a team, the ball-winning midfielder would fare well. Colorado offers protection for the defence throughout the game as he often stays back when Deportivo Cali are attacking. He wins a lot of aerial duels and is physically imposing. The Deportivo Cali player bullies his opponents off the ball and forces them backwards by simply sprinting at them. In some situations, he can be a bit smarter in the duels still as he gives away some fouls that are not needed. He is very disciplined to stay in line and recognizes perfectly when he should be aggressive and step out of the line.
Rating – A1
Andres Colorado is an excellent ball-winning midfielder with a lot of potential and could be of great use for possession-based teams if he would improve his off the ball movement or if he would play next to a creative midfielder in a 4-2-3-1. I think that he maybe could do well in central defence as well.
Deiber Caicedo
- Nationality: Colombian
- Age: 20
- Date of birth: 25/03/2000
- Club: Deportivo Cali
- Career: Deportivo Cali
- Position: Right Wing
- Preferred foot: Right
Deiber Caicedo played as a winger in the match against Millonarios and switched between the left and right wing a lot throughout the game. Even though he looked impressive, there are important questions to be asked as he does not seem to have the required physicality to ever be a top 5 league player. The young winger has a good technique which helps him a lot and he is quite a mature player. This can be seen in his passing and his timing when he could take on his opponent. He chooses for the safe option when he sees that there are too many opponents near him. But he chooses to take on his opponent when he sees the space to do so.
He has excellent dribbling ability and his 1.65m helps him a lot as he is very agile and has quick changes of directions. Caicedo has outstanding acceleration and breezes past a lot of players with ease. He can hold his speed well in the longer sprints, but did not show this that often. The Colombian youngster liked to play short passes and often linked up well with his teammates, showing that he is capable of playing first touch passes when he is put under pressure. In defence, he did very well to track back every time and made sure to fulfill his defensive tasks. However, the main take away from this match is that Deiber Caicedo will always have issues with his physicality which could hold him back in the future.
Rating – A1
I think that he could do extremely well in leagues like the Eredivisie. But I dont think he would have what it takes to make it into the top 5 leagues.