Guarani failed to win the league title on the last matchday of the Paraguayan season. They were winning 2-0 until the 93rd minute, but after they got two players sent off in stoppage time (including the goalkeeper) they could not hold on to the win. They set up in a 4-4-2 but played with three central defenders in possession. It was a very intense match with a lot of yellow and red cards.
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
Roberto Fernandez
Player profile:
- Nationality: Paraguayan
- Age: 21
- Date of birth: 07/06/2000
- Current club: Guaraní
- Career: Guaraní
- Position: Central Defender
- Preferred foot: Left
Roberto Fernández played as a left central defender this match. When Guarani was building out from the back, a central midfielder often dropped deep. Roberto Fernández then operated as a wide centre-back. He often had a lot of space and time on the ball. The Paraguayan has a strong, powerful pass and is capable of breaking lines with his passing. He does not panic when he gets put under pressure, but sometimes he needs to take more time on the ball.
His passing range and vision are excellent. He spotted the run of Rodi Ferreira (right-back) multiple times and played an outstanding cross pass towards him. Fernández completed most of his long passes and his technique is good. In the attacking 1v1’s in which he occasionally got into, he played with a lot of confidence and used his strength to get past opponents.
Defensively, Roberto Fernández looked strong in the defensive duels on the oppositions half. He often stepped out of the defensive line and timed this well. He was positively aggressive. Intercepting a few passes and winning most of his defensive duels on the oppositions half helped Guarani to keep the pressure on Cerro Porteño. The Paraguayan got dragged out wide often and got into the isolated 1v1’s on the wing a few times. Whenever Fernández could not immediately recover possession, he looked vulnerable at times as he is not that agile. Fernández has long legs and is 1,88 m, which restricts him from turning quickly, especially against opponents with a low centre of gravity.
Early in the first half, he did not position himself well on one occasion, which led to him being wrong-footed. He did not cut the passing lane and got dribbled past really easily because he was out of position. In this situation, he did not scan enough. His positioning when the opponent crossed the ball into the box was not great either. He gave too much space to the striker and he could easily sneak away from him. It must be said that in this particular situation his teammate did not defend well either and failed to cover Fernández.
Rating – A1
Ready for the next step, I will write a player report on him soon.
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