Caracas Under 20 lost their opening match in the Copa Libertadores U20 3-0 against Independiente del Valle. Caracas set up in a 4-3-3 formation and tried to put high pressure on Independiente del Valle’s backline, but failed to do so properly. Independiente del Valle managed to play out of pressure by switching sides often and Caracas could not cope with that properly, as many players did not seem to know what to do in that situation. The Venezuelan side looked inferior to Independiente del Valle throughout the whole match and struggled to even get close to Joan Lopez’s goal. After Patrik Mercado’s goal early in the game the match was already decided and Caracas will hope that they can compete more against Blooming and Sporting Cristal.
Youth Ratings
1 – Ready for the first team
2 – Good, potential to be first team
3 – Decent, could make first team squad
4 – Decent potential, unlikely to make it to first team
5 – Unlikely to make first team
Renné Rivas
Player profile:
- Nationality: Venezuelan
- Age: 18
- Date of birth: 21/03/2003
- Club: Caracas FC
- Career: Caracas FC (Y)
- Position: Left-Back
- Secondary position: Central Defender
- Preferred foot: Left
Renné Rivas played as the left-back for Caracas Under 20 in the first half of this match, but moved to the left central defender position after half-time. The young Venezuelan was one of the only players of Caracas who showed good ability on the ball, but he also showed some clear weaknesses, especially in the tactical aspect. Rivas struggled in the 1v1 duels with Anthony Valencia and Patrik Mercado. He was wrong-footed quite easily when his opponent did quick feints. Rivas overcommitted in these duels and rushed his tackle, instead of looking at the ball and being more patient. Rivas also did this when Patrik Mercado got into possession in the box, as Mercado cut away from Rivas and scored the 1-0.
The Venezuelan liked to step out of the defensive line and was very proactive, which was not always the best choice. As he stepped up quite often, he was out of position a lot, especially when Independiente del Valle played in a higher tempo. The space that was left open by Renné Rivas was exploited well by Patrik Mercado and Anthony Valencia of Independiente del Valle. He should have stayed in the defensive line more often and been more cautious. Rivas sometimes recovered possession high up the pitch, but this was done blindly and he always tried to do this. When playing as a left central defender, Rivas lost his opponent quite a few times. His opponent was allowed to make blindside runs as Rivas did not scan enough.
On the ball, Renné Rivas did well to turn away from his opponent and he possesses a good technique. His passing into the striker was powerful, accurate and consistent. In the end, he was subbed off injured after 67 minutes.
Rating – 2
The level in the Venezuelan league is not that high and Renné Rivas’s ball-playing ability was quite good. He has already played a lot of matches for the first team. Renné Rivas needs to improve his tactical intelligence if he wants to move to a better league, such as the Ecuadorian or Paraguayan league.
Saul Guarirapa
Player profile:
- Nationality: Venezuelan
- Age: 19
- Date of birth: 18/10/2002
- Club: Caracas FC
- Career: Caracas FC (Y)
- Position: Striker
- Preferred foot: Right
Saúl Guarirapa played as the striker for Caracas in this match. The Venezuelan attacker did not get involved that much this match as he would have hoped before the game started, but this was not only because of Caracas’s lack of ball-playing ability. The youngster was very inconsistent with his hold-up play. As Caracas often played a long pass to the striker, Guarirapa got into possession in isolated areas quite often. There was not much support for Guarirapa. However, he proved to have a good first touch, especially using his chest, and was physically strong enough to protect the ball against the Independiente del Valle defenders. Guarirapa stayed composed and often picked out the right pass, but he also made some not so smart decisions as he seemed to think that he can take on the entire defence of Independiente del Valle.
The striker sometimes struggled to find his teammates when he tried to play a first-time pass, as his passes could be a bit bouncy and not stay on the ground. His dribbling ability was not great. Even though he had good acceleration on the ball and looked powerful, he often failed to get past the defence of Independiente del Valle. I think he struggled to change directions while sprinting, especially because he is quite tall and has long legs, but more importantly, because he had a very bad knee injury that sidelined him for a long time. This has definitely decreased his speed and agility. Guarirapa showed good energy in the first half to press Independiente del Valle’s back-line but seemed less motivated to keep doing this in the second half when the match was already decided.
In the final third he often had the chance to make good runs into the box, but he failed to either acknowledge that space or he did not have the energy to do so anymore in the second half. I am not sure for how long Guarirapa has been back since his injury.
Rating – 2
Against a lower quality side I think he would do very well for Caracas under 20 and he can do well for the first team, like he did before his knee injury. Samson Akinyoola is a good competitor for Saul Guarirapa though.