Millonarios and Internacional faced each other in the second matchday of the Copa Libertadores U20. In the first half, Millonarios profited from many mistakes by the Internacional defence. This also led to the first goal. Millonarios play in a 4-3-3 and liked to sit deeper, trying to profit from Internacional’s mistakes. Internacional dominated the second half with a lot of possession (also in a 4-2-3-1) but failed to create many chances, even though Estêvão’s crosses from dead-ball situations were really dangerous.
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
Samuel Bello
Player profile:
- Nationality: Colombian
- Age: 17
- Date of birth: 28/01/2005
- Club: Millonarios
- Career: Millonarios
- Position: Right-Back
- Preferred foot: Right
Samuel Bello played as a right-back for Millonarios. Standing at ~184cm with a small build, the Colombian 17-year-old did well to hold off his opponent when he wanted to let the ball roll over the byline. Generally, Bello showed good strength in ground duels but lost his balance in one physical duel on the wing after he tried to use his body to remain in possession. In the aerial duels, Bello was too aggressive, giving away fouls. Bello seemed quite quick on the first meters. Samuel Bello did not have the greatest mobility, which was shown when he had to deal with knee-high passes. The Colombian has decent agility as he changed his body shape quite quickly and turned quick too. In the technical area, he did not show great ball coordination when dribbling and he has a decent passing technique. The defender liked to move into the final third when Millonarios were in possession. He did not receive the ball that often in this position though. Bello looked at the ball well when his opponent received an aerial pass, keeping the right distance and not overcommitting. The Colombian did not transition quickly from attack to defence. Most of his defensive actions were in the defensive third, as Millonarios were mostly defending in the second half after taking the lead. Bello did not contribute a lot to Millonarios’s build-up.
Rating – 3
Generally, Bello looked alright in possession but there were plenty of red flags. He looked quite good in defence and has an ok athletic and physical ability. It will be interesting to keep track of him, as he is just 17 years old.
Samuel Asprilla
Player profile:
- Nationality: Colombian
- Age: 18
- Date of birth: 30/11/2003
- Club: Millonarios
- Career: Millonarios
- Position: Left-Back
- Preferred foot: Left
Samuel Asprilla played as a left-back and made an even better impression in this match than in the last match. He is ~182cm tall and has a slim build. The Colombian 18-year-old is quick on the first meters and is capable of maintaining that speed over longer distances. Throughout the match, Asprilla has very good endurance. The left-back has good athleticism and smooth changes of direction. Asprilla had a great balance when sprinting and he looked agile. In the technical aspect, Asprilla has a good passing technique. His first touch and ball control are good. He has good ball coordination when dribbling, but did not take on his opponent that much. The 18-year-old was very accurate and consistent with his passing, showing great short passing in the small spaces and looking press-resistant throughout the match. Asprilla has good off the ball movement when playing in the small spaces and opened up passing lanes at the right times. Asprilla liked to play strong diagonal passes into the attack.
The Colombian is a very dynamic left-back and moved up and down the pitch quite often, even though he sporadically did not track back when Millonarios lost the ball while he was in the final third. Asprilla liked to move into the final third when Millonarios were in possession, but he did not receive the ball in the final third that often since Millonarios’s wingers and midfielders mostly combined in central areas. Asprilla cuts passing lanes well and liked to put high pressure up the pitch. However, he did not blindly do this and made the right decision when to drop back. He often let Estêvão drop deep and stayed in the defensive line. There was one big aspect where there is much room for improvement. In the defensive 1v1 duels on the wing, Asprilla did not position himself that well, closing the gap towards his opponent too quickly and not keeping enough distance. This led to him getting dribbled past (they cut away from him) two times.
Rating – 1
I hope that Millonarios give him a chance this year, as he is showing great potential in this tournament and I think he can do great things for Millonarios in the future. Clubs from Belgium should be paying attention to Samuel Asprilla.
Nicolas Arévalo
Player profile:
- Nationality: Colombian
- Age: 19
- Date of birth: 13/01/2003
- Club: Millonarios
- Career: Millonarios
- Position: Defensive Midfielder
- Preferred foot: Right
Nicolas Arevalo played as a defensive midfielder in the second match of the U20 Copa Libertadores. Standing at ~176cm with a slim build, Arevalo struggled in the ground duels. He won an aerial duel as he has a good leap, but he got beat in a one v one duel as Gustavo was more agile and quick on the first meters. Arevalo was not quick on the first meters and could maintain this speed over longer distances. In the technical area, Arevalo excelled. He has great passing technique, both over short and long distances. Arevalo was comfortable under pressure and had good one-touch play. He likes to break lines with his passing and showed strong and powerful passes. Arevalo had good anticipation in defence as he reads the game quite well and he got back quickly to his position when he stepped up. The Colombian looked really composed on the ball, but occasionally moved too far wide out of possession. This opened up gaps in central areas and he did not cut the passing lane. Most of his actions in possession were in the defensive third and midfield third. He helped Millonarios progress the ball further up the pitch and was more comfortable playing in a more possession-based style (first half) than counter-based style (second half). Defensively, almost all of his actions were on his own half, mostly on the right side of the pitch.
Rating – 3
Nicolas Arevalo seems to struggle with the physical and athletic aspects, but he could definitely do well for Millonarios in the Colombian league in the future.
Target Scouting 