Always Ready had a comfortable 5-0 win against Libertad Gran Mamoré on the second matchday in the Bolivian Division Profesional. The hosts set up in a 4-4-2 and had a pretty direct playing style with a lot of shots from distance. Libertad Gran Mamoré also set up in a 4-4-2 with a direct playing style. 15-year-old Moises Paniagua had his second appearance for Always Ready after scoring the winner for the Bolivians in his first appearance for them becoming the youngest goalscorer in the history of the Division Profesional.
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 the level, rewatch
- D – Below average in this match
Diego Medina
- Nationality: Bolivian
- Age: 21
- Date of birth: 13/01/2002
- Club: Always Ready
- Career: Always Ready
- Position: Right-Back
- Preferred foot: Right
Diego Medina played as a right-back for Always Ready on the second matchday of the Division Profesional. The Bolivian international stands at approximately 1.75 meters with a muscular build. He was up against Gran Mamoré’s best player (Denilso Fernandez) but looked impressive defensively apart from one situation. Medina showed excellent speed over both short and long distances. He won every race to the ball against Fernandez and had the physical strength to protect the ball after. Medina has good strength in his legs and body. There was one vulnerable moment defensively for Medina in the first half when he gave Fernandez too much space to cut inside to his stronger right foot. His body positioning in that duel was very poor. The Bolivian defender liked to put high pressure on his direct opponent when he dropped deep. Medina forced his opponent backwards and did not get caught out of position.
In possession, Medina had a pretty cautious approach, not joining the attack that often and mostly staying back. The Bolivian defender has a decent technique for the Bolivian league but would struggle with his technique at a higher level. He failed to keep the ball close to him and his short passing technique looked average despite the fact that most of his passes reached a teammate. The young defender’s crossing ability was also not that good, showing why he did not join the attack that often. He did have one moment where he recognized space really well as he made a very good run into the channels but that was also the case because Gran Mamoré left open a lot of gaps. Medina also had a go from range this match but his striking technique wasn’t great, looking pretty uncontrolled with his shot from distance.
Rating – A2
Diego Medina seems like a player who will become a squad player for the national team and a strong player in the Bolivian league, but I don’t think that he will ever play for one of the top 12 European leagues because he lacks technique.
Moises Paniagua
- Nationality: Bolivian
- Age: 15
- Date of birth: 16/08/2007
- Club: Always Ready
- Career: Always Ready
- Position: Striker
- Secondary position: Left-Wing
- Preferred foot: Right
Moises Paniagua came on as a sub in the second half and scored his second goal in professional football. He played as a second striker but roamed around the pitch quite a lot. The 15-year-old stands at approximately 1.70 meters but has an average build even though he clearly needs to develop his physique. He looked quite strong already in physical duels, protecting the ball well while being pressed aggressively by his opponent. Paniagua drew a lot of fouls as well. The Bolivian youth international did not show much of his speed and athleticism, which is something to look out for next time. Due to Always Ready already leading comfortably, they played with an even lower intensity in the second half.
Paniagua, after coming on, looked slightly nervous and overeager to perform but eased into the game after the 3-0, looking more confident and pulling off his actions more consistently. He has a pretty inconsistent technique, which is not unusual for a player at his age. Some of his first touches were really good but other ones bounced of his foot quite a bit. The youngster, when in space, looked comfortable taking on his opponents. He prefers to cut inside from the left to his stronger right foot. This was also the action that led to his goal. Paniagua received out wide before cutting inside and scored with a very powerful shot. His striking technique looked really clean. He played with confidence and tracked back often.
Rating – A2
It is obviously tough to assess a player’s potential after watching only 45 minutes so I will comment on that later. He did show some good early signs but it will be interesting to see him in the Sudamericano u-17 against players from the same age group. I hope that he plays more matches for Always Ready this season.