Mineros de Guayana beat Deportivo Lara 2-3 on the 28th matchday in the Liga FUTVE. The visitors (Mineros) set up in a 4-4-2 and displayed a very direct approach with many long balls towards tall strikers Kelsy and Blanco. Richard Blanco managed to score two goals for Mineros, helping them to get an important win over Deportivo Lara.
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
Rafael Uzcategui
- Nationality: Venezuelan
- Age: 18
- Date of birth: 04/10/2004
- Club: Mineros
- Career: Mineros
- Position: Centre-Back
- Preferred foot: Both
Rafael Uzcategui played as a left central defender in the match against Deportivo Lara and was sent off late in the second half just one minute after he scored the 1-3 for Mineros. The defender stands at around 1.80 meters but has a strong and firm build. He has decent speed over short and long distances but is not a quick defender. Uzcategui was composed in physical ground duels but should add more aggressiveness to his game in order to win more duels. He now lost some duels because he was not persistant enough. The Venezuelan did not look super quick on the turn but there was only one moment in which I could judge this. He looks quite mobile though and has good footwork. Uzcategui has good timing in aerial duels, winning most of his aerials.
The Venezuelan defender looked very determined and concentrated throughout the match, especially for a 17-year-old (now 18). He always had an active stance, meaning that he could react to different situations quickly. Uzcategui read the game quite well. He closed gaps towards the wing really well and timed his interceptions well. The defender also covered depth well. He did not lose any race to the ball, but as mentioned before he also did not look the quickest. He scanned well and was not surprised by a blindside run. Uzcategui needs to watch out that he stays in the defensive line more, as he should sometimes opt to put his opponent offside instead of tracking the run. As Mineros went for a long ball from goal kicks often, Uzcategui did not see much of the ball. He did have very good passes in midfield though, showing a good passing technique over medium-long distances.
Rating – A1
I also watched Rafael Uzcategui for Venezuela under 20 and even though he still makes some mistakes, I think he shows really good potential. He would be an interesting option for the bigger sides in Belgium to join their youth set-up this summer.
Brayan Alcocer
- Nationality: Venezuelan
- Age: 19
- Date of birth: 17/08/2003
- Club: Mineros
- Career: Mineros
- Position: Right-winger
- Secondary position: Left-winger, striker
- Preferred foot: Right
Brayan Alcocer only played 60 minutes for Mineros in the match against Deportivo Lara and looked out of place in the right-midfield role he had, not performing well despite showing some positive signs. The Venezuelan attacker stands at around 1.74 meters with a strong build. He showed good strength in his legs and body on multiple occasions, holding off opponents while shielding the ball. Alcocer has decent speed over short and long distances but does not look quick while changing directions in a sprint. Alcocer mostly provided width for Mineros in possession but was not involved in the play that much as Mineros played many long balls to the strikers. Though, during the times that Alcocer received the ball, he displayed his good first touch and quick decision-making while being put under pressure.
The Venezuelan youth international has decent dribbling ability but sometimes struggled to keep the ball close to him and he did not quite have that explosive acceleration to create separation. Alcocer has a good passing technique, both over short and medium-long distances. His execution is inconsistent but the technique is certainly there. Alcocer has an inconsistent crossing technique. On one occasion, he put in a good outside-of-the-boot cross on his preferred right foot. However, in a different situation, his crosses floated too much. Alcocer displayed good movement in the box, getting into the right position at the right time. This led to one big chance which he missed despite hitting the ball cleanly. Alcocer has decent shooting ability with both his right and left foot.
Rating – A2
Brayan Alcocer also played in the Sudamericano u-20 and I think he is more suited to a central role. He looks wasted on the wing because he does not quite have the speed or trickery to take on opponents.
Kevin Kelsy
- Nationality: Venezuelan
- Age: 18
- Date of birth: 27/07/2004
- Club: Shakhtar Donetsk
- Career: Mineros, Boston River, Shakhtar Donetsk
- Position: Striker
- Preferred foot: Right
Kevin Kelsy played as one of Mineros’s two strikers in the match against Deportivo Lara. Standing at 1.93 meters with an average build, Kelsy is a very tall and big striker. Kelsy surprisingly displayed his good bursts of speed a few times during the match, bursting past opponents and also changing directions pretty well for someone of his frame. Kelsy was also quick over long distances. As he was on the receiving end of a lot of long balls, Kelsy had many aerial and ground duels throughout the game. Kevin Kelsy used his tall frame to protect the ball but looked even more impressive in aerial duels, timing his jump well. The Venezuelan attacker had a very good first touch from aerial balls, looking really athletic and mobile. Kelsy displayed his impressive body control throughout the game.
Kevin Kelsy created one big chance in this match. He dribbled past his opponent using his good burst of speed and did really well to stay composed. He found Brayan Alcocer in the box but his teammate failed to convert the chance. The Venezuelan striker did not get into good positions himself but I also think he is not that suited to playing in this two-striker system. I think he will look much more dangerous in front of goal playing in a 4-3-3 instead of a 4-4-2. Defensively, Kevin Kelsy tracked back really well and used his long legs to get around his opponent to intercept the ball. He was also an intense presser, often coaching his teammates to press and getting into the right positions cutting passing lanes or forcing the goalkeeper to play a long ball.
Rating – A1
Kevin Kelsy has already secured a move to Shakhtar Donetsk. While I don’t know if he will make an instant impact for the Ukrainians, I think he has all the tools to become a really good striker in the future. He is tall but very mobile and athletic, while also having a good technique. That is a dangerous combination for a striker.