Jair Collahuazo is a left central defender who currently plays in the under 19’s of CS Emelec. The defender joined Emelec’s youth academy in 2017 and has gradually moved up the ranks in the past few years. He is now a regular starter for the under 19’s, while he has also already made his unofficial debut for the first team. He is signed by AFV International, who have plenty of Ecuadorian youth players in their agency. Jair Collahuazo is also a regular starter for Ecuador under 17, with whom he qualified for the U17 World Cup later this year. I’ve tracked Collahuazo since November 2022.
Standing at 1.96 meters with a slim build, Jair Collahuazo is a very tall left-footed central defender. The Ecuadorian defender is relatively quick on the first meters and has good speed over long distances. It would be good for Collahuazo to work on his speed even more, as it could become a great asset for a tall defender like Collahuazo. He is capable of turning his body quite quickly and has good mobility. Collahuazo also has good footwork. The defender has good timing in aerial duels, while his height also helps him to win most aerial duels. Collahuazo should develop his strength in the upcoming months/years as he sometimes loses physical duels against smaller opponents too easily.
Jair Collahuazo is used to playing in a high defensive line but I have also seen him in a low block for Emelec against Independiente del Valle. He likes to defend proactively and aggressively but can sporadically get caught out of position as he steps up too late. Collahuazo often steps up at the right time though and displays excellent, strong interceptions to win back possession. The defender is very assertive in physical duels with his back towards the goal, letting the opponent know that he is there without giving away sloppy fouls. Collahuazo generally covers runs in behind adequately, but occasionally should stay closer to his partner in defence. His opponent is sporadically allowed too much space to make runs behind Collahuazo and his partner in defence. The Ecuadorian defender can sporadically get caught ball-watching in the box as he fails to cover runners in behind, while he occasionally fails to position himself well dealing with crosses. He reads the crosses quite well in some situations though, knowing that the opponent will go for a cut-back and intercepting the ball.
Closer to the halfway line, Collahuazo cuts passing lanes well as he generally scans well and adjusts his position accordingly. Collahuazo covers out wide well and manages to block crosses or recovers possession easily. He is decent in isolated 1v1 duels on the wing, although his starting position is sometimes average. Collahuazo allows his opponent too much space to go past him on the outside, trying to force him out wide but giving him too much space in the process. Collahuazo is relatively quick, but sometimes fails to react quickly enough against quick wingers in these situations. Though, he is very composed in defensive 1v1 duels. He looks at the ball well and does not get manipulated easily. Collahuazo is also willing to put his body on the line in his own box, trying to block shots and giving his all.
Jair Collahuazo often receives the ball in first-phase possession. He usually carries the ball forward a few meters before offloading a long, diagonal pass. Collahuazo has excellent vision and an extensive passing range. The Ecuadorian defender has a very nice long passing technique and can open up defences with his long passing, even though his execution is not always perfect. The defender has very solid short passing, almost never making a mistake. I’ve seen him make one big mistake on the ball leading to a goal, but that was one of the first times I watched him. Jair Collahuazo is very composed under pressure and has good ball control.
Even though he needs to improve defensively, I think that Jair Collahuazo has a very interesting profile. He is tall and mobile, is a left-footed central defender and is very good on the ball. He needs to develop his physique and he needs to be challenged at a higher level where he can improve his defensive ability and gain more experience. Jair Collahuazo is ready to be involved in Emelec’s first team as a rotational player. Collahuazo is an interesting player to monitor for the big clubs in Belgium. He has the potential to play for mid-table teams in La Liga, but all depends on the guidance he gets and his career-decisions.