Ahead of the Reserva Clásico: Robledo on Colón and his role | OneFootball

On the eve of the crucial Santa Fe Derby in the Proyección Tournament, set to be played this Friday at 3:00 p.m. at the 4 de Junio Grounds, Colón reserve team head coach Miguel “Chueco” Robledo gave an extensive interview to the program ADN on Radio Gol 96.7. The coach spoke in detail about preparations for the derby, coordination with the first team squad, the development of young players, and his current role in scouting talent.

Active scouting and the “sweep” across the region

Despite temporarily taking charge of the reserve team for this semester, Robledo made it clear that he has not stepped away from his strategic role in scouting, an area he considers one of the most important for the club. In that regard, he explained that his time on the bench already has a prearranged end date: “What I agreed to was through December, and I know that in December I’ll return to my place.”

“Chueco” described how the club works in its search for talent, metaphorically using the image of a compass, with the main focus on Santa Fe and nearby areas to ensure young players can adapt quickly to the city. In this sense, he highlighted the coordinated work of his staff, made up of Darío Duarte throughout the province of Entre Ríos and Dante Huespe in administrative and spreadsheet duties. He also stressed that they have a network of contacts and former players tied to Colón’s history spread across strategic areas such as the Rafaelina League, Cerecina, the north of the country, Chaco, Córdoba, and La Pampa.

Buosi’s “express” case and the value of checking every town

When asked about young player Jerónimo Buosi’s rapid integration into the First Division, Robledo recalled that he was spotted at Club Americano in Carlos Pellegrini after scoring several stunning goals against the Santa Fe representative team. The scout acknowledged that club employees helped alert him so he wouldn’t lose track of the player: ‘Don’t stop watching him, Chueco, don’t stop watching him.’”

Robledo emphasized the challenge of shaping footballers who come from regional leagues and adapting them to the professional game:

Along those same recruiting lines, he stressed the importance of not overlooking any town, no matter how small its population. “I always say, you pass through a town of 300 or 500 people and maybe someone like Julián Álvarez comes from there,” the coach reflected.

Colotto’s directive: development over results

Regarding his appointment as head of the reserve team following the change involving Alejandro Russo, Robledo admitted that the offer caught him by surprise. Nevertheless, he highlighted the clear instructions he received from sporting director Diego Colotto, aimed at consolidating the maturity of the younger age groups (2006 to 2010) and promoting loan moves for ten reserve players who had already signed contracts so they could gain playing time.

“Colotto told me: ‘Don’t look at the table, don’t look at the results.’”, revealed the Colón coach. Although he admitted that on a personal level his competitive spirit always drives him to want to win, he valued the fact that the club’s real objective is right on track. The sporting project is aimed at ensuring young players acquire the necessary tools thanks to the interdisciplinary support of psychologists and nutritionists provided by the club.

The success of this developmental process is already showing concrete projections for the immediate future of Colón’s senior squad:

In sync with the first team, the Lucas Cuffia case, and derby week

Robledo explained that the reserve side operates as a space for mutual strengthening with the professional squad led by Iván Delfino. The communication channel usually runs through Diego Colotto, who informs him which first-team players need minutes on the field, citing recent cases such as Mateo Cardozo, Zahir Ibarra, Lucas Picech, Tomás Paredes, and Gian Piaggio.

Speaking specifically about young goalkeeper Cuffia’s situation, after his administrative and contractual issues were resolved, the coach clarified that he is currently training with the professional squad and getting minutes in the fourth division. Looking ahead to Friday’s match, he said there is a chance Cuffia could drop down to play in the reserves due to the strict need for match rhythm required by his position.

Ahead of the clash with Unión, the reserve team is training with a full squad of 26 players. Those youngsters who are not in the main plans for the derby are automatically sent to play matches with the league side, the fourth division, or the sixth division to ensure they get playing time on weekends, as is the case with academy gem Thiago Vera.

A whole life linked to Colón

Lastly, the experienced youth developer looked back on his long career within the club, recalling that his first solid step at Colón dates back to the end of 1993, when he was called up by fitness coach Carlos Hurtado. Over the course of more than three decades, Robledo has served as a league head coach, youth coordinator, scout, and AFA reserve team coach, in addition to interim spells with the first team alongside “Bicho” Godano, “Flaco” Morant, and a longer campaign working with Javier López.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.