Libertadores: Ecuadorian journo on Del Valle, surprise Valencia take | OneFootball

Independiente del Valle is an extremely strong team in Ecuadorian football and, obviously, that has also been reflected in South American football. That’s because it is a club that maintains continuity in its squads. What do I mean by that? They bring in many players, just as they also develop many players, but the athletes who arrive end up becoming the backbone of the team. That was the case with Schunke, Carabajal, Jordy Alcívar, Jhegson Méndez, Junior Sornoza… players who in some cases also came through the youth ranks, either from Independiente del Valle itself or who were brought back and became major references at the club. In the same way, all these youngsters they manage to promote are not sold off in desperation. First they go through the proper process, they are developed until they grow and come of age, as in the case of Justin Lerma — whom you may know, since he has just gone to Borussia Dortmund (GER) — and the Quintero brothers, who, in this case, are already starters at Independiente del Valle. And that is the case with many of the youngsters there.

So, having that continuity in the squad allowed them to become a strong team with a clear playing identity. That identity at Independiente del Valle — keeping possession, attacking, being dominant both at home and away — is a style of football they have been playing for many years and that, obviously, has been made possible by keeping so many players together and, of course, having athletes of the highest level. Those are Independiente del Valle’s strengths: having a compact team, a side that knows how to use the ball well and that knows each other very well, from the youngsters to the most experienced players. Because here in Ecuador, the older guys, like Junior Sornoza — I mean the leaders — Junior Sornoza, Charly González, and so on, are very close to the youth teams, and we see them at events with Independiente del Valle’s academy players. Emerson Pata even came through from there and, as you can see, today he is a starter for the team. Those are the main virtues I see in Independiente del Valle. Having a very strong squad has allowed them to consolidate their playing idea in order to dominate both locally and internationally. In fact, look at this: Independiente del Valle has a very deep squad. In the Ecuadorian league they practically play only with reserves. Here they do not use the starters you see in the Copa Libertadores. Sometimes, in certain matches, they give the starters some minutes to keep their rhythm, bringing them on during the game, but in Ecuadorian football they have dominated practically with the reserve team. That is also why the starters arrive in excellent physical condition to compete on any pitch.

The weaknesses… Look, Independiente del Valle has shown itself to be a very solid team both at home and away, in the domestic league and in international competition. From what we’ve seen, Independiente del Valle does not play in exactly the same way at home as it does away. Recently, in the round-of-16 tie in Colombia, they earned a very good win. People thought they would thrash the opponent, because Independiente del Valle is a team that wins by big margins a lot in Ecuadorian football, but there we saw that they also have the versatility to take on a more result-protecting role. In this case, understanding that in a knockout tie it is very important to get a good result away from home so you can seal qualification at home. At home, they had a better match, obviously. They conceded a goal — a great goal! — scored by the Colombian team (Tolima), but weaknesses, as such, what I could tell you in this case playing at home, is that yes, there have been matches where the team got a bit too comfortable, relaxed a little, conceded one goal, two goals… but I think that is the weakness: the overconfidence Independiente del Valle has now, which sometimes leads them to leave certain gaps in defense, although believe me, scoring against Independiente del Valle is very difficult, both domestically and internationally. But around there, I think that is the weakness. Because even when facing opponents who come to sit deep at their stadium, they dominate the ball, keep attacking, attacking, and it is not only in one way, right? Let’s say, not only down the wings. No, they look for different solutions: they attack through the flanks, through the middle, they send in high crosses… because on top of that they have players with different profiles. Charly González can play with his back to goal, battle with center-backs, attack crosses, all of that; and likewise on the wings they have Emerson Pata, as well as Arón Rodríguez or Matías Perelló, who can get to the byline, cut inside, and shoot from outside the box. The same goes for the midfielders, Junior Sornoza, and in Alcívar’s case — though I don’t know if he will start this match, since Méndez has a knock — but they are also players who shoot very well from distance when the opponent sits deep. They have many attacking options.

Historically, we have seen that altitude has sometimes played an important role for certain teams, helping them win titles and pick up important points. Without a doubt, I believe that nowadays, with the technology we have and everything else, and in Flamengo’s case, being a wealthy club by South American standards, they have the necessary technology to adapt to or at least work toward putting in a good performance at altitude. Besides, it is not the first time Flamengo has played at altitude; they are always doing it against opponents who play in those conditions and they have achieved excellent results. So in that sense, I do think altitude can play a role, because just talking about altitude already creates a certain fear in the opponent. However, I believe Flamengo also has very good tools to deal with the physical wear and tear involved and arrive ready to play a good match here in Quito. Altitude could carry some weight, yes, but Flamengo is a wealthy club, with excellent players who already know altitude, have already played in those conditions, and prepare very well.

With their reserve team and rotating in the starters — the starters being the ones who play in the Copa Libertadores — they win by three, four, five goals here, and rarely concede. As for the tactical system Independiente del Valle usually uses: they always line up with a back four (two full-backs and two center-backs). The holding midfielder is always Alcívar or Méndez, giving both Sornoza and Quintana freedom to attack. On the wings, Emerson Pata and Aron Rodríguez — who we believe will be the starters — are, on top of everything else, excellent players who go up and down all the time. Aron Rodríguez in particular, when playing on the right side, drops back during defensive transitions and almost acts as a wing-back/right-back to form a back five, while Romero, who is the right-back in the original back four, becomes a third center-back. Independiente del Valle has that versatility: when attacking, they can be a 4-5-1 or a 4-3-3; but when defending, they can change… they can keep those shapes or drop into a back five with Aron Rodríguez recovering down the right. That way, they leave only Medina isolated up front, while in midfield the four are Emerson Pata, Junior Sornoza, Quintana and, in this case, Méndez or Alcívar.

Independiente del Valle has many good players, both the youngsters and the more experienced ones they have brought in. Charly González is Independiente’s top scorer in the Copa. Junior Sornoza is the one in charge of orchestrating the play, a very mobile player who covers a lot of ground, drops deep a lot to receive the ball and also to build attacks. At times, he even bursts forward quickly to finish moves himself or deliver the decisive pass to the forwards. Charly González is in excellent form, positions himself very well in the box, and every loose ball that falls to him, he puts it in the net. In the Ecuadorian league, he is not even the undisputed starter — Djorkaeff Reasco is — but whenever Charly González came on, he would usually score as well. In defense, Carabajal is the leader of the line. He manages the tempo of the game very well and keeps the defensive line well organized. When those tactical shifts happen, from a back four to a back five, he is the one responsible for organizing and aligning the whole defense so that those tactical changes work well on the pitch. On top of that, the full-backs are also very good. Romero supports the attack a lot, and the wingers — especially Emerson Pata, who stands out most in the attacking sector — are players who can reach the byline easily, beat their marker, and cut into the box to finish, or else take shots from outside the area; he is very dangerous from long range.

The 16 wins were heavily celebrated and talked about here in Ecuadorian football as well, because it was an excellent run by Independiente del Valle. Those 16 wins included LigaPro (the Ecuadorian Championship), Copa Ecuador, and Copa Libertadores. To tell you this is the best Independiente del Valle team in history is not something I could say for sure, especially because the club has already played in a Libertadores final after a brilliant campaign and eliminating big opponents in 2016 — unfortunately they lost that final to Atlético Nacional — and they have also already won the Copa Sudamericana by dominating the tournament and beating several rivals. In any case, this current team, even though it does not feature a star with as much name recognition as in previous cycles — such as Kendry Páez and Justin Lerma, who have already left, or Moisés Caicedo in his time — is an excellent side. It is an extremely compact team, very well coached, and it has been on a solid run, keeping players who have been the backbone for many years and who had already won the recent Sudamericana title lifted by the club. Is it the best team? I can’t say with certainty that it is the best in the club’s entire history, because, as I said, the club has already won major titles and reached a Libertadores final. But it is, without a doubt, a very strong squad that has shown total control both domestically and internationally. And that is clear because there is no single “mega-star”: everyone, in one way or another, is a protagonist and plays a fundamental role. It is a group built with players who fulfill their roles to perfection, without having one central figure the team plays for. On the contrary: what shines here is the collective, the tactical idea, and the team as a whole. What I can guarantee is that Independiente del Valle is a very well-structured side and has every condition and a very good chance to fight for this Copa Libertadores title — something they have already been proving throughout the competition itself.

Look, Independiente del Valle really did lose its run of 16 straight wins, because in the last three rounds of the Ecuadorian championship they drew 2-2 with Universidad Católica, then lost away to Barcelona Sporting Club, and in the latest round they beat Macará 3-1 — which is also one of the teams fighting near the top of the table. Against Universidad Católica, it was a mixed/reserve team that had been dominating, but unfortunately they conceded the equalizer at the end, even though it had been a good performance by Independiente del Valle. Against Barcelona it was similar: they went ahead — and in that game against Barcelona they played with the starters — they were winning, but then they had a player sent off, which weighed heavily on the match; Barcelona pushed forward and ended up turning it around in the final minute. But in the latest round, Independiente del Valle once again showed just how dominant they are. They beat Macará comfortably 3-1 — if I’m not mistaken, all three of Independiente del Valle’s goals came in the first 15 minutes — and from there the team simply managed possession and kept the lead on the scoreboard. Although those results attract attention because of the excellent run Independiente del Valle had been on, there is nothing alarming for the team. You have to take into account that the season is already advanced, we are already in September, heading into the final stretch of the South American calendar — which usually runs from February to November or December, depending on the league. So in a way, at some point Independiente del Valle — whether with the reserves in the domestic competition or with the main team internationally — was going to stumble. The most important thing is that the team did not fall into crisis and knew how to react quickly, as it already showed by beating Macará convincingly, in addition to having played well even in the loss to Barcelona. So it is not that the team’s level has dropped or that there is concern about the football they are playing; these were only isolated ups and downs from individual matches. The latest round against Macará proved that the level remains high and that, psychologically, the players are doing very well and are confident.

And what I can tell you is that, based on the players’ own statements, like Junior Sornoza and Perelló, the players were already thinking about Flamengo too, right? As soon as they eliminated Tolima, they started working with a focus on Flamengo, because obviously the club also demands that. Yes, I think it is the best team on the continent, so… it demands that the players already focus purely on Flamengo, and also because it is a quarterfinal tie, which is already more competitive and closer to the title.

Independiente del Valle, being a young club — it has not spent many years in the top division of Ecuadorian football — does not have a huge fan base. You can see at their home matches that they do have a group of people who go and support them and all that, but in Quito itself it’s not as if you see one of their supporters on every corner. So, in a way, that fan atmosphere around Independiente del Valle is not something massive. However, in Ecuador, as Ecuadorians, when we see a team representing us in an international tournament, we give a certain level of support. Not only in Quito — throughout Ecuador there is a lot of excitement for this match, not just Independiente’s but also LDU’s (Liga de Quito), which will also play a quarterfinal tie. Nationally, yes, there is a lot of anticipation for the game. But, so to speak, the way it is experienced… like Flamengo experiences it, where when they play it is a party, you see supporters everywhere, there is huge expectation, and it is known that if Flamengo does not win, the fans feel bad the next day, or there is sadness in the air; it is not like that with Independiente del Valle. Independiente del Valle is not a club with masses of fans, but nationally it has the support of all Ecuadorians. You can see that in the comments, in the people on the streets, everyone pays very close attention to the match. There is huge expectation in Ecuador to see Independiente del Valle face Flamengo, especially because Independiente del Valle has already shown that it is capable of lifting this Copa Libertadores.

Flamengo is a team that needs no introduction. I think just by saying the name Flamengo, we already know the size of the club. Historic, many Libertadores titles, a huge budget to bring in major stars — among them Gonzalo Plata, who plays for our Ecuadorian national team. Flamengo is a very well-known team in Ecuadorian football because they have always faced teams from here. As for their stars, everyone knows them very well: having Saúl, Nico de la Cruz… many players for whom they paid a lot of money to be the stars of the team. It is all very familiar here. We know Flamengo’s stature and the level of the players it has. And it is not just a squad full of stars, but a team that functions very well, plays very well, and that, like Independiente, has maintained a well-established playing identity for many years. That is why, here in Ecuador, Flamengo is seen as an opponent that requires great caution. You have to study them, face them intelligently, and be at your very best to get a good result both at home — which will be very difficult — and away. Especially because Independiente del Valle is also very strong at home and usually gets excellent results away as well.

We know very well that Gonzalo Plata and Antonio Valencia are now at Flamengo. In Gonzalo’s case, I think he is also not a player who needs much introduction, right? We know him very well, we know what he represents, he is our starter for the national team, sometimes playing as a right winger, sometimes as a striker, even as an attacking midfielder. So in Gonzalo’s case, we know very well the danger he represents, especially because he is a player who knows Independiente del Valle very well, came from the club, knows many of the players, you know… and he is also someone who has altitude in his legs, right? He has played here before, and when he comes with the national team he plays at altitude and all that. Yes, he is scary, like any other player Flamengo has. It is no coincidence that they brought Gonzalo Plata in to be a starter; you could even say he is one of their stars. We know the danger he represents. Fear? I don’t know if I would say fear, because Independiente del Valle has also already shown that it is not a team that is afraid to face anyone, but I do think you have to be very careful with Gonzalo Plata because he is an extremely decisive player. I would even say he is one of Flamengo’s most dangerous players in terms of dribbling down the wing, taking defenders on, and pushing forward. Carrascal has similar characteristics, but I think he does not attack the byline as much and tends to play more inside and all that, right? Gonzalo is definitely a very important player, but one that Independiente del Valle can still manage to neutralize.

In Anthony Valencia’s case, Anthony Valencia is one of the promises of Ecuadorian football. He is a player with a lot of technical quality who can even play in different positions. Recently, in the matches before the World Cup — for which he was called up and eventually made the final squad — before that, we knew him very well as an attacking midfielder. A midfielder who knows how to build play. Let’s say he could even play in a position that is almost extinct now, not used as much anymore in international football, like a kind of second striker/inside attacking midfielder, an offensive midfielder who carries the ball forward. It is a very distant comparison, but let’s say it could be like Diego Ribas when he arrived at Flamengo, that player who operated just behind the center-forward. That is how we knew him. Valencia could also drift to the right wing, playing on the right side — as he had already done in Belgium — to cut inside and make the most of his shot, because Anthony has a great strike from outside the box and also an excellent through ball. But, as I say, that is how we knew him: an attacking player, a forward who takes people on and all that, with good ball control, good dribbling, and who can surprise you by creating an individual move, a shot, or a great assist. But playing for the national team, in this case under Beccacece, he showed that he can also contribute in other positions. Beccacece even used him as a holding midfielder (a “five”). A holding midfielder who was the first to drop deep to ask for the ball and, coming from behind, play a through pass to the forwards. And he did that for the national team. And it’s not that he simply dropped back to get the ball and then charged into attack. No. In that role, he would get the ball, drop back, and stay there, acting as the base of the team — at least when he played in the friendlies — allowing Denil Castillo to go forward, as well as the full-backs and everyone else, because Anthony Valencia has very high-quality buildup. So we see Anthony as a player with excellent technical polish, someone who today can perform different roles in midfield and who, obviously, will be very important for our national team.

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