Medrán at Colón: “Building solid foundations to be contenders” | OneFootball

In an in-depth analysis of his team's performance, Colón's head coach, Ezequiel Medrán, spoke with Fabián Tavella for the program En el Área. From the June 4th Training Ground, the coach detailed how the new squad was formed, his football philosophy, and the tactical adjustments needed to face the tournament.

Squad Management and New Signings

Building a team almost from scratch was the first big challenge of the season: “The engineering of putting together a squad and then making it work takes a certain amount of time… almost 15 new players, so to speak, who didn’t know each other.” Regarding the arrival of key figures like Federico Lértora, the coach highlighted his role: “Fede has a daily approach, a coherence… I have no doubt that throughout the year, from a football perspective, he’s going to contribute a lot to us.”

For Medrán, consensus with the club management was key in this process: “We’ve handled things very well, with fluidity, with very respectful dialogue… everything was very consensual.”

Methodology and Style of Play

The coach emphasized the importance of tactical adaptability: “Normally, with my team, I adapt to the level of the player, the performance. Many times I’ve played with an attacking midfielder, with a playmaker… today, with the system we’re working on, you give freedom to both wingers.”

Beyond the names, Medrán seeks a team with grit: “What I also value in the team is how competitive it is… the team has the character to play to win.” He also asked for patience to find that footballing brilliance: “I believe the fluidity of play will appear through understanding… knowing when to make the pass or having the patience to circulate the ball until we find the spaces.”

Tactical Aspects: Set Pieces and Penalties

Medrán did not shy away from areas to improve, being self-critical about the aerial strategy: “Today (set pieces) are a weakness to be improved. In my coaching career, it’s one of the foundations, I dedicate a lot of time to it… it’s a very valuable resource for me.” Regarding recent mistakes, he explained: “Maybe we’re not coordinating the movement to enter together with the delivery, but we’ve noticed it and we keep working on it.”

As for penalty execution, after Alan Bonansea’s miss, the coach was clear about his selection method: “I always give the freedom to whoever feels best at that moment. You tend to point towards Nacho Lago and Bonansea, but forcing them, no; whoever feels comfortable, grabs the ball and takes the shot.”

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