The curious stat behind Colón’s starting XI against San Telmo | OneFootball

Colón is preparing for a new challenge away from Santa Fe. This Sunday, starting at 4:00 p.m., they will visit San Telmo at the Doctor Osvaldo Baletto stadium, for the sixth round of Zone A in the Primera Nacional Tournament, at a time when the team remains among the chasing pack, just one point behind the leader, Acassuso.

Looking ahead to this match, everything indicates that Ezequiel Medrán would make just one change compared to the team that just beat Acassuso at the Brigadier López. The change would be the inclusion of Julián Marcioni, now recovered from his muscle tear, in place of Conrado Ibarra, who suffered a muscle injury in the last match.

But beyond this specific change, the switch would highlight a very significant and particular fact about Colón’s current football situation.

An eleven without players from Colón’s youth academy

Ibarra’s absence would not be just another change. His absence would mean that, in the starting lineup that takes the field at Isla Maciel, there would be no players who came up through Colón’s youth divisions.

This is, without a doubt, a significant peculiarity for a club historically used to nurturing its own players and which, moreover, is coming off a very special season, where several homegrown youngsters played key roles in the midst of a complex context like last year in the Primera Nacional.

Thus, Colón’s probable starting eleven to face San Telmo would be made up of Gabriel Budiño; Mauro Peinipil, Pier Barrios, Federico Rasmussen, and Facundo Castet; Julián Marcioni, Federico Lértora, Ignacio Antonio, and Ignacio Lago; Lucas Cano and Alan Bonansea. In other words, a team made up entirely of players brought in from outside.

A clear sign of Colón’s transfer strategy

This fact also clearly shows how the squad was put together for this season. Colón went out looking for players with quality, experience, and knowledge of the division, making a clear bet on forming a competitive group right away, with big names and experience to fight at the top.

The squad was built to minimize the margin for error after a chaotic previous campaign, in which the team finished far from expectations and surrounded by a climate of great uncertainty. In that context, the board and coaching staff chose to rely on experienced names rather than a more sustained process with club youngsters.

And that, precisely, is now starting to be reflected in the composition of the starting lineup.

Youth system relegated and a message that also challenges

The fact that not a single starter comes from the club also opens up deeper interpretations. On one hand, it can be seen as a sign of the little confidence currently placed in the youngsters fighting for a spot in a structure designed to compete now. On the other hand, it also shows that several of those players who had important roles last season were unable to establish themselves or maintain their place with the arrival of the new project.

This point is noteworthy because Medrán knows these players well. The coach worked with them from the final stretch of last year, once Colón was eliminated from the playoffs, so these are not players unfamiliar to his observation or analysis.

Therefore, the lack of homegrown players in the probable starting lineup can be read as a conclusion by the coaching staff about the current state of those players, or as a sign that no youth players have yet emerged who are up to the demands Colón currently faces in the division.

A Colón built to win promotion, but with little room for homegrown players

Medrán’s decision, if confirmed on Sunday, will reinforce a trend that has been emerging since the start of the tournament: Colón is built to fight for promotion with a base of seasoned, experienced players who have a strong presence in the Primera Nacional.

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