Atlético Nacional comes to this League as one of the candidates for the title, by history, by payroll and by the process that Alejandro Restrepo accumulates at the head of the team. The 39-year-old from Antioquia had his first semester at the helm of the team where he won the Colombia Cup and although the tournament’s finish was not the best, the strategist is confident that by 2022, the objectives can be fully achieved.
“We face it with the same seriousness, with a lot of capacity, not only what we acquired in the previous season. I feel more like a leader with more abilities to show my work, that our fans feel proud of the performance and the victories. We have put together a good squad to achieve the objectives we have. This transfer market has been important, it is getting more and more difficult, but we are very happy with what the team has done throughout the preseason, looking to start with a win”, highlighted Restrepo.
On learning from the last championship and how not to make the same mistakes that left them out of the fight for the League, the strategist commented that “undoubtedly, we feel that one of the most difficult things is to form a game idea. During the preseason, we wanted to establish variants, give them information, content and reinforce where we were weak. We have to be punctual and manage in different scenarios”.
Regarding this knowledge of youth soccer as a key to a better performance of the professional squad, Restrepo explained that “we know youth soccer, we are not surprised by the ability of our youngsters, we are very happy with what they have given us. Many are ready to give transition to professional football, others came from agreements and have given us a hand in the preseason”.
Although there are two days left for that first league game against Cortuluá, the coach already has a clear idea of the team, with a squad that is in good physical shape to achieve victory. Regarding the news, Restrepo explained that “with the medical department, we met and we are going to talk about how the group is doing. There are several players who were affected by medical issues, injuries and we are finishing finalizing details to define the call. But we will hope to have a competitive squad.
However, he anticipated that, for example, Giovanni Moreno will wait a while to see him on the court. “We have not had any difficulties in terms of player registrations. Giovanni Moreno had not competed for two and a half months and is looking to return to that physical form, we want him to be well surrounded and to be able to feel in tune and at the top to compete. The players who are going to act, they must be at the right time to compete”.
Another of Nacional’s novelties for this 2022 was the arrival of Carlos ‘Piscis’ Restrepo as technical assistant, regarding the role he will play in his coaching staff, Restrepo explained that “with Piscis Restrepo I already worked in the Colombian Football Federation. He has 35 years of experience, he is a great connoisseur of young people, he is an open person, who comes to contribute, to learn and to find the proposed objectives”.
Alejandro also spoke about the team’s pre-season, where they played two friendly matches with short playing times. “The time has been very short, we had just three weeks of preseason. There was a lot of wear and tear, there are actions in football, like the
reps and high-intensity rides, where 90-minute matches put them at risk of injury. That’s why we decided on short games. Going on a pre-season trip is wasting a lot of time. We made the decision to be here, play two friendlies and have more training sessions.”
Another of the topics that the coach touched on was the transfer market for the team and the championship in general. “It has been a very busy transfer market, very fast. With those who arrived, we had talked since the previous year, those who arrive will add up, we are happy with the group work. We are well and happy. The arrivals and departures of players went to give balance to the squad. With such extensive payrolls, they mean that there are not many opportunities. With the arrival of Álvaro Angulo and ‘Gio’, the team was left with a lot of capacity and we feel calm“.
He also referred to the defenders, especially the youngest and the full-backs, especially on the right, where there are not so many replacements. “We feel that Juan David Cabal finished the year very well, he is competing in that position, he looks more solid and he is a young man who comes in handy. Cristian Castro stood out last year, he competes well, we trust in those values and we add versatile men. We’re on the right track. On the wings we feel good, on the right, Yerson Candelo brings us a lot, Hayen Palacios can have more continuity and on the left we feel well covered”.
Finally, he analyzed what could be the probable rivals in the Copa Libertadores 2022, where the team will start from the second preliminary phase. “We have had the opportunity to analyze some rivals from the Copa Libertadores, the leagues are just beginning, we have the advantage of seeing Olimpia and César Vallejo competing in the preliminary phase. Before playing the Cup we will have eight league games, we have to compete very good”.
Juan Camilo Alvarez Serrano
FUTBOLRED Correspondent
Medellin
En Twitter: @juanchoserran8
