Ecuador’s national team is hoping to pull off a surprise victory against Argentina this Thursday and reach the Copa America semi-finals for the first time in 31 years. But in the final stretch of the match that will be played at the NRG stadium in Houston, a strong rumour has spread in the sports media of its country and threatens to break the harmony at a time when concentration should be the priority.
Several sources claim that Félix Sánchez Bas, who arrived at the tournament somewhat questioned by fans for his style of play, has already decided to step aside from the team that despite everything is fifth in the Conmebol Qualifiers, within the World Cup qualifying zone.
ESPN Ecuador journalist Domenica Rodriguez even ventured a decision that had already been made for the coach: “Félix Sánchez Bas will not continue with La Tri. The Spanish coach will direct Al-Sadd, the club where Ecuadorian Gonzalo Plata plays, once Ecuador’s participation in the Copa América is over.”
When it comes to delving into the reasons, the issue of criticism that any coach is exposed to would be among the first: “He has everything arranged to leave; they tell me that he cannot cope with the pressure. The coach himself is thinking of stepping aside no matter what happens against Argentina. They tell me that he is making arrangements with his children to leave the technical direction of Ecuador. They even say that he has received threats,” said the journalist Juan Fernando Laso.
Although the cycle of the Spanish coach who came to replace Gustavo Alfaro is included within the acceptable (10 victories, three draws and five defeats), his detractors demand better performance and results, highlighting the virtues of players in the squad such as Moisés Caicedo (Chelsea), Kendry Páez (Independiente del Valle), Jeremy Sarmiento (Brighton) and Piero Hincapié (Bayer Leverkusen).
There are even rumors of a replacement!
“Guillermo Almada received a call from the president of the FEF,” journalist Ufredo Borbor had already reported a few days ago, pointing to the current coach of Pachuca of Mexico with a past in Barcelona of Ecuador, where he was local champion and semi-finalist of the 2017 Copa Libertadores, where he fell with Gremio, who would be champion. He had even been mentioned when Alfaro left after the Qatar World Cup.
Sánchez Bas’ latest statements, with praise for Argentina
During the press conference after the match in Arizona with Mexico, whose draw determined the pass to the quarterfinals, the coach of Ecuador did not skimp on praise for those led by Lionel Scaloni, who come from closing the group stage with a perfect score in Group A. “They are the current world champion and champion of America, there is no better rival than this one today. We know the difficulty they are going to have. It is another final and they have all been like this since the result of the first match,” explained the former Qatar coach at the 2022 World Cup.
Along the same lines, he highlighted the work of the Albiceleste players and, in particular, goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, whose unbeaten streak has become a trademark. “It’s a very difficult team because it has the best players in the world. They play at a very high level. They have made a very solid group and have a very clear idea. Despite having won, they are still hungry. Out of 15 games, they kept a clean sheet in 13,” he explained.
2024-07-03 02:31:00
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