04/07/2024 Act. at 10:48 PM CEST
After tying Mexico (0-0) and knocking El Tri’ out of the Copa América, Félix Sánchez’s Ecuador will try to pull off a big upset and eliminate the current world and American champion. Leo Messi’s Argentina will try not to be surprised (at 3am Spanish time) by the tactical methods of a coach trained in the Blaugrana youth academy. The current Ecuadorian coach spent 10 years of his career as a coach in Barça’s youth system.
Between 1996 and 2006, Félix Sánchez trained in the Barça youth academy. The current Ecuadorian national team coach trained as a coach in the lower ranks of FC Barcelona when he was between 21 and 31 years old.
Ten years of training in the best academy
In between 1996 and 1999 he was at the Barça Escola (then known as FCB Escola) and it was from the course 99-2000 when he started working as coach of the Benjamín A blaugrana team where he spent three seasons. From the In 2002 he moved up to 11-a-side football to manage the Alevín B teama team where he spent three seasons before moving to the Infantil B team, where he was the coach until the 2005-06 season.
In the summer of 2006, Félix Sánchez Bas left Barça to join the Aspire project in Qatar. From there he managed various Qatari national teams until reaching the senior national team of this country. His biggest achievement in Qatar was winning the Asian Cup in 2019His time as Ecuador’s national coach began in 2023 and his future may depend on the final result he achieves in the Copa América.
Two representatives of La Masia
This morning (at 3am Spanish time) two La Masia disciples will face each other. Leo Messi and Félix Sánchez never coincided in the same team but they do know each other because while Leo was growing up in the fields next to the Mini in these same facilities before the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper, Félix Sánchez Bas directed teams from the culé youth academy.
When Leo joined Barça’s youth system in November 2000, Félix Sánchez was managing Barça’s Benjamín A team where they played Montoya and Carles Planastwo footballers who coincided with Leo in the Barcelona first team.
Throughout his decade as a coach at La Masia, other players who were part of Messi’s Barça were also disciples of Félix Sánchez, such as Bojan Krkic, Gerard Deulofeu or Marc Muniesa.
A logical evolution
Although the 4-3-3 has generally been the most used formation in the Barça youth academy, in the first years of Félix Sánchez at La Masia the most used formation was the 3-4-3 of Cruyffian origin.
With Ecuador, Félix Sánchez uses a three-man defence, although his most common formation is completed with two wing-backs, three midfielders and two attackers, a 3-5-2 with the ball that transforms into a 5-3-2 with the ball.
Although Sánchez Bas has been trained in the 100% Barça football ideology, His less academic methods and faithful to the Barça model both with Qatar and Ecuador respond to the need to get the maximum performance to teams with limited talent.
2024-07-04 20:26:34
#Barça #coach #Messi #faces #Copa #América
