Reinaldo Rueda does not lose faith in taking Colombia to the World Cup: “Until the last day nothing is defined”

At a press conference prior to the match against Bolivia, he took weight off Luis Diaz and referred to the physical condition of James Rodríguez

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Foto de archivo. El técnico
Foto de archivo. El técnico de la selección colombiana de fútbol, Reinaldo Rueda, gesticula en el partido contra Argentina por la eliminatoria Sudamericana clasificatoria al Mundial de Qatar en el estadio Mario Alberto Kempes en Córdoba, Argentina, 1 de febrero, 2022. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian

There is little more than a day left for the Colombia team to play the first of two finals in search of the World Cup dream, although, in addition to winning, they will have to wait for other results in the knockout days to attend Qatar. In this context, Reinaldo Rueda gave a press conference on the afternoon of March 23.

The technical director of the tricolor team talked about the need to play without conviction and took a weight off figures like Lucho Díaz, stating that what happens during the match with Bolivia cannot depend on him. Here are some of his statements:

Keeping the faith until the last day

Although it seems difficult for Peru to score only two points in the remaining matches, as well as for Chile to score by far four, Rueda sticks to that hope. The first thing will be that Colombia beats Bolivia at the Metropolitano Stadium, the rest will depend on the last date of the qualifiers.

“We are aware of the instance in which we are. These qualifiers have taught us that until the last day nothing is defined. We have one last chance to take advantage in two difficult games and against two strong opponents. The desire to always want to be in the world cup will prevail here.”

He took a weight off Lucho Diaz

Given his football level with Liverpool, where he arrived almost two months ago, for fans Luis Díaz is one of the calls to lead the coffee team to victory over Bolivia. Thinking about it, Rueda communicated with him, hinted that it can be decisive, but that the responsibility of looking for the three points lies with the entire selection.

“Yesterday I met with Lucho to talk about that topic. For you to assume that it is part of the selection, but not the solution, you should not carry that backpack. Not even for the time he lives. Although he grew up and became a figure, perhaps some referees did not protect him after Copa America. However, you should know that it is key to share in the construction and completion of the plays.”

James Rodriguez is fine

One of the concerns of the Colombian fan was the absence of James in the most recent match with Al-Rayyan, from the Qatar Stars League, which is why it was speculated that he would not be taken into account by Reinaldo Rueda in the Call. Well, the helmsman vallecaucano talked about the state of '10′.

“James competed two weeks ago and then made a recovery because of a nuisance. He's recovered, he made interesting games. It is not easy, he has managed to do about four or five training units because he was one of those who arrived earlier. The club did not want to release him earlier, but he has shown a great willingness, a good attitude for the job and hope that he has a good behavior.”

It is no secret to anyone that the main challenge for the team, which in turn can put pressure on the players, is to score a goal. In this regard, Rueda commented:

“We must improve in generation and definition, we have had opportunities and there has been no precision to achieve better results. Between yesterday and today we were able to make the combination between the experienced and the new ones. They are all with the best disposition.”

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