COLOMBIA

consider a thorough change of
the present defense, we also
changed our goalkeeper and we
have not been broken, we have
also changed the first line of
midfielders and we have
managed as best we can.
We have a regular basis of
internationalized players and this
means that in the decisive stages
we will know how to deal with
our rivals. We must not speed up
and we must remember that we
will have some defeats, though
that is not final. We will also have
some victories, though that will
not define the qualification. Even
though we have a very difficult
start, we are willing to fight and
have much faith to face these
situations.
At the beginning of your
cycle, you selected Arango as
captain. What do you think
of him now?
At that time, he was the only
important league-consolidated
player we had in Europe. Now,
we have several members
consolidated in Spain, Germany,
Portugal, France, Belgium and the
Netherlands. He was the only
player we might say that we
wanted to be the mirror for the
remaining ones that we also
wanted to have in Europe. Juan
speaks more with his game than
what his words may say, though
perhaps a simple gesture of his is
worth much more than a
thousand words. Juan is aware of
what we are now, and also of
what his teammates are, how the
National Team has grown and he
is delighted with the idea of
playing a World Cup.
Do you think that just
like Josef Martínez was
incorporated to the older
National Team, more juveniles
will be added during the
current year?
It’s going to be more difficult.
When we arrived 5 years ago,
there had to be a change. Every
transition is difficult and gives rise
to opposing opinions, but then
there were open spaces.
Nowadays, if you want to change
your goalkeeper, he belongs to
the Spanish First Division, the
central players belong to the
Spanish or Argentine First Division,
the side players play in the
Netherlands, Switzerland and
France, then number 5 players
come from Germany. Moreover,
you have to consider their ages.
Playing as a right half in the
coming years will not be easy.
Rosales belongs to 1988 and Alex
González to 1992. The one who
gets to the National Team must
have a topmost level. In the line
of attack you speak of Salomón
Rondón, Miku Fedor, Frank
Feltscher, Gelmin Rivas, Josef
Martínez, Machis, Aristeguieta
and, recently, we did not speak
of these players. In the Copa
América, we had Moreno,
Maldonado, Arismendi. An
evolution has begun that will exert
great pressure upon the older
National Team, though such
growth will not only concern the
National Team. Many players will
be in the local tournament and it
will also grow in importance.
You must be patient for we are
working a lot with juveniles.
Nowadays, the will to
qualify in Venezuela is almost
a ”must”. How do you
handle it?
We have taken it as an
obligation not to fail Venezuela, to
qualify to a World Cup for this
activity to keep on winning seats
of honour in the country on a
long-term basis and that is a great
responsibility and we get used to
living with it. The players must be
prevented from being exerted so
much pressure.
Colombia and Ecuador
seemed to be your direct
rivals, and afterwards
Uruguay and Chile. Who
are you fighting against?
It is relative, since Ecuador
and Colombia developed as any
other national team. This is like
this, you win two or three
matches and climb up. You may
also get two or three bad results
against and you are in danger.
Differences are not so marked yet;
there is still much to be done and
we must keep our regularity.
In the past, the National
Team’s objective consisted of
being able to play on an equal
basis against all rivals. What
is it now?
Now we play against all our
rivals to win. Venezuela used to
Con Lino Alonso, Marcos Mathías y César Baena. “Ya dirigimos muchas competencias.
Poco a poco vamos siendo una seleccción que sostiene cosas en todos los niveles”.
With Lino Alonso, Marcos Mathías and César Baena. “We have already directed many
competitions. Little by little we’re becoming a team that supports things at every level”.
play a match to make history,
to be heroic. They have won
everybody in South America and
they have been among the four
first teams during the latest three
years. They also have won as
visitors in many fields of play. We
have tied in Brazil and won in
Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay,
Uruguay, Chile, Colombia. There
are already very few of the
“never” ones. The Venezuelans
know that they can conquer
many things, though we still lack
MIGUEL VALLENILLA / GRADADIGITAL.COM
a good result in Buenos Aires.
What is your opinion as
to this kind of Qualifiers?
There are coaches who say
that neither the Spanish nor the
Italian leagues can be compared
to us. The emotional part goes
from one end to the other with a
tremendous ease. You have a
match today and another one
within four days. That is a great
responsibility with long journeys,
different climates, heights,
historical national teams, though
all that is an incentive for you
since you know that you are inside
a strong competition, that you can
measure yourself with your rivals
and you have the chance to
qualify to the World Cup. All this
makes you grow immensely. For
us, this is a blessing more than a
conflict. The round robin format
has benefited the growth of
Venezuelan Football.
What does the people
say in Venezuela?
You feel the people are ready
to help you wherever you go.
They know that we are devoted
to our team and they dream of
qualifying for a World Cup. I tell
them that we are doing whatever
we can to succeed and that we
have all the elements to do it.
Figures are to our favor; we
cannot resign nor disorient us and
we must try to deal with the star
system the other national teams
have enforced, which our players
are beginning to have. That is
something that has naturally
appeared and we can keep our
self-control in those final matches.
How do you live this
challenge from your personal
viewpoint?
I have had illusion of many
years to coach a Senior World
Cup. That is the utmost
achievement for a coach and we
have been preparing ourselves for
it since we have the elements that
may take us to enjoy all that. You
can go to a great club, a great
national team, though you cannot
describe the sentimental aspect of
what you feel for your own
country. To be in the Qualifiers
and coach in the country you
were born, where you developed
and learned, there is nothing with
which you can pay for all that.
CSF ● 87