The hiring of Jordi Cruyff raises doubts about Ecuador's national team
The hiring of Jordi Cruyff as the new coach of the Ecuadorian national team raises doubts about what the Dutchman will be able to achieve with his work, due to his inexperience as a coach and even more so because his arrival to the national team will mark his debut in a national team.
At 45 years old, the coach, who was presented on Monday by the Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF), has previously coached Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel and Chongqing Lifan in China.
"He has no experience leading a national team and this will be his first and most important one. We will have to wait and see how he performs in his work and in the results," said former Ecuadorian captain Álex Aguinaga.
However, el Güero expressed his displeasure by affirming that there are "intelligent coaches" in the country who can take on a long-term job like the one the Ecuadorian Football Federation will assign to Cruyff for three years. "There are qualified people, but they trust more in foreigners and this is a continuity that has been going on for a long time with some leaders," he commented.
According to Esteban Ávila, from the Quito radio station La Redonda, the arrival of Johan Cruyff's son "is a risky bet." He argued: "The moment of Ecuadorian football is delicate and a coach without a trajectory arrives, considering that Cruyff's most experienced role is as a sporting director. It is a significant risk given that all the South American national teams, except for Argentina, have highly experienced coaches."
Meanwhile, Tarcisio Romero, from the capital radio station Cobertura, expressed some unease upon learning that Cruyff was the chosen one. "Without seeing the new coach's work, we cannot discredit him, but the expectations were different based on the announcement made by the FEF in the first instance," he said.
"Work" is the only path left for the strategist, said Aguinaga when evaluating that Ecuador is 72 days away from playing against Argentina - in Buenos Aires - for the qualifying rounds for the 2022 World Cup. "Hopefully he can have microcycles, visit the players in their clubs, observe matches, because if there is no time for that, he will have to rely on Jorge Célico (the interim coach)," he analyzed.
Ávila was more direct. "Célico is the only guarantee that this won't start from scratch," he emphasized, although he said that Cruyff, having been a sporting director, will be more viable to seek the work method according to the Ecuadorian media.
Meanwhile, Romero viewed with "concern the little time the coach will have to work". "He must make the players assimilate his idea as soon as possible in order to compete with some possibility of success (against Argentina and then against Uruguay)," he opined.
It was known that Cruyff met with Célico yesterday to discuss the work in the national team.
"I don't know if Cruyff will be demanded immediate results and if any decision will depend on that; but I don't think so, because they have given him a contract for three years."
Álex Aguinaga, former captain of the national team
"Coach Cruyff must convince the player that his proposal is the best for the national team, and since there is no more time, he must visit them in their clubs."
Tarcisio Romero, Cobertura radio
"The hiring of coach Jordi Cruyff is an uncertainty. Ecuador is making a bet that may or may not pay off. It's like flipping a coin."
Esteban Ávila, journalist from La Redonda
(I)