Ecuador (La Tri) in Brazil……..
This will be their 3rd Fifa World Cup, and Ecuador is looking to better their World Cup record. With a 7-4-5 (W-D-L) record, they are not entering the competition without some bruises.
The biggest bruise (or may I say wound), that Ecuador received before this tournament will be the loss of their star forward, Christian ‘Chucho’ Benítez. Chucho’s untimely death was a major blow to the Ecuadorian team, and the world of futbol at large.
Christian Benitez (1986-2013)
–Let us take a moment and remember this talented futbol player, and man.
The Venom
Felipe Caicedo is the man to look to as the leader in attack. He has the strength, pace and agility, all the things needed to make a defenders time on the pitch unbearable. Jaime Ayoví is another man to look for up front to help Caicedo.
Caicedo
The Control and Support
In the midfield, we will be looking to the flanks for the Manchester United’s winger, Antonio Valencia. Valencia is the star attraction in this team.
Antonia Valencia
He is the closest person to date to have attempted to fill the shoes that the superstar Cristiano Ronaldo left behind at Manchester United F.C. His precise crossing will come in handy, just as much as his dashing runs against opposing defenders.
Joao Rojas is another winger in midfield who should be given an attention. Luis Saritama, Jefferson Montero and Segundo Castillo will all be important parts to this midfield line up
The Bouncers
We are not sure how much longer Ivan Hurtado will be at service for Ecuador. If he decides to extend his record of being the most capped player in Ecuadorian futbol history, this will still be the man to keep the defense in line.
There is also in the defensive line, Walter Ayoví, Juan Carlos Paredes and Frickson Erazo, who will all be playing major roles to keep Ecuador in the competition.
So what is it for the Ecuadorian?
The difficulty of their task got intensified with the passing of Christian Benitez.
They have not been able to win a major international competition, yet. This would be an incentive to go for it, with less pressure from fans expectations. Group E is quite an open group. With a good tactical line up, they can come out as #1 in the group.
It will be in their best interest to get point from their earlier games, because the final group game will be against the only team in the group to have a World Cup win to their name.
But this is futbol, there will be some drama, suspense and surprises. And that is why we will have to be watching to see if Ecuador will make their advantage count.
