master and disciple
The model of Argentine success has a franchise in Venezuela.
At the end of 2021, José Néstor Pekerman took over the management of Vinotinto with an objective between his eyebrows: to qualify for the World Cup for the first time.
With a view to achieving that purpose, Pekerman appointed former defender Fabricio Coloccini to the U-20 team, one of his disciples when he was the World Cup champion in the category in 2001.
Known for his time at English Newcastle, the 40-year-old “lion of the metro” will have his first experience leading a team.
Coloccini “is going to be important for the Pekerman process” training players who can integrate the senior team in “one, two or three years,” Hovannes Marsuian, an analyst for the specialized youth soccer website La Pizarra del DT, told AFP.
Change of model
The new wave of young coaches in the U-20 teams turns around the traditional model in South America, where “normally you always try to get experienced coaches because the treatment of youth has always (was thought) as that role of an older person who has authority”, analyzes Marsuain.
The competition that seeks the next stars of the continent will also see Bolivian Pablo Escobar coaching his team after retiring in 2018 and brief stints with The Strongest and Sol de América from Paraguay.
Also Jimmi Bran looking for the two-time championship with Ecuador in his first experience as DT or the international debut of Marcelo Broli and Patricio Ormazabal, of ephemeral steps for modest teams from Uruguay and Chile, respectively.
“They are coaches who may not have a huge career path (…) but they are highly experienced people in communication” with young players, remarks Marsuain.