Juniors, draws and losses | Column by Hugo Illera Jimenez

The sentence that “he who assembles a contest to draw loses in the end” is the same as the opposite. In both cases, the ‘fear’ of losing determines success or failure.

There are coaches who are expected (rare) despite not winning (Amaranto) and there are coaches who are not expected despite not losing because they are more right than winning (Suárez).

I have often heard José Varacka say to his players when they go on the field, at home or away, “and if we can’t win, let’s draw, but let’s not lose”.

Varacka’s teams lost little. There was a year when he only lost three games.

It is possible that the formula for success is that the losses are less than the draws and the draws are no more than the wins.

Football coaches who bet on one thing or another are almost doomed to draws and defeats, but not to wins. The wins are for the players.

I understood a long time ago that there are shared responsibilities between the coach and the players. The coach assembles a starting team, but does not play. Contribute the idea on a cool board. The players who run, play football and score or score are the players.

It also happens when in the changes in the matches. The technician observes and decides to correct things or take advantage of his rival’s shortcomings, but it is the player who enters who is responsible for carrying out the mission. Sometimes it comes out, sometimes it doesn’t.

The phrase that “the technician didn’t get the changes” isn’t that exact. For the technician it is the idea, but for the players it is the realization.

I return to Varakka. If you’ve been fighting for 60, 70, 80 minutes and haven’t been able to score a goal, it may be best to secure a draw that adds a point and not lose the three.

In recent cases, Junior and Colombia have served that sentence. It happened to DT Cruz Real against Caldas and Pereira and he lost both times. It happened to Profe Rueda with Peru and he lost a point that he had already added in the draw. Point out that today would be gold.

It is true that there are engineers who bet on a draw and lose or bet on win and lose.

But between the one and the other there must be enough synderesis to delay an eventual win and keep the consolation prize which, seen later, could serve to qualify for a next round.

And it’s really something in football, you can’t always win. And if you can’t win right away, don’t lose. They might as well criticize you, but you’ve added up and because defeats end up hurting more than draws…

Source: El heraldo

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