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Colombia are the dark horses for the 2015 Copa America following their impressive performance at the 2014 World Cup. The team reached the quarter-finals under the guidance of Jose Pekerman – their best ever finish in the tournament. Their stylish and attacking football caught the eye of many fans worldwide and expectations surrounding the team for the Copa America have increased manifold.
They go into the Copa America with one of the best strike forces on paper and some quality midfielders to support them, but the team will still miss the quality of Fredy Guarin in midfield. Nevertheless, the team’s morale will get a huge lift for the Copa America due to the return of Radamel Falcao, who missed the World Cup last year due to an injury.
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Here are five players to watch out for from Colombia at the Copa America.
5) David Ospina
The Colombian goalkeeper gained some fame after a good show at the FIFA World Cup last year following which he signed for Arsenal. Ospina was mainly used as a backup for Szczesny for almost the entire first half of the season owing mainly to his injury. But the 26-year-old finally got his chance to shine after Szczesny was benched after his disastrous performance against Southampton in January.
After Ospina started in goal regularly for Arsenal, the club went on to win 14 of its 22 games with him in goal and only lost thrice while conceding only 13 goals in those matches. Overall Ospina played just 18 league games for Arsenal and in those games he kept 8 clean sheets.
The former Nice man has been a crucial member of the Colombian team for many years and will be the first choice goalkeeper for the country without any doubt. He will need to be on the top of his game if Colombia are to keep out the dangerous attacking teams of South America and it will be a daunting task as the defence is not Colombia’s strong suit.
4) Juan Cuadrado
Juan Cuadrado was a hero for Colombia at the World Cup with a tournament-high four assists and a goal to his name as well. The pacy Colombian was a treat to watch with his blistering runs and tricks on the ball.The 27-year-old who completed his transfer to Chelsea last January has struggled to make an impact at the London club and had to watch his teammates lead the team to a League and Cup double.
Cuadrado will be looking to put the last few months behind him and return to the 2014 form while playing for Fiorentina. And Colombia will be eager to see him do the same as he scored 25 goals and grabbed 18 assists during his time at La Viola.
The Chelsea man’s pace and work rate will be very important for Colombia down the right wing and if he can form a good partnership with Zuniga down that flank then it will make life very difficult for opposition full backs. Cuadrado will be looking to put up another brilliant show for his country so that he can win the faith of his manager at Chelsea, Jose Mourinho, and make his way into the starting eleven next season.
3) Carlos Bacca
A few years ago nobody would have heard of Carlos Bacca, but today a vast majority of the avid football fans around the world know of the Colombian striker because of his exploits at club level with Sevilla. After signing from Belgian club Brugge in 2013, he became an integral part of Unai Emery’s squad that won back-to-back Europa League titles.
The striker scored 28 goals and provided 9 assists last season and 21 goals and 6 assists in the season before that, of which the highlight was his goal against Real Madrid which dented Real’s hopes of winning the La Liga. Bacca will be joining the Colombian training camp high on confidence after his triumphant performance in the final of the Europa League in which he scored two goals and ensured his team’s victory as well as qualification for the UEFA Champions League next season.
It is baffling why Pekerman didn’t trust Bacca enough to use him at the World Cup last year, especially with no Falcao in the team. But the manager may not make the same mistake again as Bacca has scored 4 goals and provided 1 assist in the six international matches he featured in after the World Cup.
Colombia is likely to use a formation with two strikers up front and Bacca has a very good chance of making one of those positions his own.
2) James Rodriguez
James Rodriguez was the star of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, winning the Golden Boot with six goals in just five games. He also provided two assists and inspired his team to their best ever finish in the tournament and was nominated for the Golden Ball award.
Rodriguez moved to Europe in 2010 and joined Porto and he rose to stardom there after scoring 32 goals for the club playing down the wings or as an attacking midfielder. He left Porto to sign for Monaco in 2013 and finished his only season in Ligue 1 as the league’s highest assist provider with 12 to his name and also scored 9 goals. His good performances at both club and international level for many years caught the eye of Real Madrid and then a move materialized after the FIFA World Cup.
James has been a member of the Colombian senior team since 2011 and has scored 12 goals and provided 8 assists for his side in just 33 games! His versatility will come in handy for Colombia as James is capable of playing as an attacking midfielder or as winger. He operated in both the roles at the World Cup.
Colombia will hope James can carry his good form from the World Cup and his debut season for Real Madrid, in which he scored 17 goals and provided 16 assists, into the Copa America.
1) Radamel Falcao
Falcao was unfortunate to miss out on participating in the FIFA World Cup due to a ligament injury and it left many Colombian fans devastated, but the prolific striker is now fit and ready to lead his side to Copa America glory. The 29-year-old is now Colombia’s captain after the retirement of Mario Yepes and rightly so since he is an inspirational figure for the people of Colombia. He is also the country’s leading goal scorer of all time.
He will be looking to forget his disappointing season with Manchester United in which he could only manage to find the back of the net four times and will be hoping to recapture his form from his Atletico Madrid days. Interestingly, despite his poor form at the club level, Falcao has scored 5 goals for Colombia this season in just 6 games.
A good performance at the Copa America will do Falcao a world of good ahead of the next season and it could even help him secure a move away from Monaco to another top club in Europe.
