As we enter the last days of 2019
Football thoughts after a long time without sending you a newsletter
Estas fechas siempre son buenas para recordar, and to be thankful. The reality is that these past months I haven’t been watching a lot of football. I feel like this is the first real break I’ve had from it since my high school days when every day was about getting one step closer to college, whether that was by participating in extracurricular activities or studying for quizzes.
I will admit, though, that this pause on the football consumption has been minimal; we’re talking about three months or so. September and October were solely devoted on watching the Astros’ run to the World Series. They managed to get there, just to lose Game 7 and all their home games. And then if you include the Brandon Taubman scandal, and the sign-stealing evidence, the end result has been a big letdown. Who knows what the future holds for a team that was barely taking off.
During this time, I reserved about a week or so of each of the following months - September, October and November - to translate articles sobre la Concacaf Nations League. For me, it was an excellent opportunity to translate terrific work from the various journalists, who collaborate with Concacaf to bring to light the stories of the region. It was also an opportunity to get to know a bit more about different national teams, and how these Nations League games could potentially boost their level of play in years to come. New strong players in the region will always be welcomed, but now we have to wait until next year to see if any new players will take a peek and complicate things. Looks like Suriname will be a national team to keep in the lookout; they could be one of the surprising participants in the 2026 World Cup.
So after giving you an idea as to why De Lejitos has been super quiet lately, here’s an edition of #ElFabFive, como en los viejos tiempos.
1. I didn’t expect Diego Lainez’s 2019-2020 to be where it’s at as I’m writing these lines. I suspect that Rubi, Betis’ manager, expected to give him playing time as the season progressed, but that hasn’t been the case. Luckily in recent weeks because of key players missing out due to injury, Lainez has received needed playing time. Around this time last year, Lainez was celebrating a league title with las águilas, and on the verge of moving to Europe. I do believe that he’s in a point of his career, where he needs playing time to showcase what he has to offer. It’s unlikely that Betis will guarantee him a considerable amount of playing time from now until the end of the season, so the best bet will be for Betis to find a destination for Lainez to get on the field as much as possible. A loan to a Second Division side with high aspirations to win promotion could be a great place to land, but as many experts have pointed out, a loan to Leganés, where “Vasco” Aguirre is the manager, could also be an excellent option. The best is yet to come for Lainez, who has shown impeccable maturity throughout these hard times without consistent playing time.
2. The Mexican player to watch in 2020 will be José Juan Macías, whose return to Chivas will be closely followed. His job will be to repeat or even surpass the numbers he gave at León. What Ricardo Peláez has brought into the club is a sense of balance, and that will certainly benefit Macías and many others. What Macías should be focusing on now is on how he’s going to succeed con el equipo de sus amores.
3. The Liga MX final between Monterrey and América will be special. But before mentioning a bit more on the Turco vs. Piojo final, let’s point out that Necaxa and Morelia gave great battles. Some of the best tactical showings in the Liguilla so far came from Morelia and/or Necaxa. I do think this final has the potential to go all the way to penalties, but then again, there are players like Charly Rodríguez, Rodolfo Pizarro, Sebastián Córdova and Guido Rodríguez, who could easily give performances so good that one team ends up having the advantage. Will the fact that the final will close out at Azteca make any difference? Turco already lost two Liga MX finals with Monterrey, será que la tercera es la vencida? Piojo quiere ser el próximo Tuca, without a doubt winning another league title will elevate that possibility.
4. One of the best things about football is that it’s a sport that gives room to those unexpected heroes. Those quiet soldiers that get recognition in the most difficult moments, when everything is on the line. Federico Viñas is a great example. Viñas, who came on loan from Uruguay’s Juventud, has become a fan favorite in a matter of weeks. I look forward to what he will offer in the final, and what’s to come after America buys him from Juventud. He’s humble, not flashy. He gets the job done in a quiet, but efficient way.
5. Se viene un 2020, lleno de sorpresas y aprendizajes. I look forward to this new year, and I hope you can join me. Gracias por leer De Lejitos. Thanks for reading the posts in 2019. Les deseo una bonita Navidad, y que sigan cumpliendo todos sus sueños. Un abrazo fuerte!