With the ethics of Pekerman and the aesthetics of Bielsa, Néstor Lorenzo put together a collectible Colombia and is encouraged to dream of the Copa América

The ethics of José Néstor Pekerman and the aesthetics of Marcelo Bielsa. This could be summarized as Colombia national team that dazzles in the America Cup by the hand of Nestor Lorenzoa coach who lived many years (16) under the shadow of José and who is now about to make history with the coffee growers, who on Saturday will face Panama for the quarterfinals.

Lorenzo, who as a footballer played the first and last games of the 1990 World Cup, learned a lot from football and life from Pekerman, his friend and mentor. With José they walked side by side for years: Argentina National Team (2005-2006), Toluca (2007-2008), Tigres (2009) and Colombia National Team (2012-2018). The separation came during Pekerman’s stay in Venezuela: there Lorenzo decided to launch his career as head coach and took over at Melgar in Peru. It would be the start of something big.

In Peruvian lands, Lorenzo made Melgar an author team. He was champion of the 2022 Apertura Tournament and had a great campaign in the Copa Sudamericana, beating Racing 3-1 in Arequipa in the group zone. That’s when the phone from the Colombian Federation rang.

Lorenzo did not hesitate because he knew everything about Colombia from his years with Pekerman. The first days were one of uncertainty among Colombian fans due to the coach’s lack of experience. But he quickly began to fall in love to all: He is undefeated since he took office, with 17 wins and 6 draws. And more: the Tricolor has accumulated 26 games without defeats (20 and 6) and was one away from equaling the historical record achieved by Francisco Maturana between 1993 and 1994.

But something particular happens with Lorenzo’s Colombia: It looks more like a Bielsa team than a Pekerman team. It is a game of vertigo and suffocating pressure that the coach born in Villa Celina 58 years ago proposes. He is also ambitious: he opts for a 4-3-1-2, with two forwards on the outside (Jhon Córdoba and Luis Díaz) who do not get between the center backs. The hitchhiker James Rodríguez, with great performances in the Copa América, must reach that sector.

The central midfielder is Jefferson Lerma, who will not be against Panama for reaching the limit of warnings. On their sides they play John Arias (who in Fluminense acts as a winger) and Richard RiosPalmeiras midfielder with a lot of reading to recover in the rival field.

To this mid-offensive sector we must add the two full-backs, Daniel Muñoz y Deiver Machado, who attack as much as they defend. The centrals are Davinson Sanchez y Carlos Cuesta.

Lorenzo also demonstrated that he has the pulse to handle the egos of established footballers: he manages to get the best out of James Rodriguez. In dealing with footballers he is more similar to Pekerman. And he has character: he had no problems marginalizing Radamel Falcao already Juan Guillermo Cuadradoand in relegating the goalkeeper to the substitute bench David Ospina.

“I have a lot of hope of putting Colombia at the top. The replacement fails or gets frustrated when there are no results. You have to build trust, work hard with humility. The boys will consolidate as soon as there is a very strong group,” said Lorenzo upon taking over in Colombia, in June 2022. And he warned: “José (Pekerman) has taught me a lot, I have learned a lot from him. The style could be similar, however, I trust that my team will have much more aggressiveness in the games let us dispute.”