Ecuador opened the World Cup with a win against Qatar in a game that probably has one of the best ratings of the entire tournament. Just because it was the stand alone game of the day to open the tournament right after the inauguration ceremony. In that game everyone in the soccer world had these two takeaways. Qatar is not going to be able to compete in the World Cup on their home soil, and also Ecuador can be a handful. Ecuador was able to validate those takeaways with a draw against the Netherlands in the second game of the group. In a game that they potentially should’ve won.
What We Really Like About Ecuador
Ecuador is a team that physically and speed wise can compete with the best of them. That gives you a ton of advantages because a lot of times for Latin American teams they know coming in that they’re going to have to do something to ensure that their physical deficiencies don’t affect them. This becomes a real problem with a shorter team trying to defend corners for example. Ecuador does not have a physicality or a speed problem that they have to try and hide somehow.
Also, they’re a team that’s willing to go after, and press any opponent. The Netherlands scored in the first five minutes of the game and that could’ve been a problem for Ecuador. However, they fought back claiming possession of the ball and pushed the Netherlands back into their own third of the field. They proved throughout this game that they are not just a physical team that’s going to rely on speed and space to be able to beat you. They can compete for possession and make their opponents defend almost in their own box. Which is exactly where the Netherlands were for a large portion of the game.
They haven’t been tested as much at the back. After the Netherlands’ goal Ecuador’s midfield was able to keep the European team at bay for most of the game. Ecuador likes to press, and still play fast, but they may open themselves up a bit too much. They could struggle against a team that prioritizes possession of the ball in tight spaces. Spain being the perfect example of a team that likes to do just that!
Is The Netherlands Going To Be Able To Make A Deep Run In The Tournament?
Ecuador looked good there should be no doubt about that, but the Netherlands also revealed that there are a lot of questions with this squad. The win against Senegal is going to help them advance because all logic indicates that they should beat Qatar. Cody Gakpo has proven to be the only certainty offensively for the Netherlands team. He’s been efficient in front of goal, but at the same time he’s not being put in front of goal too many times per game. That’s more on the rest of his teammates than it is on him!
The midfield which was supposed to be the strength of the team lacks some fight. The talented plays that Frankie de Jong can provide are great. He seems to lack a lot of fight though. In these tournaments when it’s win or go home a midfield that isn’t willing to sacrifice or just can’t compete physically is a liability.
That’s why we can make the argument that Ecuador is better equipped to make a deep run in the tournament. Oddly enough though, a bad outing against Senegal and Ecuador could be heading home. For their part the Netherlands are going to have a very good chance to advance at the top of the group. In spite of the fact that they have looked nowhere near as dominant as we expected them to.
