Radamel Falcao’s absence causes issues for Colombia
He is of the most feared and recognized strikers in world football, and he’s not going to the World Cup. Radamel Falcao was primed to lead the line for Colombia in their first appearance at a World Cup since 1998, and they will have to negotiate the tournament without their talisman (full details here).
With his removal and exclusion from Jose Pekerman’s final 23-man squad, Colombia now find themselves in a bit of a quandary – who will replace El Tigre?
"Strikers available for selection in Brazil:– Jackson Martinez (27, FC Porto) 27 caps, 8 goals– Adrian Ramos (28, Borussia Dortmund) 24 caps, 2 goals– Teofilo Gutierrez (29, River Plate) 29 caps, 12 goals– Carlos Bacca (27, Sevilla) 10 caps, 3 goals"
Colombia are not short of options at striker, each of the four feature prominently for their clubs, but the question of who is the proper fit remains to be answered.
Jackson Martinez: highly touted at FC Porto where he has 46 goals in 60 league appearances and 60 goals in 91 total appearances – fantastic strike rate, good enough for one of the best in Europe. Martinez however has not been able to replicate his club form when he puts on the Colombia shirt, and while 8 goals in 27 caps is not abysmal, it is perhaps short of what will be needed. The trump card for Martinez however is that he will have chemistry with both James Rodriguez (former Porto team mate) and Juan Quintero (current team mate). If Pekerman was to gamble on him, he would rise or fall based off the ability to click with Rodriguez and Quintero in very short order. Despite his questionable performances, Martinez is the best finisher Colombia have available to them.
Adrian Ramos: he just completed a substantial move from Hertha Berlin to Borussia Dortmund this summer after a fine season for the capital club. 57 goals in 150 club appearances is a very solid return, but he is even worse than Martinez when it comes to forgetting how to score when he’s playing for his country. Ramos scores a goal for every 12 appearances he makes, and despite his reputation in Germany, there is little reason to believe that Pekerman will call on him for Colombia ahead of his other options.
Teofilo Gutierrez: the humor in Gutierrez is that he is the exact opposite of Martinez and Ramos. He is not even close to prolific at club level (14 goals in his last 53 appearances at club level), but he was fantastic for Colombia during their World Cup qualifying campaign, netting six goals in the process. This gives Pekerman something to consider when it comes to Gutierrez, who despite being poor elsewhere, he shines for his country. The problem with Gutierrez is that he is better when paired with another striker, and for Pekerman to change tactical setups now could potentially prove costly.
Carlos Bacca: goalscoring is not a problem when it comes to Bacca – 21 goals in 52 appearances for Sevilla this season is a solid return in his first year there. Bacca even has an eye for a pass that saw him contribute 12 assists in the same amount of appearances. He is the most well rounded of all the strikers and he has excellent pace, but the problem with him lies in his inability to put away key chances when called upon. Much like Olivier Giroud at Arsenal, Bacca requires five or six chances before he tucks one away, and in a World Cup scenario, that could prove costly. However, his ability to set up others comes to the fore, and considering the attacking talents of James Rodriguez, Juan Quintero, Victor Ibarbo and Juan Cuadrado, Bacca may actually be the right choice.
Truth be told, without Falcao, Colombia are not nearly as deadly. Many had pegged the South American team as a potential dark-horse this summer, and much of that was attributed to Falcao being fit and in form. With Falcao absent, Los Cafeteros may struggle in the long term to live up to expectations in Brazil. Even though they boast talented players who can replace their talisman on paper, this may very well end up being a summer of “what ifs.”