Vinotinto is in the middle of a pendulum between glory or disappointment

The Red wine maintains the intact illusion of qualifying for the first time in its football history to a Worldalthough his coach Fernando Batista warned that the team cannot fail in the six matches that are missing in the South American qualifiers.

Batista left this message during the clash that lost 3-1 against the United States, last January 18 at the Inter Miami stadium in Fort Laudardele. He was the only Vinotinto match before resuming the qualifiers against Ecuador, as a visitor on March 19.

“Those desire for the World Cup that has all the Venezuelan people, I am the first to have them,” exclaimed the Argentine strategist. “We are in the fight, near the classification zone. We depend on us. ”

Indeed, after 12 games the Venezuelan squad is in eighth place with 12 points in the middle of a pendulum between glory or disappointment.

The first six will be classified directly and the seventh will go to an intercontinental repechage by the last quota. Bolivia marches seventh with 13 units and down Chile with nine and Peru with seven. Everything can happen.

“We have the anxiety of all Venezuelans, we will have a year of definition,” said Batista. “We are at a point in the repechage and five of the direct classification.”

After the meeting in Fort Lauderdale, the Vinotinto strategist said they are already focused on the matches that come against Ecuador and Peru in March. He announced that for the duel in Quito they project to acclimatize in a place of altitude similar to the Ecuadorian capital (2,820 m on sea level, about 9,300 feet).

“We cannot fail, we have to be prepared to face the local parties against direct rivals,” added the technician. “Before starting the qualifiers I told the boys who were going to be 18 finals, we have six left.”

Batista summarized that in 2023 the Vinotinto had a great year and 2024 was very complicated because he had to receive the three world champions of the continent, Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil, and managed to tie them, but as a visitor lost against direct and very difficult rivals : Bolivia, Paraguay (sixth in the qualifiers) and Chile.

“If we want to get to the World Cup we have to adjust the mental, football and the physical,” Batista explained. “To achieve that goal we must win the most points of the 18 in dispute that we have left.”

Venezuela needs between 10 and 12 points to get into the World Cup. This means that you must win your three games at home and start at least one draw outside.

The last three commitments of the Vinotinto will be against the best teams in South America, but it is possible that they are already classified by then: Uruguay (second, 20 points), Argentina (first, 25) and Colombia (fourth, 19).

The southern Florida tour allowed Batista to see and sign new elements, who can be very necessary in the final sections of the qualifiers.

“We knew that the game against the United States was to see players,” said the coach. “Some debuted, many players left good feelings and a positive analysis; The idea was to see many Venezuelan local soccer players who sometimes don’t have this opportunity. ”

Batista also referred to the Venezuelan international midfielder Telasco Segovia, who has just signed with Inter Miami.

“I am very happy with Segovia’s pass to Inter,” said the coach. “He is a great boy, who will know how to take the possibility of playing at this level, with a great coach and with the privilege of playing with the best in the world (Lionel Messi). If he is doing well, he is doing well. ”

The six Vinotinto finals

19-03 Ecuador vs. Venezuela

24-03 Venezuela vs. Peru

03-06 Venezuela vs. Bolivia

08-06 Uruguay vs. Venezuela

08-09 Argentina vs. Venezuela

13-09 Venezuela vs. Colombia