Copa Libertadores 2022: How Independiente del Valle gained the edge over América Mineiro – tactical analysis

América Mineiro hosted Independiente del Valle in the first matchday of the 2022 Copa Libertadores Group Stage.

América made history by qualifying for the Copa Libertadores for the first time in the club’s history. More impressively, the club achieved this in their first season back in Brazils first division. After Vagner Mancini left for Grêmio halfway through the 2021 Brasileiro, Marquinhos Santos did a great job in not only surviving relegation but also breaking into the top half of the table. After beating Paraguay’s Guarani and Ecuador’s Barcelona in the qualification rounds, América look to be competitive in their first-ever Libertadores appearance.

On the other hand, Independiente del Valle, or IDV, have been significantly increasing their reputation over the past decade. They reached Ecuador’s first division for the first time in their history back in 2010. Since then, they have been constantly appearing in continental competitions. With the young Spanish manager, Miguel Ángel Ramírez, they won the Copa Sudamericana as the first trophy in the club’s history. After Ramírez departed for Internacional in early 2021, they hired another European manager in the Portuguese Renato Paiva. In 2021, Paiva won Ecuador’s first division.

In this tactical analysis, we will examine both teams’ tactics in this match, and what gave IDV the edge in this tight contest.

Lineups

In 2022, América have alternated between a 4-3-3, a 4-4-2, and a 4-2-3-1. Against IDV, they lined up in a 4-3-3. While Jaílson was in goal, Patric, Conti, Iago, and Marlon were the back four. Lucas Kal was the single pivot behind Alê and Juninho. Paulinho Bóia was the centre-forward flanked by Everaldo and Pedrinho.

Independiente del Valle lined up in a dynamic 5-4-1, which could turn into a 3-4-3 offensively. Ramirez was in goal, with Carabajal, Schunke, and Segovia as the centre-backs. Perlaza was the right wing-back while the young Chávez played on the left.  Faravelli and Pellerano were the two midfielders while Previtali and Sornoza were more advanced. Ayoví was the centre-forward.

IDVs solid defensive structure

Coming into this match, both teams looked to dominate possession. In 2022, América average 58.52% possession compared to IDV’s 60%. As both teams value possession and aim to keep the ball, the end result was obvious. Each team had large spells of possession throughout the 90 minutes, as seen in América’s possession timeline below.

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