"We have a very committed group": Jorge Da Silva

América de Cali continues training after their important away victory against Atlético Bucaramanga, the current Colombian league champions. In that match, valid for Matchday 6, the Red Devils won 2-1 with goals from Duván Vergara and Adrián Ramos near the end of the game.

The American team will play the following matches as the home team at the Bello Horizonte stadium in Villavicencio due to the renovations of the Pascual Guerrero stadium and the Women's Under-20 World Cup that will be held at that sports venue.

América will have several days without competition, but they will have a period of intense preparation for their upcoming league matches. We spoke with our head coach, Jorge Da Silva, about these training sessions.

What aspects of the game are being corrected during these training days?

Several of us believe we still need to improve. We've intensified some training sessions these past few days. It's also true that we had some issues with a few players, and we've used this time to get them back in shape, as in the cases of Cristián, Holgado, and Balanta. We hope to have the full squad available next week.

Are there any aspects of performance that you are particularly concerned about and are working hard to improve?

General aspects. It's true we've had some issues with aerial play, but as I said before, this isn't a team with a particularly tall average height, so naturally we're going to struggle. But against Bucaramanga, we saw a significant improvement in that area. I think there are many aspects we need to continue improving, but there isn't one specific thing that worries us more than another.

What have you liked most about the team so far, that it's been strengthening during these days without competition?

The team has several very positive aspects. I've really liked the team's attitude and their commitment to what we've proposed from day one; we haven't deviated from it. Sometimes it worked better than others. Luckily, it's been yielding results so far, but we have to keep improving.

Are there any tactical changes at an individual or collective level that are being sought during these days?

We always take advantage of this time to look for changes, to have options. Every game is different, every match unfolds differently; you have to have alternatives, look for options, variations. Now we're using this time to work on that as well.

Coach, you mentioned as a former player that it's possible that during these days without competition, the players might relax a bit. How do you keep the group focused and ready for what's coming?

It's true. One of my concerns about the inactivity, or lack thereof, is that the team might become complacent, considering there's still a long way to go before the next match. But we have a very mature squad, with many experienced players who are also very focused on this issue. However, the coaching staff and I are working together to stay on top of the players every day, ensuring that training sessions go as smoothly as possible. Fortunately, we have a very receptive group that's working very well together.

Watch the full video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuMnDIl97iM