Colombia is in trouble.

After blowing home-field advantage and losing to Argentina 1-0, the team fell to seventh in the CONMEBOL standings and is currently two points out of the final playoff spot in what is looking like a rather complex qualifying battle.

In 2014 Colombia got off to a slow start as well before cruising into a top four spot. But that cycle the team had no Brazil to worry about and Uruguay was a team in freefall. Now the team is looking at an Ecuadorian side that looks unstoppable, a reinvigorated Uruguay that has yet to showcase Luis Suarez, a Brazil team finally get itself together, a Paraguayan side that also looks renewed, a Chilean team that won the Copa America and an Argentine side that has yet to play with Lionel Messi.

Meanwhile Colombia and its attacking style look sterile and uninventive.

Let's remember what made Colombia so successful in 2014. Balanced attacking that revolved around a strong and speedy counter. A deep midfield that only utilized one striker at the top to finish off attacks. This allowed for more fluidity along the flanks and even greater control in the middle of the pitch.

But since 2015 started coach Jose Peckerman has oddly opted for a different approach. Some combination of a 4-2-2-2 or 4-4-2 formation that allows Colombia to use two strikers at the top of the pitch. That might not be such a bad idea when playing a counter attacking game. Having two forwards forces the opposing defense to split up its defensive attention, thus opening up space and causing more havoc on the counter.

Except that Peckerman has instead opted for a playing style that is not suited by a 4-2-2 at all - possession.

Here are some ingredients for possession. Depth in the midfield and up top. Teams that play this style will often utilize a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation because of how many midfielders are available in the middle of the park and the width that is allowed as well up front. A 4-4-2 is arguably the flattest formation offering only two midfielders in the middle of the park. Playing the triangle game is not suited to this style because it would then require the two forwards to come back into the midfield to receive the ball and help the buildup. The problem is that most strikers, while being good hold up players in some respects, are not the most skilled of passers. They are known for their striking skills and speed in transition. On Colombia that is exactly what the forwards are. Whether it be Jackson Martinez, Carlos Bacca or Teofilo Gutierrez, all of these players are strong attackers that are far from tremendous creative stars. So expecting them to contribute mightily to the possession game is delusional at best and nonsensical at worst.

The result is that Colombia ends up playing a possession game in one of two ways. The first is to saturate the flanks and try to get a few quick touches to unleash the winger so that he can then run up the pitch and cross into the middle of the box. The second way is to catapult a long ball from deep in the midfield, hoping to destabilize the opposing defense.

But the problem is that these strategies are predictable and largely ineffective for a good defending side, such as Argentina. Gerardo Martino was dominant in his decision making electing to give Colombia the ball and have his side sit back, clog the middle of the pitch and force Colombia to the outside where his defense and midfield could quickly adjust and shut down passing outlets. Just notice how James Rodriguez's attempts at crossing into the middle of the box on two occasions in the 73rd minute resulted in blocks from Argentina and a break in Colombia's flow.

The result was rather predictable with Argentina scoring on the counter and Colombia rarely creating a single dangerous chance in its home pitch. Moreover, Martino knew that the heat of Barranquilla could be his downfall if he made his guys chase the game.

Let's take a look at the three goals that Colombia has scored in this qualifying campaign and see if we can identify some common characteristics.

The first two against Peru:


Colombia vs Peru 2-0 All Goals and Highlights...

by football-hd1
The first one is a set piece goal that required two fortuitous bounces. But the second one was an example of Colombia playing exquisitely on the counter.

Now on to the goal against Chile:

That one comes in at around the 29-second mark. On this goal, Colombia broke Chile's highline defense and darted at them with speed, creating chaos in Chile's end and ultimately opening up space for the tying goal.

Here is another game that is emblematic of Colombia's playing style during the last qualifiers. Notice how two of the three goals are the result of speedy runs in transition and a solid through ball that is all met with speed on the counter:

Even in a game such as the 4-0 drubbing of Uruguay during the 2014 Qualifiers, you can see a lot of Colombia's goals coming from quick passing in transition (the lone exception being the first goal where chaotic defending from Uruguay leads to the goal):

Few of these goals exhibited here came from tiki taka passing because Colombia's midfield is not built for that. Try to see Colombia connect three passes in the midfield and you will be lost for any proof. That is not Colombia's strength. Speed and creating chaos on the counter is exactly how Colombia is structured. That is how its players play best. Individual flash and genius is invited, but you will rarely see a Colombian player dribble through four players on his way into the box before passing the ball into the goal.

It simply does not work that way and never will unless Peckerman returns to the team's best tactics. Those are the tactics that got Colombia to the last World Cup and earned it success in Brazil. His new tactics have yielded two wins and four goals in eight games, hardly the recipe for long term success.

Maybe it is time for a new coach.