Pablo Solari – Colo Colo’s attacking extraordinaire

At the tender age of 20, Pablo Solari is already a cult-hero with Chilean giants, Colo Colo as he scored the goal to preserve 95 years of history and keep the club in Chilean Primera Division in a gilt-edged tie against Universidad de Concepcion. Colo Colo still hold the record as the only one of the Chilean top sides to never be relegated at any point in their history. The Argentine attacker also has the third most goal involvements as El Cacique now lead the Chilean Primera Division while he scored three goals in the Copa Chile semi-final and final to win his side the title. ‘El Pibe’ as he is more affectionately known by Colo Colo’s raucous fanbase will be staying at the club for longer as Colo Colo will pay Tallares De Cordoba $750,000 for 50% of his rights to sign him to a permanent contract.

Solari was born in Arizona in the San Luis province of Argentina as he made his first steps into football with Deportivo Arizona as the former scouting director of Tallares, Sebastian Pait discovered him and signed him for Tallares. Solari would also play for Argentina at U18 and U20 level as he was called up to the Tallares first-team twice but would not make his debut for the Argentine side. Walter Lemma, Gustavo Quinteros’ assistant proved to be crucial in negotiating a contract for Solari to join Colo Colo on loan with the option to purchase 50% of his rights as Tallares’ willingness to bring him back and sell him to a European club was second to El Cacique’s willingness to keep the young player.

Moving to a new club in a new country at such a young age has proved stressful for Solari as being far away from his family during a pandemic has not been ideal. Solari lives in an apartment with Jheyson Rojas who is Colo Colo’s right-back as the duo normally play on the same flank as they have become close, playing pranks on each other during Colo Colo media days. During this season, Solari has had to re-align his focus and find new motivations as his performances have been indifferent, being substituted at half-time in a match against Santiago Wanderers and losing his place as a starter. ‘El Pibe’ had to fall back on his family, leaning on them for advice and motivation as under his Colo Colo shirt, he wears a black T-shirt with a picture of his family captioned by the words ‘Persevere and triumph’.

As a player, Solari offers so much as a winger as he is creative as well as being able to dribble into the centre to create opportunities and score goals while he can participate in the build-up phase, connecting play from the half-space or wide areas. One of the things that will stand out statistically, is his ability to consistently regain possession in the pressing phase, pushing forward to make tackles and interceptions to lead his side on breaks as this will be a trait that will capture the imaginations of European clubs. At 20-years-old, his game is still in need of refinement as he is not a phenomenal dribbler, preferring to isolate fullbacks in 1v1s and operate from the half-spaces rather than wide areas as well as if he has to beat more than one player, he can lose possession. His decision-making is still in need of improvement as there are some hallmarks of a very intriguing player there.

Away to fellow Chilean giants, Universidad Catolica, he received possession from a short corner on the left flank to lob an accurate cross to the back-post with his right foot for Maximiliano Falcon to head straight at the goalkeeper and for a rebound to hit the post. Solari then had the opportunity to accrue another assist, receiving possession on the right flank to thread a well-weighted and well angled through ball to Marcos Bolados in behind as the Chilean attacker only had the keeper to beat but hit the post. In the second-half, Solari received possession on the right flank in a 1v1 situation against the opposition left-back to fake like he would cut inside on his left foot but drive the ball forward on his right to fire a strike at goal and force a save from the keeper.

Away to Santiago Wanderers, Solari would get the start as the 20-year-old was quick with his dribbling and combinations on the right flank as Bolados and him would trade positions with the Argentine attacker moving into the half-space and Bolados into the wide areas. Whenever Rojas received possession, Solari would move into the half-space to act as a passing option with Bolados making a run into the wide areas to receive possession in behind as the attacking duo constantly linked up with Bolados utilizing a lay-off to ‘El Pibe’ for the Argentine attacker to drive the ball forward and square a cross across the face of goal. Solari’s use of his directional first-touch as an attacker is quite interesting, utilizing his body orientation to receive possession, shield the ball and beat his most direct marker as well as using his first touch to push the ball forward immediately.

Solari also thrives in receiving possession in the wide zone and working through balls or line-breaking passes to the central areas, particularly the nine-space as he is an essential conduit for transition and chance creation from the flank. The 20-year-old was substituted at half-time as he did not start the next game, a few weeks later against Deportes Melipilla but once he came off the bench in the second-half, he managed to swing the game in the favour of Colo Colo. His crossing, dribbling, directness and invention from the right flank changed the game for El Cacique as the 20-year-old received possession in the box to cut inside and fire past the keeper to open his account. He cut inside twice to good effect as in the next sequence, he received possession to cut past his marker and attempt to thread a through ball for Ivan Morales which was intercepted. Solari would have another through ball intercepted as he enjoyed driving the ball at opposition players since he came off the bench as in another sequence, he received possession on the right flank, to cut inside past two defenders and drive into the box before being tackled by a third to win a corner.

At home to Curico Unido, just six days later, Solari would return to the starting lineup, beginning the game by threading a pass to Bolados in between the lines. He then received possession in the wide areas to cut past two men to drive the ball into the box and have his cross blocked for the keeper to tip the ball out for a corner. The 20-year-old had a crossing opportunity earlier but played the ball too high as he finished the game with 1 tackle and 6 ball recoveries, constantly regaining possession in the press. At home to Deportivo Antagofasta, he would start again winning possession in the pressing and medium block phase but in possession, he had heavy touches as he was unable to connect play like he usually does. He also tried some risky passes which did not come off as he looked for a through ball into the box for Morales which was intercepted while he also had a switch pass which was intercepted.

Away to Union La Calera, Solari would drop to the bench again, coming on later in the game as he nearly scored a second for his team, getting in behind to lob an opportunity over the keeper as the ball was cleared off the line. He then attempted a pass for Morales which was intercepted as the 20-year-old Argentine was having an uneven season up to that point. Three days later, Solari would start against at home to Cobresal. Him and fellow winger, Joan Cruz played very narrowly as the 20-year-old received possession in the half-space to cut inside and send a shot wide. Solari’s issues come with his dribbling and decision-making as he is always able to beat his first man, but he will lose the ball while trying to beat the second man as it is integral for him to beat the first man to draw markers before releasing the ball.

In the future, Solari will probably be positioned as an inside forward as his directional first touches and mindfulness to allow the ball to roll across his body in tight attacking pockets is impeccable as in one instance, he beat his man to drive the ball forward and attempt an outside of the boot pass to a teammate. As he began to take up more inverted positions, his influence on the game began to increase as he received possession in the centre to work a pass to Morales but was unable to get on the end of his lay-off. Solari then regained possession after a turnover to poke an opportunity at goal before showing his initiative as a passer to the half-space as he distributed two balls into that area. ‘El Pibe’ went off after another mixed performance as he won 4 tackles and completed 2/7 takeons.

Away to O’Higgins, Solari would seem like he would have yet another uneven performance, losing possession with an erratic first touch but working hard to regain possession whenever he lost the ball. However, he controlled a lobbed pass perfectly to play in his fullback and have a cross blocked. Out of possession, Solari is rarely lacking which is one of the more impressive aspects of his game as he closed space during the counter-press to win possession while being perfectly positioned to win possession during the pressing phase. In possession, some of the nagging issues continued, struggling to beat his man to get crosses or shots on goal. Solari’s workrate is unyielding as he is rarely deterred by a bad start to his game which is testament to the mental work which he has done with his family. The 20-year-old would beat his man to drive the ball down the flank and play a poor cross before regaining possession and driving the ball into the opposition half as he failed to find a passing option.

After such a difficult start, it was ultimately impressive that he managed to create two high quality opportunities from the right flank in a matter of moments. He threaded a fantastic through ball in behind for Bolados who tried to beat the keeper with the outside of his boot but harmlessly sent a shot wide. Solari then worked a one-two with a teammate to square for Bolados to have an opportunity saved. The 20-year-old’s work rate would then pay dividends, as he scored his fourth goal in 3 games, latching onto a loose back-pass to head the ball past the keeper. He was then involved in the second goal a matter of minutes later as he flicked the ball onto the head of Javier Parraguez who headed past the keeper. At home to Everton in the Chilean Primera Division, Solari took down a long pass with a measured first touch in the channels as he also utilized his first touch to beat his marker before cutting past another defender as he muscled his way back into possession to have a shot blocked.

The Argentine attacker then threaded one of his trademarked passes into the box for a teammate as he continued to show his phenomenal first touch and distribution in the final third when he received a switch ball as he took it down well but was not able to beat his man before receiving a pass on the right flank, holding the ball up and threading a beautiful pass into the box. Solari then moved to the left flank in the second half where he received possession in the wide areas, cut past his man and lobbed a cross to the back-post which Ivan Morales was unable to get his head on. Solari finally had his assist when he received possession in behind but had a terrible first touch which forced him to lay-off a pass for Leonardo Gil to finish from outside the box.

In a key match in the Chilean Primera Division, away to rivals Universidad de Chile, as the Argentine attacker began the game on the left flank where he received possession to flick a lovely pass into the box for Gabriel Suazo to have a heavy first touch as Bolados was in the perfect position to guide the ball home and open the scoring. Colo Colo would double their lead as Solari would be involved again, receiving a deflection from a free-kick to lob the ball onto the head of Gabriel Costa whose header was saved as the ball bounced off an opposition defender and into the net. Solari then had an opportunity to score of his own in the second-half as he received a cut-back from Morales as he beat the keeper and drove his shot into the side-netting.

After a difficult start to the season, Solari has really come into form over the last two months with some key performances in key games. Away to Union Espanola in the Copa Chile semi-final first-leg, he came off the bench in the second-half to receive possession from Maximilian Falcon in the right half-space and lay the ball off for attacking connections. The 20-year-old would receive possession from Daniel Gutierrez on the right flank to receive possession, flick the ball back to the fullback with the outside of his boot and continue his run into the half-space for Luciano Arriagada to have a shot saved. Solari then received possession from Arriagada to cut inside and square a pass for Morales as the striker’s shot was deflected wide.

The Argentine attacker would start the home leg as he regained possession in counter-pressure, to square a pass to a teammate in the half-space. ‘El Pibe’ received possession on the right flank to drive at his man to manipulate his marker with some step-overs as he seemed to cut inside before driving the ball outside his man to beat his marker before he had a shot smothered at the near post. He would win an interception in the pressing phase as usual before opening the scoring for his side when he received a switch on the right flank during a counter-attack to prod the ball forward with his right foot, skipping past his man to curl a strike past the keeper with his left. In another break, Solari would soon score his second goal, receiving possession in behind to adjust his body and guide the ball past the keeper with his right foot. The 20-year-old launched a counter-attack of his own, regaining possession with a tackle on the right flank to surge forward to cut inside and square a cross to the near post which Parraguez was unable to get on the end of. Solari would win possession again, making a well-timed tackle in his own half as his fullback was driving the ball into the Colo Colo half.

In the Copa Chile final against Everton, Solari started from the left where he received possession next to the touchline with three opposition defenders in his area to cut past one to drive the ball inside before suddenly cutting past another defender to drive into the box and have a tame shot saved with his right foot. His ability to change direction allows him to be a more direct player and create high quality crossing and shooting opportunities for himself. He would then drop deep to act as an out-ball and flick a pass to the half-space to facilitate a switch and allow his side to evade pressure. ‘El Pibe’ received possession on the left flank again to use his dribbling manoeuvre to stand his marker up and fake like he was cutting inside to then drive the ball to the by-line and cut-back a cross with his left foot. The 20-year-old would create another opportunity as he received possession on the left flank to cut onto his right foot and lob a cross into the box for a header to be saved.

In the second-half, Solari would move to the right flank, receiving possession and switching the ball to the left flank to facilitate the creation of a high-quality opportunity for his side. The 20-year-old would replicate his mazy runs into the box from the left flank to the right flank as he received possession near the touchline to cut into the centre to beat one man and drive the ball into the box to beat another man as he went down but no penalty was given. The 20-year-old would open the scoring by taking on a Parraguez lay-off to apply the finish with calm before playing in Joan Cruz to lash in a strike from range to double the lead. Solari solidified his cult-like status at the club as he scored the goal to prevent his side from being relegated as well as getting a goal and an assist to win his side the Copa Chile tournament a month later.

Solari is a high potential young player as at the moment, he possesses a set of tools that make him an interesting prospect as a key player for the Chilean Primera Division league leaders. It is obvious that his future will lie as an inside forward, receiving possession in the half-space to cut inside to create opportunities with his crossing or have shots at goal. As a creative player, his vision and penetrative passing allows to play runners in behind from the wide areas while his crossing, be it low from the by-line or lobbed crosses from the wider areas are also precise. However, he will need to improve his dribbling and decision-making as he is strong in 1v1s, but he will always try to take on one player too many and lose possession. He needs to have a better idea of when to keep the ball and when to release the ball as he has the vision and distribution to release the ball effectively. His first touch will need to be more consistent as this is a key part of his game as a winger or inside forward, receiving possession in tight spaces and being able to create shooting opportunities for himself or teammates. He can also be an essential conduit in build-up, receiving possession and using his first-touch and combination play in tight spaces to ease transition.

Solari is akin to fellow Argentine attacker, Nicolas Gonzalez who currently plays for Fiorentina as both love to operate in inverted roles while also enjoy using their first touch to evade markers. One thing that cannot be understated for Solari is his well-developed initiative as a pressing player, regaining possession with interceptions and tackles in the opposition half. He is astute at curving his runs to force defenders into mistakes while he can read passing combinations to position himself to win interceptions. Defensively, he will chase back markers and cover for his fullback as his ball-winning ability will interest teams in Europe during the short term. Solari can also play on the right or left flank while his future can be in a central role as a second-striker or false-nine as he has the potential to develop his ability as a two-footed forward. He can currently cross and shoot with both feet as his dribbling will be helped by being able to drive the ball either side of his marker as rapid changes of pace and direction already shows potential of being an effective dribbling style. He loves to mimic cutting inside before suddenly driving to the by-line, leaving his marker tumbling as this dribbling technique also allows him to beat multiple players while being effective at allowing him to create high quality crossing and shooting opportunities. His shooting can also improve, especially when he switches the ball to his left or right foot in a tight space with little opportunity to generate power as he can drive into some great positions before being let down by tame shots.

Solari only turned 20 this year as you feel that once he polishes some of the more minute aspects of his game, he will be a force to be reckoned with in world football. His immediate future will be at Colo Colo as they have decided to buy 50% of his rights from Tallares as any club looking to acquire him in the future will be forced to negotiate with both clubs. In a year’s time, he will be a talented attacker in the sub £10 million price range as Stuttgart would be the perfect next step in Europe as they scour the earth for players of his ilk. At the moment, the 20-year-old is a hero in Chile, walking off to standing ovations as he saved the club from relegation, earned the club silverware and is third in goal involvements for a team that is top of the Chilean Primera Division. The youngster has 6 goals and 3 assists in all competitions as his statistics belie how integral he is for his team.