Juan Fasce, the eye of the Condors: “The players have understood that video analysis is used to improve and not to criticize”

This Saturday, when the Cóndores face Namibia, at 5:00 p.m., in Valparaíso, Juan Fasce (46) will be in the box to follow every step of the local players. It’s been his job for two years now, when he arrived in Chile and took on the role of video analyst for the national team.

A position that in football is always closely linked to espionage, but not in this discipline, since World Rugby provides the tools for Fasce (and his cronies all over the planet) to follow each game of his rivals step by step, because the federations are obliged to upload on a special platform all the matches played by their teams. This allows him, in this interview with La Tercera, not only to give the keys to his work to Cóndores, but also to review the tactical orientations of Japan, England, Argentina and Samoa, opponents of Chile in France 2023.

Have the resources of the analysis team improved?

It’s changing. Sure, sometimes we need more, but you also need to understand that you’re contributing all you can and more. It must be clear that the resources available to England are not those available to the Federation.

How do I record workouts?

It’s filmed with up to four cameras and a drone, and while it’s happening, the software cuts out the downtime. This is uploaded to a portal that we have with the players. The idea is that when the training is complete, they can access it from their phone. The challenge is that once they are completed, coaches and players can review the workout. When you’re on tour with bad internet it’s more difficult to download it right away, but we’re also all at the hotel, so the players come with their hard drives or their computers and they ask for them directly.

Has this interest always been there?

It has changed a lot. At first it was difficult, but now when I take 10 minutes due to internet problem they start asking me where things are. The truth is that it gives great satisfaction, because it tells me that my work is useful for something.

This must be hard to do…

There is a very fine line between the player understanding that it is a tool to improve and not to criticize, because if taken like the latter, it closes and it is very difficult to enter. It doesn’t work there anymore. I think the boys have understood that it is a tool to improve themselves.

After years of watching them, what’s the best thing Chile has?

The best thing Cóndores has today is his human squad. Players want more, they have amazing delivery. You also have to understand that we are going to play with teams that have been performing well for many years and that it started in Chile very recently. It started with the arrival of Pablo Lemoine (2018) and these differences are noticeable and paid for. The countries we are going to play with have been doing it for many years. His players when they were 15 or 16 started a high performance process. They have an experience that we didn’t have to live here, they are just discovering it and they give it their all.

You see the matches from the cabin, what resources do you have there?

As standard they give us four TV angles directly in the cabin. We connect them to computers and check. We do live cutting, live statistics. In the World Cup, for example, they will take seven angles for the cabin, seven different cameras for the transmission.

And what comes next?

There, an analysis is made, statistics are obtained player by player; what was he doing every minute of the game; how many tackles; with what part of the body did he do it; whether they were good or bad, whether they missed tackles or not. And so for each game action of the 23 players entered… The 15 and the eight substitutes who enter. It is a job that takes many hours, because you have to review the match several times and slowly, going up, identifying each one.

Who helps you in this work?

On a daily basis I am alone, I have people who help me sporadically. Pablo Osorio, who is a boy from La Serena, is with Seven today. Mauricio Vázquez, who is an experienced analyst, started collaborating remotely from Argentina. Sometimes he lends a hand to the juniors, but they all do so sporadically and in specific cases. Obviously, the idea is that one day, hopefully, they can join the department permanently. For example, the Irish analysis service has 14 people, but that is another reality. Hopefully in the future we can add one, two or whatever is needed.

How many hours a day do you watch videos?

25 or 26 (laughs). The truth is that there are many, because there is the training that you film and watch on the computer, then the analysis of the matches, the rivals. For example, last weekend, virtually every rival played and between what I had to download and download, the Internet crashed, because each game weighs five gigabytes. I had to download Condors vs. Argentina XV, in addition to lowering Uruguay against. Namibia, Cougars vs. South Africa, England vs. Wales, Japan vs. Fiji and Samoa versus Tonga. Scanning and slicing just the individual elements should take about eight hours of net work.

Basically, what are the keys to Cóndores’ rivals in France 2023?

They are teams that play differently and for us it is one of the toughest groups in the World Cup. We are ranked 22nd and we will play against four teams that are in the top 15 in the world. With different characteristics. Japan plays very fast, very dynamic rugby. Samoa play a totally physical game, where they wear you down physically. England play very cerebral rugby, where they can play quickly, then physically and then whatever they want. The same as Argentina. It will be a very hard, very difficult test, but we must take advantage of it, take advantage of it and gather as much information and experience as possible to continue preparing for the future.