It was in this forthright manner that Baldivieso took the plunge with his first major decision in charge: to approach the World Cup qualifiers with a rejuvenated squad made up almost entirely of domestic-based players. As he put it, "I've always preached about making space for young players at every club I've coached. Nowadays the national team have an average age of 25-26, which speaks volumes. It's a huge risk, but it's one I want to take because the players in Bolivia deserve this type of opportunity."
The reverse against Uruguay in La Paz stung, naturally, but it did not trigger any doubts in Baldivieso's mind. First and foremost, because he understands full well that crops of players like the one he was part of, the last to take Bolivia to a World Cup, do not grow on trees. "It's only every once in a while that a group of talents like that one comes together. Argentinian football has had several such generations, but there haven't been that many in Colombia or Chile, for example. Brazil's current generation isn't all that dazzling either."
According to the 43-year-old, Bolivia's deep-rooted problems make them a special case: "We've taken steps backwards here. All those of us who love this sport are partially responsible because we've failed to deal with the situation. It goes beyond particular individuals or a single generation. We need a structural shake-up, for example in the youth ranks. We have to start somewhere."
