There is, then, the need to always compete, whatever the tournament. And in Alianza Lima they understand it that way; For this reason, the next three games ahead of them in just nine days are crucial to decide the fate of the team in each tournament. First there is Cantolao this Saturday in Matute; then it will be time to visit Libertad in Asunción on Thursday; and finally the challenge against Unión Comercio in Tarapoto will be closed. There are nine points at stake and all as important as the rivals to face. Under this panorama, a question arises that it is necessary to share with the fans and put it on the table for debate: Is the Alliance to achieve a perfect score or should it aim -at least- to achieve seven units out of the possible nine?
The ideal scenario is, without a doubt, to win all nine points at stake. And to achieve that, everything that precedes each game must be impeccable, from the preparation in training, both sportingly and mentally, to the final whistle after 90 minutes of play. Is it almost a chimera to imagine it? Maybe, but in football anything can happen. Now, bringing it to reality is something else: although Alianza Lima is strong in Liga 1 and did not lose in its debut in the Copa Libertadores, it is also true that it is a team affected by injuries to several of its players: Gino Peruzzi , Edinson Chávez, Joao Montoya and Yordi Vílchez fell one by one and left ‘Chicho’ Salas more doubts than certainties in recent days.
But let’s go to the games and do an exercise in logic. Against Cantolao, the favorite is clearly the blue and white team, so adding the three points should be an obligation. There is no justification for not ensuring victory in Matute and for this Salas has to put the eleven that will visit Libertad days later in Asunción. Why save their starters, if it is precisely they who must establish themselves as a team? The more minutes they add together, the better it is. And there I include Christian Cueva, who urgently needs to play and recover physically in the shortest possible time. Alianza Lima needs it and ‘Aladino’ knows it; but, beware, his current status is not enough to be a starter. Let’s be clear with that.
If logic is given, the blue and whites will jump into the Defensores del Chaco field feeling like leaders of the Apertura and with renewed confidence; however, this is another story. Beating Libertad means a maximum effort in sports and mentally. On the one hand, there is the challenge of overcoming a rival that has just beaten Atlético Mineiro de Hulk on their own court; and, on the other, there is the difficulty of battling against the weight of the 30 games without winning in the Copa Libertadores. All of this influences to a greater or lesser extent; but they are things that go through the mind of a footballer during the game. In the ideal scenario, a win is what we all hope for; but it is not unreasonable to think that a draw is also a good result, despite how the table looks at the end of the second day of the group stage.
Let’s be aware of one thing: if there is a rival against whom we must score on a visit (preferably three points), that is Libertad. Is it possible to do it against Atlético Mineiro or Athletico Paranaense? It may be, but winning in Brazil -a priori- means breaking all the statistics and achieving something historic for the club. After that, Alianza Lima will have to visit Unión Comercio in Tarapoto and will do so on the same date that Sporting Cristal and Universitario will face each other, in a duel in which the loser would be left with no chance of fighting for the title of the Opening. So, it is essential for the intimates to secure those three points in the visiting field, because they would take advantage of that advantage that the fixture gives them in their favour. He could stretch his difference in the standings or, in the worst case, maintain it without compromising his lead.
Be that as it may, ‘Chicho’ Salas’s team has to live an experience to the limit in their next three games, perhaps as they have rarely gone through in recent years; but soccer has these exciting things that spice up the scene and liven up what is to come. It supposes, then, a challenge for Alianza Lima to face its three closest rivals and score in all the matches. Nine points out of nine is the goal set at La Victoria; however, getting seven of them is also a merit that should not be rejected. At least, in the local tournament, it is possible to add the six units that are at stake; the challenge is in Asunción, a match that will ultimately decide how this story ends. Or not?
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