First of all, let's go to the numbers. Alianza Lima added its third defeat in the Apertura on Saturday, the second in a row, and – at the end of the seventh day – it remained in fifth place with 12 points out of a possible 21. That is, the intimates added up to 57% of the points at stake, a figure that differs greatly from the teams that occupy the first two places in the championship. Sporting Cristal, for example, achieved 90% of what was disputed; while Universitario de Deportes reached 80% of the points in the same period. The inequality with respect to the blue and white team is notorious and reflects a reality. The trend says that the Victorian cadre is not a candidate, but it is not the only factor that influences the present.
Football-wise, Alianza Lima has gone from less to more in the Apertura. He has not been able to maintain regularity in the game, he has not been able to correct defensive errors and there is a drop in the players' performance. Alejandro Restrepo has not been able to find a balance in functioning under his 3-5-2 and makes mistakes in rethinking when the situation is complicated. If a team cannot maintain the intensity as seen against ADT in Tarma and during the second half against Sporting Cristal in Lima, why insist on something that does not seem to work?
In defense, Alianza Lima offers licenses, leaves spaces and has not achieved cohesion that guarantees security. They have scored against the blue and white team in six of the seven games they played and that speaks poorly of a line of three that is supposed to work. In the midfield, the problem is similar, because – except for Adrián Arregui – he has not defined his two interior midfielders. On the wings, Jhamir D'Arrigo and Kevin Serna find it difficult to make the run and cover the gaps when it is their turn to defend. And up front, Hernán Barcos and Cecilio Waterman feel the rigor of playing every game. Between the two of them they have six goals, but it is insufficient for a club that wants to be a candidate.
Why do you need a miracle?
By simple mathematics, Alianza Lima has a chance of winning the Apertura. Seven points of difference separate them from the leader Sporting Cristal and there are 10 more dates left to play (30 possible points). The problem is that he does not depend on himself to get back on track and he has already exhausted the direct duels against light blues and creams in the current contest. Those games were key to reducing differences (or taking advantage if applicable) and they lost both at home. For this reason, it is urgent that both teams give up points at home or away, something that has rarely happened since the tournament started.
Cristal and the 'U' are undefeated in the Apertura, they have won all their home games to date and the present they are experiencing is encouraging. Furthermore, the fixture they have left until the end of the first competition of the year favors them. The Rimense, for example, have three games left to play at altitude and seven on the plain, including the confrontation against Universitario. For their part, the creams will only rise to the height on two occasions, they will have seven more games at sea level and one in Tarapoto against Unión Comercio. On the other hand, Alianza Lima will have to play at the top four more times and will have the rest of its commitments on the flat.
- What remains for them to play Cristal, the 'U' and Alianza in height:
Club | Matches at altitude | Campus |
---|---|---|
Sporting Cristal | -vs. UTC (date 9) -vs. Dep. Garcilaso (date 11) -vs. United Merchants (date 17) | -Cajabamba -Cusco -Cajamarca |
academic | -vs. ADT (date 14) -vs. Cienciano (date 16) | -Tarma -Cusco |
Lima Alliance | -vs. Cienciano (date 8) -vs. Melgar (date 13) -vs. Sport Huancayo (date 15) -vs. Cusco FC (date 17) | -Cusco -Arequipa -Huancayo -Cusco |
Under this panorama, it is possible to conclude that Cristal has a better outlook than the rest, because it will be able to face the remainder of the Apertura without the concern of the Copa Libertadores. Like the light blues, Universitario has real options, but will need to balance its attention between the local and international competition to fight on both fronts. Meanwhile, Alianza Lima will not only have to wait for its 'compadres' to give up points in the standings, it will also face the challenge of the cup while trying to reverse its situation. Without a doubt, a difficult future for the Restrepo team.
Who is responsible for the bad moment?
Conceding two defeats for a team like Alianza Lima is not common. The blue and white team designed a sports plan with the help of Bruno Marioni, Néstor Bonillo and Alejandro Restrepo to face the season in the best possible way, but injuries, expulsions, sanctions, low performances and bad results disrupted what was planned. It is true that there are situations that are out of hand, but it is no justification for the club's football present. Self-criticism is necessary to look inward and consider what is being done wrong.
Although footballers like Hernán Barcos assumed part of the responsibility, the technical command is the one that makes the decisions in the matches and directly affects the functioning of the team. Restrepo acknowledged that his players had a hard time getting up after the 1-1 draw against Cristal and that the partial result hit them mentally. However, the tactical rethinking did not have much significance in the game, in addition to the fact that some players like Gabriel Costa and Franco Zanelatto, who entered the complement, could do little or nothing to change the course of the game.
Be that as it may, in the blue and white store, self-criticism is a priority in order to reverse the bad sporting present. There is time to correct, regardless of how the Apertura ends, but it is key to commit one hundred percent to football to straighten the path. Restrepo is the one who must analyze what is happening, evaluate performance and get the best out of his players. If that does not happen, the coach could lose credit within the club's sports area and that would mean greater turbulence than what he is currently experiencing due to the latest results.
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