League 1 | Favorites, reinforcements and keys to understanding Universitario, Alianza Lima and Sporting Cristal in League 1 2024: What does Ricardo Montoya, the main commentator of League 1 Max, think? | SPORTS-TOTAL

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In the first preparation matches we could see that Cristal overwhelmed the U. Católica in the Celeste Afternoon, while the intimates did the same against Once Caldas. Only the ‘U’ could not win in the Cream Night although they left passages of good football in front of their audience.

Together with Ricardo Montoya we analyze the big three of Peruvian football in the midst of their preparation for the start of League 1 2024. So, we asked the main commentator of L1Max: What is an acceptable campaign for a big team? “I think it is competing while respecting certain canons of style and play,” he told us.

“It is not the same to lose the title as Alianza loses it, without a defined playing pattern unlike how Cristal loses it, which does not sustain its performance, nor the proposal in the final stretch of the tournament, without moving away from its way of playing the game. soccer. The international tournaments showed these game proposals worked on and consolidated in this case by Cristal and Universitario, who said goodbye to their international competitions, leaving the feeling of having competed against rivals of a different level than the local one. A situation that Alianza did not contemplate, since there was no perceived idea of ​​the game and its results in the group stage demonstrated it with a very discreet participation, taking into account the team it had formed,” he commented.

The best postcards from the University training (Photo: Violeta Ayasta / GEC)

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About Sports University 2024

In the “U” fan today you find a lot of annoyance and it is a purely temporary issue. That is to say, the Universitario fan would not be upset, if it were not for the centenary, since he has just become champion. But since it is, a much greater effort is expected in terms of reinforcements. As an example of this, we saw it in 2001 with the centenary of the blue and white club, when it incorporated Palhinha, Esidio, Ciurlizza and players of that level. However, I think that the cream leadership is handling the issue of incorporations well, taking care of the budget and bringing in important players.

The incorporation of Sebastián Britos, Uruguayan champion, is outstanding. I think there is a disservice to the Cyprus league and to Diego Dorregaray, being a player with an interesting biotype for Peruvian soccer and with experience of having played at altitude. Furthermore, he is a player who has performed in Ecuador and within the collection of information that is handled, in his first training sessions at Universitario, he has been impressed by what has been seen of his performance.

The reading I have about what happens in the “U” is the following: What is good is not touched and if it is touched, in any case, it is optimized. And that philosophy is valid when you have just become a champion, but there is a very important issue to take into account. The coach who had just won the championship has left and has lost his most important player in his operation, Piero Quispe. A key player, from the imbalance, with an inappropriate dynamic for our local football and who also collaborated in the brand in a very demanding system. Furthermore, towards the end we saw him with an assumed personality, which the team interpreted and made him master of his game, so replacing him is going to cost a lot.

Universitario added a new day of training with a view to League 1 (Photo: U press)

In the case of Fossati’s replacement, options were considered, the main one being Cesar Farías, who from my point of view was a coach who showed very little emotional intelligence in his way of working, while still being an excellent coach. But with what Fossati showed from the leadership and management of the group, what Farías did did not coincide with that characteristic that the Uruguayan coach presented.

The second option and the one that the Universitario leadership ended up opting for was Fabián Bustos, a coach who showed something interesting first in Delfín and then in Barcelona. He identified a good player as Riveros and took him to his team, he turned out to be a champion with him. We understand that the coach has the ability to identify good players and enhance them to get the best version of them.

Furthermore, in the Argentine coach’s presentation it was possible to read between the lines that he contemplates not sticking to a single game system, understanding that our league has geographical nuances to which we must adapt and as part of this, modify the game proposal as a visitor according to how the game is presented. A consideration that Fossati did not assume when maintaining his proposal, appealing to the physical rigor and the good work that the U did as a local and that, therefore, was highly questioned when the results were not favorable.

About Alianza Lima 2024

Alianza lost the title last season without being due to any style or game proposal. Unlike Universitario and Sporting Cristal, who did have a way of playing, respecting certain patterns worked on by the coach.

With Chicho Salas, in general terms, he did not have a good Copa Libertadores. It is true that he ended the negative streak without winning in international tournaments, but in terms of the game, he did not show an improvement, nor did he compete and his performance was quite poor in the group stage. However, in the local tournament it was enough with its defensive solidity and its productivity in front of goal, but there was no proposal that would sustain the team’s performance.

Renzo Garces speaks with El Comercio a few hours before the debut against César Vallejo | PHOTO: GEC – GIAN AVILA

/ NUCLEO-PHOTOGRAPHY > GIANCARLO AVILA

And in the case of Larriera, there was demonization towards him at the end of the tournament for his rude mistake in the final, which ended up costing him, in my point of view, correctly the position. However, it is also important to consider that the Uruguayan strategist had to live in a team with the usual injured starters and although he did not have any international tournament to face since his arrival to the blue and white team, he had not lost any game in the Clausura either. Let’s remember Larriera’s numbers after his time with the blue and white team: 13 games, 7 wins, 5 draws and one defeat.

Although at first, their proposal was noticed: Alianza went out to look for the matches even when visiting, but that proposal begins to decrease as it is not sustained over time and this may respond to different reasons. Perhaps because the team did not end up supporting this idea due to lack of conviction or for not establishing correct links with the players, something that was demonstrated in Bryan Reyna’s inopportune statements after losing the final.

However, the superiority of the U in the final and the way in which it lost the title ended up marking its departure from the institution. A defeat that ended up shaking the foundations of Alianza and forcing the club to consider new ways of working. Today there is an intention to revolutionize what was done, with much more control in every aspect, from nutritional to football and this goes hand in hand with what Alianza intends in its new sports project.

The restructuring of the squad, beyond the football and extra-football reasons, within the decisions that were made are part of the Alliance’s aspirations for the sporting project sought for this season.

Restrepo, the new blue and white coach, looks for defenses with more speed, since he proposes a more offensive proposal and with this it makes sense to stop counting on players like Míguez and Zambrano, defenders who are over 30 years old. For an offensive proposal, leaving space and taking risks when defending, it is key to have fast defenders. For this reason, it was decided to continue with Vilchez and to incorporate Renzo Garcés who arrives from the UCV, a relatively young player, Juan Pablo Freytes with a past in Argentine soccer and Jiovany Ramos, a Panamanian player who comes from being a champion in Venezuelan soccer. . Younger players accustomed to a different speed in the game, who can respond to another level of demand.

Serna has a contract with Alianza until 2026 (Photo: Twitter AL).

Following the line of the example and in comparison to the departures of Peruzzi and Aldair Rodríguez, in response the incorporations of Jhamir D’Arrigo and Kevin Serna were added, for the same reasons: age, playing characteristics, route. In addition to being players with potential and proven performance at altitude, taking into account that this year more games will be played above sea level, compared to last season.

Arregui is a player who, although from a football perspective he is not characterized by giving a leap in quality to his teams, from the point of view of leadership and attitude he can be fundamental in the team. An addition that would replace Ballón due to the position.

It would be hasty if I try to decipher the system that the coach will use, but based on the history of Sabag’s injuries, a player who in the first part of last season was fundamental in Alianza, it is important to have a player like Waterman, with a past recent in Chilean soccer and also present in the Panamanian team.

And as the latest addition, Sebastián Rodríguez is about to be made official, creative midfielder, starter for Peñarol and who had a spell with Almería in Spain, a player who can give a lot of football to the Alliance midfielder.

Now, the coach’s idea must take shape and the team must achieve the momentum that allows it to sustain positive results. You have to integrate and make the team work. The River of the skinny Menotti brought very good players like Checho Batista, Chilavert, Borghi and it went very poorly. It also happens that many stars do not finish putting together a constellation.

It is, in my opinion, a very brave risk that Alianza has taken, which could work out of course, because it is a relatively new team and will need to add minutes. This is what I was referring to when I initially mentioned that the blue and white foundations were shaken and the hard blow that Alianza suffered last season in the final could end up being instructive and very productive for their interests taking into account their participation in two tournaments.

Sporting Cristal will host ADT at the Alberto Gallardo Stadium. (Photo: Sporting Cristal)

About Sporting Cristal 2024

For its part, Sporting Cristal has preserved its squad structure. It has not lost any fundamental figure and maintains a base of young players identified with the club. Furthermore, he has opted for a very capable coach, such as Ederson Moreira, who has achieved several promotions with different teams in Brazil and whose main characteristic as a coach is to ensure that his teams are protagonists, maintaining a certain way of playing, with a system similar to the one used by Tiago Nunez.

And as for the incorporations, it is being reinforced little but well. He has added Santiago Gonzales to his squad, an interesting winger who comes from the Argentine first division and who will replace Corozo this season, who left for soccer in his country. Gustavo Cazonatti, a midfielder with a past in the first and second divisions of Brazil and with the latest addition of Martin Cauteruccio, who would be the most relevant signing given the urgency of hiring a central forward by the Rimense club. Although Cauteruccio is suffering from a legal problem with Independiente de Avellaneda, the footballer is in Lima doing pre-season training with the Rime team.

To the additions and the base that has been maintained in the Bajopontine team, we also add the main strength that the institution has: a reserve team that has just been champion. This can be a fundamental tool for the professional team.