The work of the Tiger in the Inca team, for seven years, has been essential to build a stable base and give competitiveness to the team of the neighboring country. A final is played against Australia (2:00 p.m. in Chile), to win tickets for the World Cup.
By removing the mess produced by the Byron Castillo affair, which degenerated in FIFA, the result of the Qualifiers for Qatar 2022 ended in a déjà vu on the way to Russia 2018: Chile, out of the World Cup and Peru, in the running for the qualifiers. On this occasion, the Incas beat New Zealand to qualify. The story repeats itself. The selection was a balm for the neighboring country, which has been plagued by permanent social tensions and political instability which has led it to have five presidents in the past five years.
In fact, the level of expectation for the intercontinental game against Australia (2:00 p.m. in Chile, Qatar) is such that The government has declared a public holiday for Monday. Forbidden to miss a transcendental match, which can put Peru back in the top of football.
If there is anyone who enjoys extraordinary popularity in the country, it is Ricardo Gareca. It becomes a unifying factor in the midst of troubled times. The work of the Argentine coach at the head of the Blanquirroja has been remarkable, giving competitiveness to a squad that needed a leader, someone to command the house to make a quality leap. The results are in sight: third in the 2015 Copa América, qualification for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, vice-champion of the 2019 Copa América, fourth in the 2021 edition and yet another World Cup play-off for Qatar 2022.
“We have been together for seven years, we want to continue to grow. We know how difficult the road has been and we are prepared for this game.” said the Argentinian DT, during the press conference preceding the duel against the Footballoos. “This group is more mature than four years ago. We are ready to qualify. It cost us dearly to arrive and we won’t let him go,” added goalkeeper Pedro Gallese.
DT’s work
The virtue of the team that Gareca has assembled is, among other things, to give competitive weight to a group of players who are not immersed in the top flight. Chile itself has more players in major European leagues, but that doesn’t necessarily mean La Roja have qualified enough to compete in the World Cup. Review of Peru’s roster for the qualifiers (plus the friendly against New Zealand, which they won 1-0), There are only five who are active on the Old Continent, out of 28 summoned. Of these five, only two correspond to the major leagues. One is Celta de Vigo midfielder Renato Tapia. The other is on the side of Miguel Trauco, from Saint-Étienne, descended from France.
There is a strong local league presence, with nine members. This is an interesting subject of analysis because of the dichotomy generated, since the Peruvian championship is far from being the most powerful on the continent. According to the 2021 league standings, prepared by the International Federation of History and Statistics (IFFHS), Peru’s Liga 1 is the worst in South America, ranking 65th in the world. It is overtaken by tournaments like Tanzania (62nd), Lithuania (61st), Congo (54th) and Guatemala (51st), for example. The Chilean tournament brings a player into the squad: Gabriel Costa, from Colo Colo.
Gareca built a permanent base of footballers, which allowed him to give stability to the selected team. Peru’s formation comes almost from memory, with Tigre’s characteristic 4-2-3-1, with names like Gallese in goal, Luis Advíncula and Carlos Zambrano in defense, Renato Tapia and Yoshimar Yotún in the middle of the field, Christian Cueva, for the elaboration of the game, and André Carrillo as right pointer. Where he found change was in the 9. Doing without Paolo Guerrero, the national team’s historic goalscorer, the position was won by nationalized Italian Gianluca Lapadula.
The Gareca factor was essential for Peru, not only tactically, but also humanly. He became a soccer and motivation consultant, in addition to convincing a group of players of his idea, obtaining results. “Ricardo Gareca, beyond football, is important on a personal level. He spoke to me about the human part and I am very happy to have found him in my life”, admitted midfielder Christian Cueva during this year, the one who became relevant with the Argentinian at the helm.
Peru have a lot at stake in these 90 minutes against Australia, a cast that left the United Arab Emirates on their way to reach this stage against the Incas. After 40 years, the Rimac team can participate in two World Cups in a row. The only time this has happened, so far, was for Argentina 1978 and Spain 1982.
If Peru advance, they enter Group D of the World Cup, which is completed by France, Denmark and Tunisia. The 31st classified for the World Cup is defined on Monday. Peruvians are confident.
follow on Jock
Source: Latercera
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
