Percy Liza: could he be an option for the matches against Uruguay and Paraguay?

Time flies and playoffs as well. There is practically only one month left for the duels against Uruguay and Paraguay, where it will be decided if the Peruvian team achieves a place in the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

What should worry Gareca the most, at this point in the year, is who the strikers available for the call will be. That’s why he traveled to Italy to see how Gianluca Lapadula isbecause he is the starting ‘9’ and we need him in his best version.

The other one that already seems to have a fixed quota for the March call is alex valera. Not only has he shown the ‘Tigre’ that he can be useful in the national team (he generated the tie against Ecuador), but he is having a good 2022 with the ‘U’. It deserves to be.

But we don’t know who will be the third striker. There are many names on the list and one that should be added to that ‘competition’ is Percy Liza. At 21 years old, the Sporting Cristal striker could have the opportunity to be called up to the Peruvian team for the two most important matches of the year.

Is Percy Liza ready for selection?

Percy Liza debuted in the First Division of Peruvian soccer When I was 18. He came from being champion and scorer with the Reserve team of Sporting Cristal in 2018. The Argentine Claudio Vivas decided that he was ready to play and gave him the opportunity to show himself in the highest category. But the injuries played against him and it was only last year that he found the expected continuity. In 31 games played, he scored 8 goals and provided 6 assists. AND

This 2022 has not only shown to be physically 100%, but also continues to improve the muscular aspect. The boy has attitude and personality, which makes him seem like a footballer already established in the local environment. But the best thing about Liza is his game. He is a ‘9’ but not typical: he is tall, but at the same time fast and skilled. She faces defenders, she dribbles and knows how to move outside. He is very good at hitting empty spaces and facing situations in which he has to take care of the ball against more than one defender because he knows how to get out of the pressure.

Liza, who was born in Chimbote and trained in the José Gálvez youth club, can also stand with her back to the goal, hold defenses, pivot and build walls. He is not selfish, he is creative and he plays as a team. And in the area is good. He has had crack definitions that confirm that he is really a complete striker.

What would have to happen for him to be summoned?

For Percy Liza to be summoned by Ricardo Gareca, two important events would have to take place in the coming weeks. Here we will see each of them.

Be the undisputed owner. Percy Liza is still not the undisputed starter at Sporting Cristal. Last year the ‘9’ was Marcos Riquelme and for this season the board hired the Colombian Mosquera. With foreigners behind and who are bets of the club, it is difficult. But the truth is that the 21-year-old Peruvian is doing better than his main competitor in the position. And the sky-blue fans have already felt on Twitter after Liza’s good game (1 goal and an assist) against UTC this Friday. The question is: will coach Roberto Mosquera be encouraged to give Liza the starting job? It just depends on him.

That the situation of the other strikers that Gareca has like options. And this is key because we know that today only Lapadula and Valera are fixed. What Santiago Ormeño did in the last call was not optimal and he is not doing great in Mexico either. Who are the others? Jefferson Farfán, Raúl Ruidíaz and Paolo Guerrero. Each one has a different present. The ‘Foquita’ is waiting for the approval of the doctors to reappear. We will have to see at what level she does it and how she reaches the last week of March. Ruidíaz is playing for the Seattle Sounders, but does he really want to wear the Peru jersey again? For the last double date, it was learned that he rejected the invitation of the FPF to train in Videna. And Paolo Guerrero is working to recover his knee, but he is still without a club.

If the situation of these three footballers stays like this, Gareca could consider Percy Liza as an option for duels against Uruguay and Paraguay. For the player it would be an incredible opportunity to show that he can be the future ‘9’ starter of the Peruvian team.