Universitario’s DT on the defeat against Municipal: “It will sound like an excuse, but we were saturated”

Universitario was defeated by Deportivo Municipal (2-1), on the fifth date of the 2022 Liga 1 Opening Tournament, and lost the opportunity to become one of the leaders of the standings. After the clash, coach Álvaro Gutiérrez analyzed the match and assured that the physical wear and tear affected the ‘Creams’, given that they had been participating in the Copa Libertadores.

“It was an even match. It was the fifth that we played in 14 or 15 days. This time we didn’t even get to 72 hours of recovery. We have had sensitive casualties, such as that of Aldo Corzo and Alex Valera”, were the first words of the strategist.

“Even so, we created chances to score. During the first half, the clearest was ours. And what happened to us in other games happened to us when we conceded goals, and even more so against a good team like Municipal. It has not only been due to the absence of players, but also due to the accumulated fatigue”, added the DT.

In addition, the coach made it clear that the elimination against Barcelona SC of the Libertadores was not a conditioning factor for the squad: “We always work on the emotional part. It will sound like an excuse, but we were a little saturated, because we had concentration, matches, travel; and so it was repeated in these 14 days. This affects the physical part”.

In the same way, Álvaro Gutiérrez asserted that the adversities did not prevent them from trying to steal points: “We did not reach 100% in this match. We had the opportunity to equalize with the penalty, which we finally missed. With 2-0 it was already very difficult. We tried to go look, the discount arrived, but we wanted to take something from here”.

“I leave with sadness and bitterness, knowing that equal conditions could have been another story; and also understanding that there is room for improvement. They are not excuses, we must have more of the ball, we must create more chances and be more effective”, he stated.

On the other hand, the ‘U’ coach showed his concern for the condition of Luis Urruti, who left the field in tears due to discomfort: “When a footballer takes his knee, it is a matter of concern for everyone, both for the affected person and for his teammates. If a bad diagnosis is confirmed, it will be a very strong loss for the team. The relevant studies will be carried out to see the magnitude of the injury”.

Finally, Álvaro Gutiérrez gave some good news for Universitario: “Alex Valera suffered a blow in the match with Barcelona, ​​he had an MRI and we didn’t want to risk it. He is a very important player and we are hopeful that he will be ready for the next date. Today was Alexander Succar, for a matter of taste, because he is more of the area. Joao Villamarín is more sprinter. We thought that this was going to be a close duel, as it finally happened”.