A sub 20 adrift: Which Peruvian candidates can assume command three months from the South American?

The Peru U-20 is adrift at a key time. Just three months from the South American 2023 of the category, the national squad was left without a coach and, in fact, a change at this point is, of course, detrimental. But you have to look for options to -if you want- make up in just three months a structural problem that has already been going on for several years.

In February 2022, Gustavo Roverano took the reins of the U-20 in the midst of a rather complicated situation for minors’ football. The national youth were still on hold due to the pandemic and there was little they could do to return to action without authorization.

The Uruguayan DT, then, did not have an easy task. But many months passed, many microcycles, many national and international tests and at no time were the true fruits expected from the promising group at his disposal.

Basically, the Uruguayan DT’s campaign was totally negative. He could only celebrate one victory in 12 games. Recorded four draws and seven losses. The equipment, moreover, never found a correct operation. The poor participation in the South American Games was only the straw that broke the camel’s back.

It’s not that the coach hasn’t had good players on his squad. Quite the contrary. He had some pretty interesting weapons at his mercy to exploit at will. But he didn’t know how to do it. He never found a way.

With those numbers and with great sorrow, Roverano leaves. Ceasing it was already a possibility that was discussed in the FPF weeks ago. And now we will have to find a replacement as soon as possible. In any case, the present is already hard for our future.

What coach can replace him?

The reasons to do without Roverano on the bench are clearly justified. Due to statistics and performance issues, the Uruguayan should not continue any longer. But with the South American already on the horizon, this decision could be quite damaging for the team in the long run. With no solution in sight, an immediate remedy must also be sought.

In that context, Flavio Master, current coach of the national Under-23, appears as a great option to take the reins of this category. Nevertheless, Internal sources of the FPF confirmed to this newspaper that they will not entrust this responsibility to the former striker, as rumors say.

In addition, the chosen one will have to do directly with the taste of Juan Reynoso. First of all, it must be taken into account that Roverano arrived at the U-20 without any merit as a coach, a requirement that should be essential for a youth team. In that line, some options can be considered to replace it.

“If we talk about someone with a lot of experience in training players within the Technical Unit for Minors, conrad flowers (technician of the feminine branch) is the ideal. However, just over two months from the South American U-20, it is difficult for there to be a radical change in the team”says Gonzalo Santiago, CEO of ‘VSN – Youth Soccer‘.

There are also other options in our country, outside the Technical Unit for Minors, that can take on this great challenge. Vìctor Rivera, who has previously directed the U-20 team and who stopped training less than a month ago at San Martín University, is an interesting alternative. But he is not the only one.

“At the local level, we could have Pablo Zegarra as an option, champion of the 2016 Reserve Tournament with Sporting Cristal and runner-up of the U-18 Federation Cup with the Rimense team. I think he combines training with the professional competitive approach that this U-20 may require ″comments Gonzalo Santiago.

Anyway, the working time is quite short. The FPF must already think of a long-term project, but not only that. Child labor has not been going well in Peru for a long time. Several countries in the region have taken too much advantage of us in this regard. Therefore, it is necessary to make several restructurings to turn this adverse reality around.

Be that as it may, the mission now is to find an urgent solution for the South American. Whoever assumes the position released by Roverano will have an extremely difficult task and, therefore, deserves greater support in what is to come.

“It is difficult for a coach to want to take charge of the team when there are just over two months left for the South American, having negative results and with an important challenge”sentence Gonzalo Santiago.