Five compelling reasons for Alianza’s almost perfect campaign to win the Apertura

The defeat against Melgar in Arequipa with an alternate team, and the victory of the creams against Vallejo, closed the gap. But the outlook continues to favor those in blue and white.

At the moment, Alianza takes five points from the ‘U’, carrying a ‘walk over’ on their backs at the start of the championship against Cristal. But still it is absolute leader with 36 points in 15 player games: 12 wins and three losses, in addition to having had a streak of eight consecutive wins. An almost perfect contest that would have to culminate with the title of the first championship of the year.

But how did Alianza manage to dominate and be the forceful leader of the Apertura? What factors influenced so that the current two-time champion of Peruvian soccer is with the title almost in his pocket? Next we will try to answer the questions about the Victorian cast that they even had the luxury of experimenting in the last few games and still get a positive balance:

Matute is the intimate fort

If something characterized Alianza in the era of Chicho Salas, it is that it turned Matute into a fortress. “It gives the impression that the teams that go to Matute start losing 1-0″Diego Rebagliati, former soccer player and commentator for Movistar Deportes, analyzed a few weeks ago.

The numbers support the theory: this year, the only rival dared to mark them was Deportivo Municipal on the last date.

Although unlike last year, when Guillermo Salas seized the team in the middle of the Clausura and made it champion, winning everything at home, subduing their rivals from the first minute; This season, the goals in Matute have come mostly in the second half: eleven of the 16 came in the complementary part (68%).

Universitario, the only one who is giving him a fight, played eight matches at the Monumental and lost one: against the blue and whites. That is one of the reasons for the difference between the two.

best visitor

The Victorian team that has established itself as the best visitor to the Apertura, despite the negative balance it has in high-altitude cities: two defeats (vs. Huancayo and Melgar) and one victory (precisely against UTC).

The Blue and Whites played seven games away from La Victoria, not counting the ‘walk over’ against Cristal. Of them, six visits were to the province and only one in the capital (the classic against the ‘U’). And they achieved five wins and two losses. That is, 71% of points obtained.

Universitario, for example, played seven games in that condition (five in the province) and achieved only three wins and one draw. Although it is necessary to highlight that two of his three defeats were with Carlos Compagnucci as coach. The arrival of Jorge Fossati improved the numbers, but he has not managed to move to Alianza for now.

He won where the ‘U’ could not

The race for the Apertura today has two protagonists: Lima and University Alliance, separated by five points with nine to go. Third place, Carlos Mannucci, is far behind, ten units away, and now without any chance to dream.

Those led by Guillermo Salas took advantage by winning places where the ‘U’ could not.

Now, The meringues will travel to Cajamarca in search of the three points against UTC with the aim of staying alive in the tournament. A loss could mean losing the title. They will do it in a square where Alianza won 1-0 with a goal from Pablo Sabbag.

Less beaten team

From there, Chicho Salas was rotating names, even in the goal with Ángelo Campos and Franco Saravia. Even so, the intimates are the least beaten team in the tournament (8 goals against, not counting the 3-0 by WO) and they kept their record undefeated in eight games.

The defense that, in theory, is the holder, made up of Peruzzi, Zambrano, Garcia and LagosHe only played one match for the local tournament. Salas had to change for various reasons.

Although the numbers are also supported by the enormous performance that they have shown fields and saravia, the intimate goalkeepers. When he touched them, they were the most outstanding of the team. In fact, the Victorians have conceded 50 shots on target, according to SofaScore statistics, and conceded only eight goals.

Large and superior staff

“The efforts that we will make as a club are thought of in the Copa Libertadores”, José Bellina told us in an interview at the end of last year, after Alianza Lima established itself as two-time Peruvian soccer champion. After the sporting success, the goal in La Victoria was the international level and for that they were reinforced with high-ranking players such as Zambrano, Garcia, Cueva, Andrade and Sabbagand also brought in one of the best wingers in the championship: Bryan Reina.

They were joined by some names that have been standing out such as Jesus Castillo and Franco Zanelatto. In addition, the base of the team that was champion two consecutive years with a backbone with Fields, Balloon and Boats.

Alianza’s effort to squeeze his wallet consolidated one of the best teams in Peruvian soccer, even compared to the one that put together the intimate group in 2001, the year of its centenary.

The large and player-rich roster has allowed Salas to rotate his players without suffering serious consequences. In the last two games in Matute (victories against Vallejo and Municipal), the coach gave minutes to Cueva, who had been recovering from his injury, and put him next to Andrade, an experiment that cost but ultimately ended in celebrations. Before Melgar this Friday he put an alternate team, without seven starters, thinking about the Cup match against Libertad, and almost brought Arequipa a draw.