X-ray of Juan Reynoso: what the technician who approved the double date of the Qualifiers got right and what he failed to do | OPINION

What was the worst weakness of the second part of Ricardo Gareca’s process? The Peruvian team had gained in hierarchy and winning mentality, however, it was a tactically very predictable team. We could not only recite his equipment from memory, but also his movements. ‘Oreja’ Flores in attack was no longer surprising, nor was the partnership between Yotún and Trauco. Cueva was increasingly surrounded and Advíncula was increasingly exposed when it came to defending. When Peru, in the Qatar 2022 Qualifiers, had to look for the result, it almost always went badly. The greatest joys came from behind (Ecuador in Quito and Colombia in Barranquilla). Not only did we stumble at home against the powerful (Argentina and Brazil), but we were also unable to prevail against direct rivals such as Uruguay and Ecuador. Being a favorite, in the last days of ‘Tigre’ in Peru, was bad news. We suffered it with Australia in Doha.

Juan Reynoso inherited a little bit of everything when he was appointed as the new coach of the Bicolor. The positive: an experienced squad, winning mentality and highly committed players. The negative: little generational change (some shouted Grimaldo’s entry as a goal), high average age and lack of goal (imagine Gareca’s second process without Lapadula). If we include the match against the Australians, Peru has already gone more than 300 minutes without scoring in World Cup Qualifiers. The defensive proposal works, although up top we feel shortages on all sides.

There are some positive feelings to not let ourselves be consumed by the unpleasantness of the drop in discounts against Brazil. Renato Tapia at the back has been relentless, Marcos López is not a full-back (he is a left winger), Gallese will always be Gallese and there are players who are “national team” like Yotún and Aldo Corzo. Pablo Giralt, an interesting Argentine chronicler, says that he is worried about Peru because there are no new names. Perhaps Grimaldo’s case is an exception to the rule, although it is insufficient compared to the direct rivals for a place in the 2026 World Cup. By October Zambrano and Callens will return, Advíncula will serve his sanction and we will see if players like Reyna, Cueva and Flores approve the physical demands of the Reynoso technical command. We need you all. We do not want to repeat the suffering of Asunción. We are no longer waiting for more miracles, even if the next double date is in October.

We compete more than Bolivia, we have fewer doubts than Chile (the next rival in Santiago) and we do not have the coach as questioned as in Paraguay. But is he enough for us? They qualify 6 and the repechage is now with a mini-tournament (more difficult). For background, I see the visit to the Chileans with optimism and something very similar to what happened last night against Argentina. And I keep thinking, will that be enough? We close the year with Bolivia in La Paz and the enlarged Venezuela in Lima. Only after that double date can we respond with a smile or with the feeling that a tragedy is approaching.

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