The imbalance of Serna, the heart of Arregui and the goals of Barcos: the UnoxUno of a victory to start the year with enthusiasm

“You do not know what it is. Really, ah! The ability he has, the change of pace, is incredible. Ufff!”, they had told us in Alianza a few days ago when we interviewed coach Alejandro Restrepo. Kevin demonstrated in ADT his ability in attack: unbalancing, handling of both legs, with an impressive change of pace. In the blue and white preseason he confirmed it. And before Once Caldas he showed it to his new fans.

The first goal came thanks to a counterattack commanded by Serna. He drove from his field at full speed and, when space opened up between the defenders, he assisted Hernán Barcos. The Pirate, with all the hierarchy that he carries at 39 years old, controlled the pass and scored with a bang to make it 1-0. The first goal of the year had to come from the feet of the scorer, the new idol. Five minutes later, Kevin caused a penalty that Barcos turned into a celebration.

“He likes the crescent, so (…) a dozen (of crescents), at least,” Hernán promised Kevin for each assist. Those naturalized – the first born in Argentina and the second in Colombia but both already Peruvians – began a great duo that could occur more often. And the Pirate must begin to fulfill his promises.

Serna and Barcos were the main stars of the night. The winger turned winger is one of those players who makes the fan stand up every time they have the ball. And the ‘9’ takes over the applause and ovation for his goals. But this new Alianza, that of Alejandro Restrepo and his 3-5-2, showed some interesting things in his first game in public.

It is, in principle, an intense, fighting team. Everyone runs, everyone scores, everyone battles. Some more than others, of course. But no one ends up with a clean shirt. Details, some of the game’s automations, still need to be polished. That’s why in the middle of the game the players talked to each other, gave each other instructions, and corrected each other. But it is a team that excites. And Sebastián Rodríguez – one of the most applauded of the night – and Pablo Sabbag, who is with the Syrian national team competing in the Asia Cup, still need to get together.

The heart of Arregui above all

Adrián Arregui took the plaudits from the entire National stadium. Not because he is an elegant Busquets-type five that the fans asked for so much, but on the contrary: the heart that he imposed on each divided ball. His dedication infects his teammates and his leadership guides the team’s path. He was even able to score a great scissors goal.

The magnifying glass was placed on Cecilio Waterman, the Panamanian number 9 that the fan demonized without even seeing him in action: a mobile forward, always marking the diagonals and playing with his back turned. He is not technically gifted, but he makes up for it with speed. He had a couple of chances that he didn’t make.

Behind were the other foreign reinforcements: Juan Pablo Freytes as stopper on the left and Jiovany Ramos as stopper on the right. Both with a lot of physical display, going up to support the wingers and taking risks with the ball at their feet. Playing very high trying to drive outside their comfort zone entails some risks that they took and that could cost Alianza dearly. They must improve in that aspect. And in that sense, Aldair Fuentes also had some mistakes. In defense, all three were impeccable, winning aerial and ground duels.

In goal, Angelo Campos and Franco Saravia (each covered for a while) showed their usual confidence. Jesús Castillo continues to be the midfielder with a lot of intensity to press. And Catriel Cabellos showed good moments recovering balls and taking charge of leading the blue and white attacks. On the left, Ricardo Lagos went from less to more, triangulating with Castillo and Barcos. Although he lacks serenity for the last pass.

In the second half, among others, Bryan Reyna, Gabriel Costa and Jhamir D’Arrigo entered. Of the three, Reyna was the best. Explosive and unstoppable when he starts. He came in as a forward and got along very well with Serna. Gabi Costa missed a clear scoring chance under the arc and D’Arrigo was a little nervous with the ball at his feet.

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