“I am the coach of the team, not anyone’s personal coach” | INTERVIEW

—We saw it in the Classic, was there anyone who surprised you?

No, honestly not. I didn’t see brilliant performances from anyone either, I did see good level performances. But I think this happens because we are only in the third round of the league. From my point of view, the players get to the rhythm of competition, in no less than six or seven games.

— Is it a presumption, perhaps very exaggerated, to believe that for the March friendlies (Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic) some or part of the ‘U’ column can be the support of the team?

No, it is not an exaggeration to think that players who are in the ‘U’ or who were, in the case of Piero Quispe, could be part of the squad for these two games in March. Because well, they have been part of the selection squad. And on the other hand, I think it is essential in this first period, those who are more adapted to what one wants, can help us make the idea more fluid from the beginning.

— Because, furthermore, Edison has made a leap in quality, Aldo Corzo is always average, Piero Quispe the same…

What happened to Edi (Flores) was simply a matter of context, of the special situation, in which we received it. He came to Universitario last year without preseason. I remember that we had to take it progressively. We had brought him to strengthen the team and not to give him a greater responsibility than his teammates. I think we took the path that was most convenient at that moment. So that he could give us his football. And as the games went by he increased the number of minutes. That way we managed to take it to the final of the championship and you saw what happened.

— Is the national team going to play with the system, the idea, that the ‘U’ had, the flexible 3-5-2, at least at this start?

With the idea there is no doubt. Otherwise it wouldn’t be me. The idea is not the system. The idea is one thing, the system is another. I have never denied that it is the system (3-5-2) that I like the most, but I have varied it many times, even at the Universitario itself. Sometimes it seems to me that we exaggerate when we lock up a coach because of the system. I like to say that the idea does not change because of the system, but what really changes it are the characteristics of the players that make up the team. For example, the classic (Alianza-‘U’) played mirror, they both played with the same system, right? but there were subtle differences. If you look closely, just because they play with the same system, they don’t play the same way.

—What is your position on any act of indiscipline in your group? There is an idea in Peru that we feel more comfortable with the coach being a second father. What is Fossati going to be like?

I am going to continue being Fossati. Nothing changes for me, especially at this point in my life. I am neither one extreme nor the other. I am quite frontal with the player. I take great care of privacy, as much as possible, because today you can’t even have privacy in your family, unfortunately. Everything goes viral. There I tell you from the first day what I think. If a player tells me ‘I think that this way we will be better’… well. I hear you. Give me arguments. If I have to think about it and I have to change it, I don’t have any problem. But you have to give me arguments. I am the coach of the squad, I am not anyone’s personal coach, if I can help you personally, I will be happy with life, as long as you don’t affect the group. I believe a lot in the importance of coexistence and the mentality we have as a group. Let’s all go together or you’ll get off. This is collective, if you want to go where you belong, go play tennis or go boxing.

—In what state of your patience is the Guerrero case today with what is known?

The last thing I spoke with him was that he was coming to Vallejo, that everything was arranged and how he was training. Once he has a team he stopped being, let’s say, my concern, as he and others have been. Of course this (being left without a club)… I can’t hide that I don’t like what’s happening, because for a player as important as him what mattered to me was that he had a team and I celebrated that he had arranged with a team from the Peruvian League. . I am also not the one to publicly judge what happened, because you always have to listen to both sides.

— Have you been able to talk to him in these last hotra?

No, as I tell you, after these last few hours where the unforeseen news came, I have not spoken with him. I will see how the issue goes, it is not about the call itself, because he is clear that if he does not have a team, well, it is not impossible, but it is very difficult for me to be able to call him.

—One assumes that if Paolo is there, he is the captain of the national team…

No, I don’t discount anything.

— Is the captain of the national team closer to Renato Tapia, if Guerrero is not in these friendlies?

Again, and without proper names, I don’t know if Tapia, Gallese, Corzo and everyone you want will be there. I do not change the captains or leaders of a group. Leaders are elected by their peers. The locker room belongs to the players. And the references are the references that the players say. I read recently that in the future the blue card is coming, it seems to be planned. It seems that this is the way, that the only one who will be able to communicate with the referee is the captain. So, he has to be someone suitable. If he is recognized, the better. It’s not that I give the captaincy to anyone. He has a function, he has to speak, he cannot be, with all due respect, someone who does not speak.

—Do you have any formed opinion about the possible return of André Carrillo to Peruvian football?

I would like it, I would like it. Because there is simply one thing: it is very far away, on the other side of the world. It’s clear, it’s a 30-hour trip away, so having it here or in the region would be good in that sense, right? And as I have always said that the Peruvian league is very demanding, so why not? I hope that André returns to Peruvian football.

— Is the aspiration today to fight for that half place, the sixth place in the Qualifiers, or is that math more for others?

I think the way is that from the Copa América we can take a strong team with respect to my idea. A team that knows what it wants. I would say that this is a moment when the best thing that can happen to us is not to look at the table.

— Is the national team obliged, since the process restarts, to win everything?

We are going to that match against Colombia (September in the Qualifiers) to try to win in the same way as against Nicaragua, and then the Dominican Republic. Because that mentality has to always be there, even if it’s here inside La Videna in a dive. You have to have an athlete who enters the field with the mentality of winning. As? We must not forget that a team that plays well is the team that does the two most important things in football well: defend and attack.

—Looking at the table or not, the direct rival for the Peruvian team is Gareca’s Chile?

No no. I don’t take it that way. For me, regardless of the coach, the game that has a plus is the game with Chile, but not because Gareca or Fossati are there, it is because it is the Pacific Classic. If you mean that it is a rival that, although it is true that it is above us (in the Qualifying table), but is close, you also have Bolivia, Paraguay. They are all there. The others come a little further away, but they are not 50 points ahead either.