“It’s a bullet train that faces, passes, centers, fakes”: compelling reasons why Andy Polo is the best player in League 1 I bet you

It was, without a doubt, the best of the match against the Rimenses, according to DT’s analysis in UnoxUno. And it is the best of the Apertura, by far. Andy, at 29 years old, is experiencing the best moment of his career in many years: he has three goals and seven assists this year. We would have to go back to 2016, eight years ago, to see better scoring production (four goals). That time as a winger, playing closer to the rival area, this time as a winger, with more ground to cover.

“I want to thank the team because it gives me the freedom to attack and defend,” he said after his great game against Cristal. The new Polo, the one converted by Professor Jorge Fossati, taking him out of the winger position and placing him as a winger, is the most unbalancing player in the ‘U’. He even knew about it before the game. Erick Delgado had analyzed it in an interview with this newspaper. In fact, coach Enderson Moreira tried to control that right wing but failed. According to Opta data, the creams attacked more times on that side (38.2%) than on Segundo Portocarrero (32.7%). Andy was unbearable.

There is probably no doubt: Andy Polo is the best player so far in the Apertura Tournament. For this reason, together with two journalists, a Peruvian coach and a scout, we analyzed why the Universitario player is the best of all.

Your numbers speak for themselves

Andy Polo is the U’s most influential player in attack in League 1: three goals and seven assists in 15 games. That is, ten of the 28 goals scored by the merengue team came from the feet of the winger. He is followed by Edison Flores with four goals and four assists. The difference, of course, is that ‘Ears’ is a forward.

“He is, by far, the best player in the Apertura,” says Adrián Cabrejos, Peruvian scout and founder of the remembered page “Embajadores Criollos”, specialized in following up on Peruvians abroad until recently. “His level is so high that I think many of us question whether he is not a starter in the national team over Luis Advíncula. He eats up the entire right wing day after day and has a greater physical display than any footballer in League 1. His evolution since he became a winger is remarkable. Before, they questioned him a lot because he didn’t give much in attack playing as a winger, now he is a bullet train that faces, passes, centers, fakes, looks for the shot. Starting from further back, without having the absolute responsibility of scoring, as happens with a full-back, gave him freedom and that shows on the field.”

Andy is an all-around player. If he influences the attack, he contributes to the defense. So far in the tournament, he has recovered 4.7 balls per game. Additionally, he has eight interceptions and two blocks. While it is true that he has a guarantee in defense in Aldo Corzo, Polo does not stop with that and also supports.

Physically impeccable

“He is in great physical condition. It has a long journey. It comes and goes without problems. It does not deteriorate his performance in the 90 minutes,” analyzes Javier Arce, Peruvian coach who won the 2019 Apertura with Binacional. Arce values ​​Polo’s route, a winger who plays all over the field, eats up his wing.

Andy’s heat map for the season clearly demonstrates the 29-year-old’s prime. And that is reflected in numbers too, of course. “By nature he is fast, but he is sustaining that high performance. He has been important for the ‘U’ in many games, not only for the match against Cristal. “Polo creates situations, he is fast, he plays wide, he defines and assists, and he does it at any time of the game,” he adds.

Almost always decides well

“He has a goal, a pass goal, good overflow and imbalance. He does almost everything well,” says Eduardo Combe, L1Max journalist. Andy has played 15 of the 17 dates, he was only changed once. That is to say, he rotated little due to good performance and because he has enough physicality to endure matches in the local tournament and the Cup.

“That he is one of those who rotate the least also helps because you see him for more time. Today, I think that for the first time it is giving Advíncula real competition. And Lucho is a full-back who plays for Boca and is very loved, and he has been in the national team for many years. But Polo is there, on par.”

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