“It’s time to put the historic teams in the museum’s display case”: Renato Cisneros and five pieces of advice for Fossati ahead of the Qualifiers

2) The Peruvian attack does not exist, Nonno. We are tragically harmless. It is urgent that the leitmotiv of your work from now on consists of recovering, not the ability to attack the rival, but the psychological conviction that doing so is essential to win matches. We must return to that primary point of the lesson in order to raise our heads. Our record of shots on goal is a disgrace that can only be concealed thanks to the presence of Bolivia in the tournament. Even Jamaica looks at the opposing goal with greater ambition. Is it due to the technical ability of the forwards, or the lack of association of the collective? We need a diagnosis, professor. And immediately a remedy. At least a palliative.

3) It is time to leave the historical ones in the museum display case. I’m not saying this because of Tapia, Yotún or Advíncula – who we missed so much and who, presumably, maintain the level of Russia 2018 –; I say it for Paolo Guerrero. Take care of him, Nonno. Take care of him from the reproach of the tribune, but above all take care of him from himself; Take care of him from his impetus, from his desire, from his stubbornness to continue fighting battles that he no longer has to fight. His enthusiasm is valid, but it bears no relation to the reality of his forty years. Help the idol safeguard his prestige in front of the community that enthroned him and still worships him. Summon him, if he wants, but knowing that his role is that of symbolic motivator. Let him do the harangues in the tunnel, let him lead the lunch prayers, let him tell jokes at conferences, but let him no longer be a starter. His limitations become evident very quickly, and that gives the rival one less worry; and to the fan, further proof that the Predator is a souvenir of the past.

4) Stop calling up Carrillo and Cueva until they are back to what they were before (if that is possible). It is the healthiest thing to do. For the fans who have a magnificent memory of what those two men did on the field, it is painful – I am not exaggerating with the adjective – to see them wandering around the field as if they were mourning in a castle. They are ghosts in shorts. Ghosts that no longer frighten, that are not scary. Without quimba or speed, Carillo is not Carrillo, he is another, a namesake, an impostor. The same happens with the ’10’: without mental or positional quickness, without power or imagination, Cueva is not Cuevita. Aladdin without a lamp is not Aladdin. Perhaps both of them will be able to embody their best versions again, but in the meantime, it is fair to give the opportunity to others with more air, with more need for the glory that they already tasted.

5) Focus on finding a team rather than achieving a ranking. It is unpopular to ask them, we all want to go to the World Cup, but given the panorama and done the math, there is no way to get there. We would need too many strokes of luck and mathematical operations to consider that we have a chance. The Playoffs should not be a testing platform, but nor a wasted opportunity, so go ahead: try, make mistakes, correct. In the end, more than the number of points accumulated, the (good) fan will value having (or not) a team with a defined personality, supportive, determined, that dies in its law. That is, everything that the selection was and is no longer. The horizon is not the 2026 Cup, it is 2030.