Fossati Addresses Team’s Position Ahead of Classic Match

HUANCAYO, Peru — In the lead-up to the classic match of Peruvian football, Jorge Fossati, head coach of Universitario, shared his thoughts on the current state of his team. He stressed that they do not need to ‘recover’ after a recent loss.

‘I don’t understand why we need to recover,’ Fossati said. ‘We are first in the cumulative table, we won the Apertura, and we were the first team to qualify for the knockout stages. Yes, we had a bad result, and it hurt a lot. But those are things that happen in football. Just two days later, we had to play in Huancayo, and now it’s the same situation: just two and a half days before playing in Brazil.’

Fossati acknowledged the internal competition within Universitario, which gives him positive doubts as they prepare to face Alianza Lima at the Monumental Stadium. ‘We have the nice problem of having players who complicate my choices. Juan was very good in the last match, but Pedrito is also a strong candidate. He played at 3,200 meters and now he has to step up for the team, showing his qualities in many matches. So while form is important in my choices, it’s a good complication because everyone is ready to play,’ he said.

The coach also voiced his concern regarding officiating after a disallowed goal against Sport Huancayo. ‘What I feel and worry about, I’ve said it before: referees play a role, that’s how it is, they are part of the game. I hope God enlightens them all. Nowadays, we also have to think about VAR officials, who often complicate things for referees instead of helping them. I hope that at the end of the match, we can only talk about football and nothing else,’ he added.