No Barcelona and definitely not Emelec are the teams with the best performance in the 2020 edition of the LigaPro Serie A tournament of the Guayas Football Association. That honor belongs to the surprising Guayaquil City, the sole leader of the championship with 11 points after defeating Aucas 4-2 on Saturday night, in the fifth round.
Ángel Gracia (11 minutes), Luis Cano (41 and 61), and Michael Hoyos (71) scored the goals for the city club, in which Fernando Gaibor made his debut. Lisandro Alzugaray (14) and Maxi Barreiro (66) scored for Aucas.
"They have reinforced the squad and that is a credit to the leadership and coach Pool Gavilánez. Gaibor is a great signing. He is a classy player, constantly moving around the midfield to help recover and build the game. Gaibor is not lazy, he runs the entire game; he has a fighting spirit that can motivate his teammates," said Ricardo Armendáriz, radio analyst at Huancavilca.
Canessa: Gaibor is going to understand Mastriani and Hoyos.
He added: "Another point that I highlight is the tactical change made by Gavilánez. The three-line defense was not working and they were losing games. They rectified it and strengthened all the lines. This has helped them to be at the top, but we do not know if it will be enough to finish as winners of the second stage. It depends on them to maintain or improve their level and on how the stronger teams like Liga (Q), Independiente, and Barcelona perform.
Can City be a finalist in 2020? Mario Canessa, commentator at Caravana, responds: "At the moment, it is a relative judgment because what they have shown is knowing how to choose reinforcements. It is an important investment, well done, in experienced players. As things are going, and based on what has been shown, it can be said that they have a chance, but that is a partial judgment. Let's hope they can maintain a good level for the good of Guayaquil football."
He added: "Hiring Gaibor has been a luxury. He will control the pace in midfield. His intelligence will be a fundamental pillar. So much so that in the victory against Aucas, he showed his quality despite being inactive for a few months." (D)