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Alianza Lima two-time champion of Peruvian football (2021 and 2022) reinforced its spine with a view to its participation in the Copa Libertadores and its fight for the national three-peat. Under the technical direction of Guillermo Salas, the team added players in every section of the field. The defense was reinforced by the Argentine Santiago García and the national Carlos Zambrano, players with a stint in the Bundesliga, who ended up taking ownership of the backline of the 'people's team'. In addition, the 'Rifle' Andrade and Christian Cueva arrived to a position that was conceived for Jairo Concha.
In the midfield, the pending issue was to hire a player of hierarchy who would shadow and awaken competition in Jairo Concha. They added the Colombian Andrés Andrade from Atlético Nacional de Medellín, and unexpectedly the number '8' who played as '10' in the era of Ricardo Gareca that qualified the Peruvian national football team for the 2018 World Cup: Christian Cueva.
It should be noted that, in the 2022 season, there was already another versatile player, the Argentine who became Peruvian, Pablo Lavandeira, who could alternate as a playmaker, winger, and even second striker. However, he did not find a place and sought new horizons in Melgar FBC, Alianza's rival, who did not hinder him and let him go to Arequipa.
In the first matches of the Apertura Tournament, Concha was the owner of the ball in the generation of football; however, he gradually lost it internationally with the incorporation of the Colombian Andrés Andrade, who was initially placed as a defensive midfielder. After the adaptation, football flowed in the Peruvian tournament and slowly in the Copa Libertadores, but a nagging injury postponed it.
From then on, the position was taken by Christian Cueva, followed by Jairo Concha himself, relegated for not meeting Guillermo Salas' demands.
Currently, the blanquiazul coach is once again betting on the former player from Universidad San Martín at the start of the Clausura Tournament. Against Paranaense, the midfielder played as a starter again and left 'Aladino' on the bench. The same bet was repeated against Municipal.
For now, both will have to redouble their efforts to take ownership of the position, as they are indebted. Meanwhile, 'Chicho' has reunited the partnership that gave him the bicampeonato by bringing together Concha, Barcos, and Aldair Rodríguez, while Andrade, Sabbag, and Cueva recover.
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