Why is Lapadula emerging as a starter against Bolivia and Venezuela instead of Guerrero?

Height factor

Considering that Peru will visit Bolivia in La Paz, it is known that the resources that can be used the most are set pieces and long-range shots. In addition, an attacking reference is needed who physically arrives in optimal conditions and, when going for the ball, the factor of altitude does not take a toll on him. In this regard, although Paolo Guerrero is a player who has been accumulating many minutes with LDU in Quito, a city at high altitude, with the Peruvian national team in the first two double headers he has shown himself as a '9' who lacked mobility. In fact, the numbers speak for themselves: zero shots on goal in four games.

In this context, Lapadula, despite having only just started accumulating minutes with Cagliari after recovering from ankle surgery, is emerging as the '9' who can make runs into space, with better physical capabilities to make the required movements and then penetrate the opponent's area. It is worth remembering that 'Bambino' had a good performance in the match against Ecuador in Quito and did not have any problems with the altitude despite not being accustomed to it.

In this sense, Peru under Reynoso in these World Cup Qualifiers has made it clear that ball possession is not their best characteristic and finding Paolo Guerrero in the area was more than difficult, which is why the 'Predator' was almost never well enabled or had accurate shots on goal. Offensive production in the final stretch was indeed non-existent and, for this, Lapadula is emerging as the forward who can be in the attacking front.

Defense and attack

Referring to Peru's matches in the current World Cup Qualifiers, they have tended to be more defensive than offensive and their approach is to let the opponent have the ball, recover it, and generate attacking options from there. Therefore, considering that being proactive is difficult against Bolivia in La Paz, the same attackers (wingers and forward) need to be defensive and have the explosiveness and speed to play on the counterattack. The same can be expected against Venezuela, a team that presses high and usually has ball possession in their recent matches.

Therefore, if the 'Blanquirroja' were to play as a team that has possession of the ball and plays to feed their '9', the option of considering Paolo Guerrero over Gianluca Lapadula could be valid due to his lethality within the area and his stature. However, the national team needs a forward who can also work in the entire attacking front, a characteristic of 'Bambino'. Therefore, considering the urgency of finding goals and being able to generate chances and improve offensive production, Lapadula - even with few minutes of competition for those matches - is the best choice to start, and Paolo Guerrero would be a very useful substitute or companion for the second half.

What is Lapadula's current form?

Before Peru's matches in the third double header, Cagliari, Gianluca Lapadula's team, will play two games in which the Italian-Peruvian footballer could accumulate more minutes and arrive with better competitive form for the national team.

Cagliari will play again this weekend when they host Genoa for the 11th matchday of the 2023-24 Serie A. The match is scheduled for Sunday, November 5th, starting at 9:00 a.m. Subsequently, Claudio Ranieri's team will have to focus on their match against Juventus, also in the context of the Serie A. This game is scheduled for Sunday, November 12th, starting at 12:00 p.m. This will also be a great opportunity for Gianluca Lapadula to continue accumulating minutes.

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