The Good Moment of Pumas
The good moment of Pumas is not a coincidence, as it has several reasons for its construction. After a disastrous 2017, in which they wandered around the bottom of the general table, a reconversion was forged in the Pedregal, no matter how difficult it seemed until just a few weeks ago. The first great success was to give continuity to an institutional figure, who knows the house like few others: David Patiño, at the helm of the main squad. The coach arrived as an interim at the end of the last semester and managed to rescue several points, although he did not fully reverse the sporting crisis. Keeping him guaranteed a man committed to the values of the institution.
"It's not that we weren't before, but David staying gave us a lot of confidence, a lot of desire to move forward, and it has been noticed in the intensity of the game we have now," said David Cabrera a few days ago, one of the players who has had the most continuity with the coach. And yes, the second step was the structure of the backbone. Patiño, a Pumas fan like no other, supported the stay of questioned players; cases like Alfredo Saldívar, Joscarlos Van Rankin and Luis Quintana come to light. Well, now they shine and are guarantees in their positions. Their performance is the merit of the coach.
Regarding roles, David Patiño focused on key men to increase the weight of their role on the field. Marcelo Díaz, who did not have the best of his semesters in the 2017 Apertura, became the second captain, giving him the reins of the midfield, even sacrificing the presence of Abraham González, so that the Chilean could develop the game plan alongside Cabrera (4-2-3-1). The person in charge of the captain's armband was one of the most beloved by the fans, Pablo Barrera. Recovered from injuries, exhibiting a very high performance, glued to the wing, the veteran generates vertigo and also goals. "The national team coach should take a look at him," said the blue and gold coach.
One of the few requests that Patiño made to the Rodrigo Ares de Parga directive was to retouch, at least try to, each line. For the central defense, Alejandro Arribas arrived, a strong Spanish defender, who has shown his quality in a short time, sharing credits with Quintana; in the attack, as a revulsive, Matías Alustiza arrived and it goes without saying the coordination he has generated with Nicolás Castillo. With less luck, the Colombian Yuber Asprilla, who got injured two weeks into the tournament and has not returned yet. Almost at the last moment, Érick "Cubo" Torres arrived, a Mexican forward, who will wait for his opportunity to, if necessary, replace Nico and produce up front.
Today, Pumas' immediate present is encouraging, contrasting with what they were experiencing just a few months ago, in which uncertainty was part of their daily lives. In terms of the pitch, Universidad Nacional is the sole leader of a meritorious tournament, in which, with 14 points, they have displayed an important performance. Along with América, the felinos from the Pedregal are the only undefeated teams in the Liga MX, not to mention that thanks to the eleven goals they have scored, they are the most productive offense in the competition... Four victories and two draws have changed the face of a squad that saw it impossible to get out of the darkest steps. 2018 is smiling at a consistent Pumas on and off the field.