Querétaro has two victories in three rounds of the Guard1anes Clausura 2021 tournament of Mexican football.
Last Sunday, they defeated the Pumas of the National Autonomous University of Mexico 2-0 with goals from José Gurrola (22 minutes) and Ángel Sepúlveda (44). Since last week, the Ecuadorian Antonio Valencia has shined in the team, which plays at the La Corregidora World Cup Stadium. The press and their coach also highlight this.
"(Héctor) Pity Altamirano praised Antonio Valencia's contribution," reads the headline of yesterday's Noticias newspaper in an article where the Querétaro coach talks about the performance of the Ecuadorian, who doesn't seem to have been affected by the ten-month break. The former defender "predicted that soon we will see the best version of the Ecuadorian star."
The Querétaro newspaper says that Altamirano "overflowed with praise when asked about Valencia's work." The Mexican coach commented: "I am surprised by the way he works. He is very serious in what he does, you realize why he was successful in his career. Antonio is a humble guy who is willing to listen, but also offers his opinions for the improvement of everyone."
ESPN stated that the former captain of Manchester United gave an exhibition of good play against the Pumas. "Valencia was one of the figures in Querétaro's victory over Pumas and played his best game since arriving in the MX League in the third round of the championship. In an article titled 'Antonio Valencia began to show his quality,' the network adds that the Amazonian 'assisted the second goal after a great breakthrough, typical of his best times in the Premier League. Sepúlveda took advantage of it and scored the 2-0 for the Gallos Blancos. Since his arrival, Valencia has had the trust of Altamirano, who gave him the starting position in all the games. Little by little, the Ecuadorian returns that trust with good play."
Regarding Valencia's position, Altamirano explained: "We use him in the 4-3-3 as an interior to have better development due to his good foot. We talked to him, making him see that Mexican football is very fast-paced, so that he would feel comfortable in a position he is familiar with. Against the intensity of Pumas, Toño's good pass was going to benefit us. It's not something that occurred to us today. We played him as a full-back in the first few games so that he would get used to it and then use him in midfield."
Although he stood out as a midfielder, the second goal came from a great individual play by Toño as a full-back. (D)