Valera and vehemence as sin: how much does his temperament affect Fossati's 'U'?

• What is Alianza Lima's plan with Cristian Benavente after nine months of rest?

It is evident that Alex Valera is the most influential player of Universitario this year with 12 goals and two assists. Just looking at the statistics confirms his importance in the Fossati team; but we also need to look at the other side of the coin, and there the player has a problem: he is the player with the most expulsions in the current squad this season (3 times) along with Nelson Cabanillas. He received a red card on two occasions in the Liga 1 Betsson and once in the Sudamericana. What is constant is the reason for the expulsion: it was always due to a vehement play, aggression, or arguments with the referee of the match.

Let's get into the details. Valera suffered his first expulsion of the year in the match against Municipal that ended 2-1 in favor of the "cremas". He received the first yellow card for vehement protest to the referee and then, when the score was decided and the 90+7' minute was being played, he committed a strong foul against Joseph Núñez and was shown the second yellow card. The forward asked for explanations, but the play was clear and his expulsion was completely justified. Did it harm Universitario? Not in that match, but it did affect what came next, because in the following match, the 'U' faced Sporting Cristal in a key match for the Apertura title. Fortunately, the "cremas" also won that game (2-0) and Valera's absence was not felt.

After serving his suspension against Cristal, Valera reappeared against Sport Boys and scored a hat-trick. But that good performance was overshadowed by what he did on the field: after being 3-0 ahead and when the 88' minute was being played, Valera got into a fight with Christian Ramos and both were shown red cards. The 'crema' forward clashed with the 'Sombra', reacted aggressively, and the defender punched him in the head. In the end, an unnecessary brawl broke out that left both teams with ten players. What were the consequences of that? Well, in the following match, Universitario visited Alianza Atlético in Sullana and lost 3-1. Fossati had no attacking options to refresh his team and with that result, they practically ruled themselves out of the Apertura race.

And the last time it happened was in the match against Corinthians in Brazil on Tuesday, where he was directly sent off for a vehement challenge against Bruno Méndez. It wasn't even a dangerous play, the ball was in 'Timao's' half and far from José Carvallo. But Valera made a mistake, hit hard, and once again harmed Universitario. The consequences of this were threefold: the adverse result in Sao Paulo, his absence in the return match in Lima, and Fossati's disappointment at losing his most influential player of the year. Isn't that serious?

There is no doubt that this temperament shown in matches is not always an act of rebellion, it is also an invitation to sin, to unnecessary mistakes that bring regret and indignation. The '9' of Universitario urgently needs to better manage his self-control, strengthen his mental aspect, and take that second breath that often prevents problems in a matter of seconds. And it is Universitario's duty to support him in achieving that, because Valera has shown his importance in the team and they need him at his best physically and mentally. It is possible to be vehement without reacting this way, but that depends on the player and the club itself.

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