From heaven to hell in 72 hours: what went wrong with 'U' and what is urgently needed to achieve the Clausura?

• ‘Puma’ Carranza on refereeing against ‘U’: “Everything here is a mess, then they cry”

As harsh as it may seem, the numbers are conclusive: Universitario only scored one point out of six possible in the last two games and went down when they were undefeated in the Clausura, had the first option to win this tournament, and enjoyed the full support of their fans. That is to say, at the moment when they had to show strength and defend what they had achieved on the field on their own merit, they did not do it and succumbed to the pressure of feeling superior to the rest, the lack of resolution to overcome tough matches, and their good present in football. The ‘U’ could not take control of its own destiny.

Against ADT in Tarma, for example, they played poorly and could not replicate what they had done against Melgar in Arequipa a few rounds ago. They missed Edison Flores in the creation of game and Piero Quispe, who seemed lost and disconnected from Alex Valera. The ‘cremas’ tried to play, to be dangerous, and to solve the game with their variants, but it became evident that the performances of many players are not up to the requirements. Fossati, the mastermind behind it all, maintained his system and that is already being questioned because the opponents know how the ‘U’ plays and what its strengths are. They have it studied and analyzed.

Although two goals were disallowed for them in that match, whether due to a refereeing mistake or an interpretative question, the criticism was not directed at themselves but at the sideline, without assuming responsibilities from their own side. Jean Ferrari, club administrator, was the first to raise a fuss and file a complaint with the FPF so that Joel Alarcón does not referee them anymore, but he did not reconsider that all teams are harmed by controversial decisions week after week and no one makes a scandal about it. Should refereeing be improved? Of course, but they must also be self-critical and seek solutions from within. Did the ‘U’ lose in Tarma because Alarcón did not validate Valera's goal or because they played poorly?

On the other hand, against Deportivo Garcilaso, the situation was different because Universitario deserved to win but lacked effectiveness. Poor finishes, little inventiveness, and the psychological handling against the pressure of the moment worked against Fossati's team. The ‘U’ succumbed mentally and from there they could not win it. The expulsion of Aldo Corzo and Flores' unjustified reaction confirm that not everything is going well. The team from Ate is the team with the most expulsions this year, and that denotes something. To this situation is also added what happened against ADT: players with low performances and a team that seems worn out from a football perspective.

It seems that Universitario tries to justify their mistakes from the viewpoint of others, when sometimes it is better to look at oneself. And for that, it is necessary to have a cool head, calmness, and tranquility to think. There is still time in the Clausura, there are games to be played, and one of them will be against Cristal. If there is something that this team has shown, it is its ability to grow in adversity. Coming from behind and solving it, with determination and passion. Fossati has players who are in a good level and needs to equalize performances for a better functioning of the team. That's what the ‘U’ depends on, to surpass itself in order to then defeat the others.

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