The Cueva dilemma: He played only 43% of possible minutes, zero goals, and an injury.

The Lost Minutes

Since his arrival at Alianza Lima, Christian Cueva has played 22 matches (14 as a starter) in the Liga 1 Betsson 2023 and 5 matches (3 as a starter) in the Copa Libertadores. In total, he did not score any goals or provide any assists in the two tournaments.

In the Torneo Apertura, 'Aladino' made his debut against Sport Huancayo on March 20, played 19 minutes, and was not called up for two consecutive matches (against Cienciano and Alianza Atlético) due to knee problems. He then missed a match (against Mannucci) due to suspension for a red card, and finally, he was not called up against Deportivo Garcilaso as he was called up for the Peruvian national team. In total, 'Aladino' played 410 minutes out of 1080 possible, not counting his mandatory absence due to his national team call-up. Therefore, in the Torneo Apertura, he lost 670 minutes with the blanquiazul shirt.

In the Torneo Clausura, the creative midfielder played the first two matches coming off the bench, but was not called up against Sporting Cristal and Sport Boys due to indiscipline that put his continuity in the team at risk. His reappearance came in the fifth round in the classic against Universitario de Deportes. In this second part of the championship, 'Aladino' played 719 minutes out of 1710 possible and played the full match three times (against César Vallejo, Cusco FC, and Alianza Atlético). In total, the national midfielder lost 991 minutes in the Torneo Clausura.

If we refer to the Copa Libertadores in the first half of the year, the 31-year-old player played 244 minutes in five matches out of 450 possible. That is, he missed out on 206 minutes of play. It should be noted that in that international competition, he even stayed on the bench in the victory against Libertad in Asunción.

Among all these statistics, Christian Cueva has a total of 1867 minutes without playing, which translates to approximately 21 missed matches since joining the blanquiazul team. Undoubtedly, a number that did not turn out well for the internal leadership considering that the player was an expensive investment and did not earn a place in the starting lineup or make a difference when he had to come on.

In total, Cueva played only 43% of the playing minutes of Alianza Lima this 2023.

Will He Stay in 2024?

So far, it is known that Christian Cueva suffers from an injury in his right knee that may require surgery, which would take a long recovery time and further diminish the chances of Alianza Lima including him in their plans for 2024. The national midfielder's contract with the club is until the end of 2023 and, from the player's surroundings, it was thought that by achieving certain objectives, it could be extended for another year. But considering the player's current situation and the injury he is dealing with, it seems unlikely. It should also be noted that 'Aladino' belongs to Al Fateh until 2025.