Ricardo Gareca: when he was last in qualifiers with Peru and predicted how the repechage would be defined

For Ricardo Gareca there is no phrase “what starts badly, ends badly”. And you can see this with two qualifying processes under the command of the Peruvian national team. With him, the 'bicolor' did not have a good start in the tournament, but halfway through he made a couple of changes and ended up staying with the repechage. Yesterday at the National Stadium in Lima was yet another feat of the 'Tigre'.

Clearly, none of the Peruvian national team wanted to repeat what they experienced in the 2018 Qualifiers for Russia. Improving this process was the main objective. And for that, it was essential to start on the right foot. But it wasn't like that. Fate and football reminded us that nothing will be easy for us. And as the beloved journalist Daniel Peredo often said: “If we don't suffer, it won't work”.

The 'white-roja' rescued a draw against Paraguay on a visit at the start of the Qualifiers heading to Qatar 2022. After that, he accumulated 4 defeats in a row. The team was on the tightrope and had to go to the height of Quito to face Ecuador. And what happened? He resurrected and defeated 2-1 with a phenomenal performance from Gianluca Lapadula (2 assists). And the America's Cup came.

Peru had the record of having reached the final of the last Copa América, but by its present it was not a favorite. Well, although he defeated the 'tricolor', he was last in the Playoffs with just 4 points. Likewise, the squad continued with its business and came fourth in the contest that crowned Argentina (1-0 against Brazil).

After the contest, Ricardo Gareca saw things that filled him with faith. He believed that, even when he was in the background, his players could make it to the repechage. And what did he predict how everything would happen in the end! As proof are his statements to Argentine journalist Martin Liberman, published on August 13, 2021.

In the note, Liberman told 'Tigre' what he had talked to some Peruvian colleagues after Copa América. “If I am Gareca, I'm leaving. What am I going to stay for? I returned Peruvian football to its place. I played a good part in the World Cup. What else can you dream of?” , launched the driver.

“I took my time (to continue in Peru). The only thing that could get me twisted was that of Argentina (selection). But when I arrived in Argentina everything was very confused, there was no clarity. I had asked him for 30 days to renew the Peruvians,” the former footballer recalled about what happened when his contract with Peru ended.

After that, he left a premonitory message about the future of the Peruvian national team. “We are in a place to fight the repechage, which is going to be circling between several teams. I think we're in a position to be able to fight it. If we get out of the last positions, and we see that we can start moving forward, we will see if we can something else,” he said, being tenth in the fight.

Because Ricardo Gareca always trusted the ability of the Peruvian footballer. “I like the Peruvian player... the technique of the Peruvian player. Of course, in the intensity played today, the talented can be relegated. And I liked the challenge: to bring those players to higher physical performance. We were convinced (together with the technical command) that it could be achieved,” he said.

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