Questions about peruvian football

Discussion in 'Peru' started by Lucarneopposee, May 26, 2011.

  1. Lucarneopposee

    Lucarneopposee New Member

    Mar 19, 2010
    Rennes
    Club:
    FC Girondins de Bordeaux
    Hello,

    Maybe some of you have already see my different posts here. I am a French webmaster of a website dedicated to all footballs that are not covered by any French medias (you know, these kinds of footballs which are categorized as “exotic”) and with one of my reader, I am preparing a focus on Peruvian football which then will lead to the coverage of Peruvian Primera Division.

    In this report, we will focus on Peruvian football history and introduce the league (with a complementary article dedicated do Cienciano – if any of you would like to talk about his team, feel free to contact me). If I came here is to ask you few questions about Peruvian football and I’d be glad if some of you could answer (it will only take a few minutes).

    Here are the questions divided in 2 themes:

    The first one is dedicated to the national team (NT)

    - Despite the high number of great players (just looking at the actual Blanquiroja is enough to prove it), Peru failed to qualify for any World Cup since 1982. How would you explain that ? Does this have a negative impact on Peruvian local football (and maybe the passion behind the NT).
    - Peru NT had two golden ages: in the thirties and in the seventies. Two great periods separated by 40 years. It means that now its time to live a new one? What about the young players? Do you feel that it would be possible for Peru to shine again? What do you think is missing for this to happen again?
    - In few weeks will start the Copa America and Peru will play in a very tough group. Do you expect something from it?

    Then time to talk about local football.

    - How would you rate your Primera División?
    - I am also covering Copa Libertadores and thus could see Universidad San Martín or León de Huánuco this season, Universitario, Alianza Lima or Juan Aurich last year, competed quite well. Would you say that this reflect the real level of Peruvian clubs? Do you feel that your local football is improving?
    - How would you describe the way football is lived in Peru? How Peruvian are living their passion? Is it, as we used to describe football in South America (an incredible passion) or is it different (if so, how different)?
    I’ll stop here.

    Thank you in advance

    nicolas
     
  2. AL#7

    AL#7 Member+

    Aug 22, 2006
    Australia
    Nat'l Team:
    Peru
    Welcome. Our football is clearly not among the richest in SA but as you say we do have good individual players doing great in Europe...how do you connect the two?! I guess that's what makes our football idiosyncrasy interesting.

    Questions:
    - Despite the high number of great players (just looking at the actual Blanquiroja is enough to prove it), Peru failed to qualify for any World Cup since 1982. How would you explain that ? Does this have a negative impact on Peruvian local football (and maybe the passion behind the NT).
    Numerous factors: one of the worst kind of media in the whole of SA which is negative in nature, lack of discipline, the form of playing which has been more individual than groupal, the absence of serious clubs which are eager to invest and wait for the results, the informality and lack of leadership of our football federation, the physicality of the average peruvian player, the over-concentration on playing 'nice' football as opposed to 'modern' football where footballers need to be athletes (this is a highly subjective matter where others may disagree), etc. The most important reason though - and you'll probably get a consensus on this - is the lack of continious support and proper development of youth development.

    We have a lot of raw talent in Peru - just see the size of our land and compare it to other countries, common sense would say we are more likely to have talent than say Paraguay. Peruvian football authorities have mostly concentrated on regulating the full-grown players though, players which lacked proper preparation and which were destined to fail or achieve little in their careers. Its like going to University without passing school.

    Football development since childhood is vital. Just look at our National Youth Team official results in the last years - with the exception of the U-17 that finished 8th in the World some years ago - we have done nothing.

    We have since 2000 started to recover in this area - this possibly explaining the success of the U-17. There are now more 'serious' clubs which take youth football seriously and our federation has also placed more emphasis on the matter. Other SA nations have not stopped progressing, though. Venezuela is a prime example this works long-term - they have improve notably in the last years because they worked on this. We are still catching up with the rest but there is progress being made and with the raw talent we still have, I believe we can cut the difference with the rest of the regional countries in the next 5 - 10 yrs.

    - Peru NT had two golden ages: in the thirties and in the seventies. Two great periods separated by 40 years. It means that now its time to live a new one? What about the young players? Do you feel that it would be possible for Peru to shine again? What do you think is missing for this to happen again?
    We have to continue working efficiently in the youth system, some prospects are already starting to show up.

    - In few weeks will start the Copa America and Peru will play in a very tough group. Do you expect something from it?
    Yes, I expect at least to pass the group stage - I recognition this would be seen as an upset to other nations though.

    Then time to talk about local football.

    - How would you rate your Primera División?
    Improving but still among the worst. Better than Bolivias and Venezuelas. Not so far away from the Paraguayan or Colombian.

    - I am also covering Copa Libertadores and thus could see Universidad San Martín or León de Huánuco this season, Universitario, Alianza Lima or Juan Aurich last year, competed quite well. Would you say that this reflect the real level of Peruvian clubs? Do you feel that your local football is improving?
    It is but this years' Copa has put that progress to a halt - USMP had been going through their worst stage since years and were until some weeks ago dead last in the local league. The same for the other team that competed, Leon de Huanuco. They were a good team last year but their best players got snapped by other clubs. Given this situation, it wasn't surprising for me to see them fail.

    Alianza's short participation was a surprise. The lack of played football really affected us as that was the first official game we had to play this year (our local league hadn't even started). Now most of the players who played both legs are in the bench. I don't know if AL could have defeated Jaguares if they had played with their current conditioning but it would have been a much closer call.

    The lack of fitness is an advantage Mexican clubs usually have over SA teams in the Copa Libertadores first weeks.

    - How would you describe the way football is lived in Peru? How Peruvian are living their passion? Is it, as we used to describe football in South America (an incredible passion) or is it different (if so, how different)?
    It is but not in the same level as in Argentina. It is for me.
     
  3. Dominican Lou

    Dominican Lou Member+

    Nov 27, 2004
    1936 Catalonia
    I can add a few things:



    - Despite the high number of great players (just looking at the actual Blanquiroja is enough to prove it), Peru failed to qualify for any World Cup since 1982. How would you explain that ? Does this have a negative impact on Peruvian local football (and maybe the passion behind the NT).

    The press and fans have been trying to explain the failures for 30 years. It's very complex and I don't think there is a consensus.

    I don't think the failures affects the passion behind the NT. Every time a WC qualifying period starts, the stadium is full and there is great expectation.

    I do think it affects the attitude toward the local league, though. People are disappointed with the league level and stadium attendance is pretty low. Obviously, Peruvian clubs' poor showings in international tournaments also has to do with this but I think the NT's failings affect it, too.

    - Peru NT had two golden ages: in the thirties and in the seventies. Two great periods separated by 40 years. It means that now its time to live a new one? What about the young players? Do you feel that it would be possible for Peru to shine again? What do you think is missing for this to happen again?


    I think most people agree that there was a 3rd golden age, in the late 50s-early 60s. Extremely talented players were produced (comparable to the 70s generation) but, for various reasons, couldn't represent the Peru NT on a consistent basis.

    These players include Juan Joya, Victor Benitez, Juan Seminario, Miguel Loayza, Valeriano Lopez, Julio Melendez, Alberto Terry, Oscar Gomez Sanchez.



    - How would you rate your Primera División?
    - I am also covering Copa Libertadores and thus could see Universidad San Martín or León de Huánuco this season, Universitario, Alianza Lima or Juan Aurich last year, competed quite well. Would you say that this reflect the real level of Peruvian clubs? Do you feel that your local football is improving?
    - How would you describe the way football is lived in Peru? How Peruvian are living their passion? Is it, as we used to describe football in South America (an incredible passion) or is it different (if so, how different)?
    I’ll stop here.


    The real level was San Martin and Leon de Huanuco this year: painfully low and poor. Translating individual talent into club and NT performance has been a huge challenge for Peruvin football for the past 25 years or so.

    And football is not followed as intensely as in the southern cone of Argentina-Uruguay-Brazil but probably on par with Paraguay, Chile and Colombia.
     
  4. msioux75

    msioux75 Member+

    Jan 8, 2006
    Lima, Peru
    I agree about the 50s as the third Golden age (some players from 60s as Loayza, Joya, Seminario & Benitez played in 1959 their last cap)

    This generation had great players, maybe nor a Cubillas, Chumpitaz or Lolo Fernandez, but world class players like Terry or Valeriano.

    Other widely recognized players were Guillermo Delgado, Rafael Asca, Cornelio Heredia, Tito Drago, Felix Castillo, Oscar Gomez Sanchez. All those players among top-3 SA players by their positioning in their primes.

    They had a good reputation as a team in SA, but were inconsistent. Some results:
    - 3rd place in South American championship 1949
    - 3rd place in SA 1953 (could be champion)
    - 3rd place in SA 1957.

    Also historical wins:
    - 1st win for peruvian NT over Brazil
    - 1st win for peruvian NT over Argentina
    - win over England 4 to 1
    - 5 goals win over Uruguay
     
  5. Lucarneopposee

    Lucarneopposee New Member

    Mar 19, 2010
    Rennes
    Club:
    FC Girondins de Bordeaux
    Okay thanks.

    @AL#7 : So Peru is trying to set up some kind of development plan of its football which is a good thing (south korea remains for me the most impressive example of what one nation should do to really improve). How does Peru set it up ? Doest it mean that clubs have created some kind of academies which help players to grow ? what role peruvian federation is playing to help this development ?

    One also told me that one major problem for Peru NT was discipline of its players. Would you confirm that ? Doest it mean that you would need trainer like Bielsa to put things in the right direction ?
     
  6. AL#7

    AL#7 Member+

    Aug 22, 2006
    Australia
    Nat'l Team:
    Peru
    Youth development in Peru is, alike most other countries in the region, mostly club-based. The national federation normally only calls-up kids for a certain amount of time and then they are returned to their clubs. Thus, development depends much on how the clubs develop their players.

    Without dwelling too much on history, before 2005ish we only really had two clubs who created talented 15-18yrs old players (who developed with no much local competence): Alianza Lima and Universitario. Since, we have had more clubs doing the same and since the internal competency has increased as well as the pool of talented players. These clubs are Esther Grande de Bentin, Universidad San Martin, Universidad Cesar Vallejo, Regatas, Cantolao, Sporting Cristal. They have invested in personnel, facilities and became overall organized (something we lacked severely). I believe the results from this progress will come to light in the next years.

    The Sportive Association of Professional Football (ADFP) has also began working on youth football by obliging professional clubs to field under 20yrs of age players for a certain amount of minutes in the first division. They have also created a professional reserve league were all the professional clubs must field at least 90% of their teams with players under the age of 20 (and I believe a 10% has to be under 18). This latter league is considered the 'bomb', if you may, as a respectable crop of players have start emerging in only two years of its existence. The best player, one Andre Carrillo, has already left for Sporting Clube in Portugal for over a million euros. He only played around 6 matches with his professional club.

    Despite the progress, our football is still very centralised, however, and that's a problem that persists. The National Football Federation is working on this but still more is needed.

    As for discipline, yes, it is a problem. You see, most of Peru's best players have been poor while young and, while one should not generalise, these players tend to lose control when they become 'stars' and win lots of money. We have lost multiple talents this way, because of stupid decisions. Reimond Manco, the best player of the South American U-17 Championships of 2007, is a recent example.

    In the last world cup qualifiers, after only a few matches, we had four of our star players: Pizarro (Werder Bremen), Farfan (Schalke 04), Acasiete (UD Almeria) and Mendoza (then at Morelia of Mejico) suspended for allegedly participating in an orgy. They didn't participate for the whole of the qualifiers after that and we ended up dead bottom of SA. Recently, after a match we had with Panama, Farfan, Manco and another good local player (Galliquio) were also suspended after disobeying the coach orders not to abandon their concentration rooms at midnight. Farfan just came back after being pardoned by the coach.

    Bielsa would be a great coach for us. Markarian is pretty good too, that's another thing were we have been failing recently - bad coaches. Markarian, on the other side, is a good coach with a regional reputation. We have high hopes on his management of our team.
     

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