Return to Relevance: Peru's Road to Russia 2018 (PES 2016)

[OliDegu2008]

Good luck with Peru!

Carlos Zambrano, Luis Advincula, Andre Carrillo, Rinaldo Cruzado, Juan Vargas, Farfan, Guerrero, Pizarro and Fano give you a strong base!

[PeruvianPlaya954]

Quote: Originally Posted by OliDegu2008

Good luck with Peru! Carlos Zambrano, Luis Advincula, Andre Carrillo, Rinaldo Cruzado, Juan Vargas, Farfan, Guerrero, Pizarro and Fano give you a strong base!

Let's hope so. The stars are aging, but should have one more run left in them. Won't be easy, though, with Brazil coming back into the qualifying fold.

Thanks for following!

[PeruvianPlaya954]

Pizarro unhappy with criticism about his age

LIMA -- Claudio Pizarro has no shortage of experience when it comes to World Cup cycles, but that is not necessarily a good thing in the eyes of fans and media members who have criticized his inclusion in Ricardo Gareca's first roster as Peru head coach.

Well, Pizarro's not staying quiet.

Pizarro is taking part in his fifth World Cup cycle with Peru, and the hope is that this one will end differently and with a ticket Russia 2018. Pizarro, however, will be 39-years old going on 40 if the Peruvians do reach the next World Cup, and that has albirroja supporters and portions of the press none too pleased given that, in their opinion, younger players could be getting groomed in the veteran forward's place.

Pizarro, 35, has heard the noise, and he's not exactly thrilled by it.

"I know there are those out there on the outside who don't rate me, but I have given everything every time I have put on our beautiful jersey," said Pizarro after Peru's penultimate practice before facing Mexico. "Look, I've been criticized every cycle, or almost every cycle. I'm used to it, but it is also a bit irksome.

"It is what it is. I'm still playing at a good level in a tough league in the German Bundesliga. My goal is to help Peru reach the World Cup. Yes, it will be tough for me to achieve this. Nonetheless, it's something I want and that I will keep striving for as long as my body continues to feel good."

Gareca has also seen and heard the scrutiny directed at Pizarro, and came to the striker's defense.

"He's a player still with plenty to give to Peru," said Gareca. "He might not be an every-game starter at Bayern Munich, but he's a regular player there and that club is one of the top ones in the world. You can't play there if you don't have quality. He might not be able to go 90 minutes every game over the course of this cycle, but I still plan to rely very much on Claudio."

[PeruvianPlaya954]

Gareca on Peru's professionalism: I only care about what's on the field

LIMA -- On the eve of his first game in charge of Peru, head coach Ricardo Gareca made a statement that is sure to cause some debate.

Gareca, speaking at the pre-game press conference before Peru hosts Mexico, said he does not care what his players do away from the fields. Peruvian professionalism has long been criticized and talked about as a reason why the South American country has struggled so much in recent cycles, but Gareca said he doesn't care what they do on their own time.

"They're both professional players and people, and I as head coach am only interested about what happens on the field, in games and in training," said Gareca. "I only worry about the soccer side. Frankly, I am not focused nor am I concerning myself with what goes on in their personal lives."

Peruvian players have been accused of being undisciplined and lacking professionalism and focus. Tabloids have frequently caught national team members at parties or clubs before and after games in recent years, and there is a growing sentiment in Peru that the players don't take playing internationally all that serious.

"Of course, we all care about winning," said veteran midfielder Carlos Lobaton. "We have pride for our country."

[PeruvianPlaya954]

After a lengthy hiatus, I am back to get this thing rolling once and for all.

Apologies to anyone who had read, but I got caught up with work and editing the crap out of players' appearances so I could have a deep pool to pick from.

I'll have the Mexico and Japan games in by this week.

Oh, and I've bumped up the difficult to the hardest one there is in the game since I had recently found myself winning comfortably more often than not with Peru, which shouldn't happen given their standing in world soccer.

I look forward to your responses, comments, and feedback!

[PeruvianPlaya954]

Quote: Originally Posted by PeruvianPlaya954

After a lengthy hiatus, I am back to get this thing rolling once and for all. Apologies to anyone who had read, but I got caught up with work and editing the crap out of players' appearances so I could have a deep pool to pick from. I'll have the Mexico and Japan games in by this week. Oh, and I've bumped up the difficult to the hardest one there is in the game since I had recently found myself winning comfortably more often than not with Peru, which shouldn't happen given their standing in world soccer. I look forward to your responses, comments, and feedback!

Okay, so I lied back in April. Got caught up with work and traveling these last couple months, but now have more free time on my hand since it's summer. I'll be posting the first two games either tomorrow or Thursday.

Thanks for your patience and continued interest!

[PeruvianPlaya954]

Guerrero brace pushes Peru past Mexico in Gareca debut

LIMA -- Ricardo Gareca is off to a winning start, and Paolo Guerrero is largely responsible for that.

Guerrero scored twice at Estadio Nacional to help give Peru a 3-1 win over Mexico in a friendly that marked Gareca's first as head coach of the South America nation. The Peruvian striker opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, and then netted the final goal 15 minutes from time.

The Peruvians, who were playing in a 4-4-1-1 formation, jumped out to a 2-0 lead after Guerrero and Juan Manuel Vargas scored inside of 39 minutes. Mexico made things interesting just before halftime when a Carlos Vela volley beat Raul Fernandez, but Guerrero reestablished the two-goal lead in the second half to ensure that Peru would prevail.

PERU 3-1 MEXICO
Possession: 55-45
Shots (Shots On Goal): 11(7) - 3(2)
Yellow Cards: MEX: Miguel Layun (70')
Red Cards:

GOALS
22' -- Peru -- Paolo Guerrero (Carlos Lobaton) -- Lobaton stole a ball in Mexico's third and played it to Guerrero, who cut in and finished.
39' -- Peru -- Juan Manuel Vargas -- Vargas won a ball in the penalty area as Mexico tried to pass it around and then he quickly stabbed it home with his left foot.
45+1' -- Mexico -- Carlos Vela (Giovani Dos Santos) -- A great aerial through ball played in from Dos Santos caught Pedro Requena and Josepmir Ballon napping and Vela's volley tucked inside the far post.
75' -- Peru -- Paolo Guerrero -- A deflected shot from Lobaton fell to Guerrero, who held off his defender well with his body to win enough time and space to fire the ball home.

PERU LINEUP (4-4-1-1):
GK: Raul Fernandez
RB: Pedro Requena
RCB: Carlos Zambrano
LCB: Christian Ramos
LB: Yoshimar Yotun
RM: Jefferson Farfan (Luis Advincula 70')
CM: Carlos Lobaton (Carlos Ascues 84')
DM: Josepmir Ballon (Rinaldo Cruzado 87')
LM: Juan Manuel Vargas (Christian Cueva 70')
SS: Claudio Pizarro (c) (Johan Fano 45')
ST: Paolo Guerrero

[PeruvianPlaya954]

Peru closes September camp with win over Japan

LIMA -- The scoreline was the same, but the game much different.

Peru moved to 2-0 under new head coach Ricardo Gareca after picking up a 3-1 triumph over Japan in a friendly at Estadio Nacional. Jefferson Farfan scored the opener in the first half, and Claudio Pizarro buried the eventual winner in the 70th minute.

While the result was identical to the one of a few days ago vs. Mexico, the Peruvians lost the possession battle against Japan. Still, the Japanese did not threaten all that much and did not score until second-half stoppage time through Shinji Okazaki.

Peru substitute Andre Carrillo scored in impressive fashion shortly thereafter to erase any doubt about the game's result.

Gareca will now likely set his sights on building on these first two wins with a pair of friendlies in October.

PERU 3-1 JAPAN
Possession: 42-58
Shots (Shots On Goal): 7(6) - 4(2)
Yellow Cards:
Red Cards:

GOALS
36' -- Peru -- Jefferson Farfan (Jean Deza) -- Deza pulled off a nice cut back on the left and passed to Farfan, who curled a low shot inside the far post.
70' -- Peru -- Claudio Pizarro (Juan Manuel Vargas) -- A corner from the left ended with Pizarro leaping high into the air uncontested before heading the ball down off the ground and in.
90+1' -- Japan -- Shinji Okazaki (Keisuke Honda) -- Alberto Rodriguez failed to cleanly win a ball, and, as Carlos Ascues stepped up to play a higher line, a ball was floated in by Honda and then deftly lobbed over the onrushing Pedro Gallese by Okazaki.
90+4' -- Peru -- Andre Carrillo (Johan Fano) -- An initial shot from Carrillo is punched away, but Fano got onto the rebound and played it to Carrillo for a ferocious finish from 19 yards out.

PERU LINEUP (4-4-1-1):
GK: Pedro Gallese
RB: Pedro Requena
RCB: Carlos Zambrano (Alberto Rodriguez 89')
LCB: Carlos Ascues
LB: Juan Manuel Vargas
RM: Jefferson Farfan (Luis Advincula 70')
CM: Carlos Lobaton
DM: Edwin Retamoso (Yoshimar Yotun 70')
LM: Jean Deza (Christian Cueva 82')
SS: Claudio Pizarro (c) (Andre Carrillo 91')
ST: Paolo Guerrero (Johan Fano 82')