Diego Rebagliati highlights key figures Fossati must replace in Peru: “They were the owners of the ball”
The Peruvian national team could not secure a win against Paraguay before heading to the United States to participate in the Copa America. The goalless draw against Paraguay left a positive impression on the defensive line. However, according to Diego Rebagliati, the main challenge for coach Jorge Fossati will be to find players who can create opportunities in the midfield.
Former player Rebagliati mentioned that Fossati already has a solid foundation but has yet to identify natural replacements for Christian Cueva and Yoshimar Yotún. He emphasized the importance of players like Pedro Gallese, Carlos Zambrano, Renato Tapia, and Andy Polo for Fossati’s starting lineup in the Copa America and the qualifiers.
Despite the positive outlook on the defensive line, Rebagliati noted that finding suitable replacements for Cueva and Yotún would be a tough task for the Uruguayan coach. He highlighted the challenge of replacing the quality of play that Cueva and Yotún brought to the team.
Regarding Christian Cueva’s participation in the Copa America 2024, players like Zambrano and Tapia expressed optimism, but Fossati has not yet made a final decision on including Cueva in the squad. The coach mentioned that they are monitoring Cueva’s progress and will decide accordingly.
Yoshimar Yotún, on the other hand, has been ruled out of the Copa America 2024 and the qualifiers due to a ligament injury. He underwent surgery and is expected to miss out on upcoming matches.
Christian Cueva has played 98 games for the Peruvian national team, while Yoshimar Yotún holds the record for the most appearances with 128 matches.
The Peruvian team coached by Fossati will kick off their Copa America campaign against Chile at the AT&T Stadium. The team’s schedule includes matches against Canada and Argentina.
Throughout history, Peru has won the Copa America twice, in 1939 and 1975.