Ricardo Gareca had Christian Cueva and Carlos Zambrano as key players during his cycle in the Peruvian team. After being hired as coach of Chile, the Argentine strategist was encouraged to talk about the presence of both footballers who will no longer play after defending the Alianza Lima jersey in 2023.
What did Ricardo Gareca say about Cueva and Zambrano?
When asked if “Emperor” and “Aladdin” were recoverable players, “Tigre” was clear on this point, citing what happened to Paolo Guerrero as an example.
“To the extent that they have the intention to improve, to come back, to fight… Look at Paolo's case, that is an example of perseverance and improvement. He became champion of the Sudamericana and the Ecuadorian League; Not only that, Juan.” “Reynoso used it in all the qualifying games,” he said in dialogue with the program “Arriba mi gente”.
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What is the present of Christian Cueva and Carlos Zambrano?
Alianza Lima has decided not to extend the loan Christian Cueva for 2024. The “10” of the Peru national team, which belongs to Al-Fateh from Saudi Arabia, has a complicated cruciate ligament injury and is expected to undergo surgery in the coming weeks.
Christian Cueva was one of the most questioned Alianza Lima players in 2023. Photo: La República/Luis Jiménez.
For his part, Carlos Zambrano has a current contract with the blue and white club; However, the experienced defender is not training with the team as Alejandro Restrepo does not have him in his plans.
Carlos Zambrano had offers to return to Argentine football. Photo: La República/Luis Jiménez.
Ricardo Gareca responds to criticism of Chile's leadership
After he was announced as the new coach of the Chilean team, many Bicolor fans questioned the path taken by Ricardo Gareca and even called him a “traitor”. Given these comments, the coach made it clear that it was a professional decision.
“We gave it our all with Peru and now we will do the same with Chile. I dedicate myself to football and my life goes on. Just like they can vote for whoever they want and disband whoever they want, I can vote for whoever I want.” But I respect decisions. We are talking about football, not about something political or something that goes far beyond decisions of other kinds. They hire you and you have to do your job. I wish Peru the best, but I will do “We will do everything so that Chile achieves its goals,” he said.
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When will Ricardo Gareca debut with Chile?
Ricardo Gareca will make his debut on the Chile bench against Kylian Mbappé's France at FIFA's next meeting in March. However, he will make his official debut on June 21 against Peru in the group stage of the 2024 Copa América.