Olympiacos: The surprising role of Puerta

Gustavo Puerta is one of Imanol Alguacil's most important tools at Olympiacos, with the Basque coach now trying the Colombian in a different role. In the Cup game, he used him behind the striker, in a clearly more creative position than the one we were used to until today, and he responded positively.

The trial behind the striker

Puerta has mainly played as a central midfielder, offering intensity, running, and dynamism in the midfield. This time, however, Alguacil asked him to move closer to the opponent's area and take on more creative responsibilities.

This choice was not accidental. The Olympiacos coach seems to be considering the Colombian as an additional solution for the position behind the forward, adding another alternative behind Chiquinho. Puerta showed that he can meet the demands of this role, providing energy, pressure, and more running in the axis.

The passion that Alguacil appreciates

One of Puerta's key characteristics is his intense desire to always be on the field. The Colombian approaches even family scrimmages with passion, contesting every phase as if it were an official game.

He wants to have an active role in the team and does not easily settle for being on the bench. For any coach, it is important to have a footballer with such a mentality, disposition, and willingness to contribute.

Obviously, Puerta cannot play in every match, especially in a period with continuous obligations. The positive for Alguacil, however, is that he now knows he can utilize him in more than one position without affecting the overall functioning of the team.

Also took over set pieces

Puerta's role has also begun to expand to set pieces. The Colombian took over corner kicks, and from one of his executions came Olympiacos' second goal, with Carmo sending the ball into the net.

The closed rotation in the midfield

Alguacil seems to have formed a specific core for the midfield positions, with Esse, Puerta, and Froiler accumulating most of the playing time. Young Filis completes the rotation and gets his opportunities mainly in Cup matches.

The interesting thing now is whether the Basque coach will try to use Esse, Puerta, and Froiler simultaneously in the future. Such a choice would offer intensity, strength, and balance in the axis, but would require a different distribution of creative responsibilities.

In any case, Puerta's good presence behind the striker gives Alguacil another solution. And in a season with continuous games and increased demands, a player's ability to respond to different roles can prove to be particularly important.

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