Liga Deportiva Alajuelense and Herediano ended their match in a 1-1 draw at Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto. After the game, Alajuelense coach Óscar Ramírez shared his thoughts on the team’s performance and upcoming challenges.
Ramírez noted that the team showed improvement during the match. “This is always a test, to correct and stay on top of these details. We can talk about how we had several chances to achieve a better score than we did in the end. I loved the dynamic, the competitive part, being involved in the flow of the game. In that sense, it was a very good level,” he said.
He explained his approach to managing player intensity: “When I talked about being objective, which is often misunderstood, I meant that we needed to give energy to the players, look for intensity without forcing them. This time we demanded they play and it showed a level with March in mind.”
Ramírez expressed satisfaction with certain aspects but acknowledged areas for growth: “It’s important to raise our level and I’m satisfied with our dynamic. It was clear; we were pressing forward. The first 15 minutes were tough and as fatigue set in, situations arose that allowed us to be more thoughtful with the ball. We still need to fine-tune finishing and one-on-one situations with the goalkeeper. It’s important to create opportunities—very good—but we have to be decisive.”
On player returns, Ramírez highlighted not only Alexis Gamboa and Fernando Piñar but also Anthony Hernández and Kenneth Vargas: “Not just them; Anthony Hernández and Kenneth Vargas too—they played some minutes recently in the Cup Tournament for some match rhythm. With Gamboa, he’s been showing high performance since last tournament and needed rest. His energy and determination are vital.” He added regarding Piñar: “We didn’t start Fernando Piñar because he hasn’t had much playing time yet; sometimes doctors say he’s ready but getting into rhythm takes days.”
Addressing expectations after five challenging matches, Ramírez clarified his perspective: “People often misunderstand me; what I do is about positioning because we don’t have a channel where we can tell fans where we stand. Journalists don’t see daily recovery work or how little time we’ve had for physical training due to frequent games.”
He described recent mental challenges faced by the squad: “Mentally it was normal—I even spoke with someone above because I knew this would happen: slow starts, losing momentum then regaining competitiveness—but you can’t fight nature.” He continued: “In this match our dynamic was very good; I tried to make people understand that’s what was happening.”
Looking ahead, Ramírez discussed upcoming preparations: “Now we’ve got a nice window for training except Tuesday when there’s a Cup Tournament game in Liberia. Over these three weeks we’ll add physical loads and tactical work.” He mentioned new players integrating well into tactics: “The newcomers like Kenneth Vargas and Ángel Zaldívar have adapted well—Zaldívar especially understands tactics well—and Joel Campbell too.” He concluded on progress: “We’re moving step by step but quickly because there are 18 rounds and we’re already through a third of them—we need to adjust thinking also about Concacaf.”
On building his starting lineup, Ramírez said defensive order comes first but emphasized offensive movement as most challenging: “Building a team means starting with defensive order but if you analyze this match it’s ball movement that’s hardest—understanding how midfielders move forward creating space is complicated.” He gave an example: “You might have someone like Anthony Hernández win one-on-ones down the wing but it’s about showing up for passes so another player interprets space left open—and then having a third player’s movement on top of that—that’s what we’re trying to teach players now.” He summed up current progress as positive: “We’re at a nice stage of advancement.”
Alajuelense will continue its campaign focusing on improving both physically and tactically over coming weeks while preparing for league matches as well as international competition.
