Di Benedetto breaks the silence at Universitario, backs Cuper after Garcilaso rout

The silence was more uncomfortable than the criticism. After the 4-0 rout at the hands of Deportivo Garcilaso in Cusco, a result that cost Universitario the lead in the Clausura, nobody from the squad had come forward to speak. That changed at the close of this week's training sessions at Campo Mar, when Matias Di Benedetto stepped up to the microphones and faced the music for everyone.

The defender didn't dodge the subject of Hector Cuper, the name that comes up most whenever things go wrong at the 'U'. Quite the opposite: he closed ranks.

Whatever is being said out there, we stand with the coachMatias Di Benedetto

Di Benedetto went further, explaining that this kind of outside noise has become part of everyday life when you wear the cream jersey.

At Universitario you have to get used to that, to people talking a lot about the club and what's going onMatias Di Benedetto

There were no excuses, no attempts to downplay what happened in Cusco. The defender called for the team to look inward and admitted there are things still left to fix before the tournament's final stretch.

We're going to do everything we can to keep improving, there are always things to correct. We're going to be self-critical so that in this final stretch we give everything and meet our goalMatias Di Benedetto

A break that comes at a good time for his body

There's a silver lining for Di Benedetto amid the storm: the FIFA date gives him just enough time to finish recovering from a right hamstring injury, the same one that kept him out of the loss to Garcilaso. Missing that match, especially with that scoreline, can't have been easy to stomach from the stands or the physio's table.

That layoff, though, has an expiration date. On Saturday, October 10, Universitario will host Melgar at the Monumental, and there's no room to relax: the 'U' has to win if it doesn't want to keep falling further behind at the top of the Clausura.

Di Benedetto's words work, at bottom, as a message aimed both inside the locker room and out. Inside, because the squad needs to show a united front behind Cuper right when he's facing the most scrutiny. Outside, because the fans want to see results, not speeches, and that test arrives as soon as play resumes against Melgar.