Universitario sits in second, but its defense is going through its worst stretch under Cuper

Sixteen goals allowed with six matchdays still to go. That's the number haunting Universitario in this 2026 Clausura, one that became even harder to ignore after the thrashing handed out by Deportivo Garcilaso. The 'U' is sitting in second place, yes, but it's worth asking at what cost.

There's no hiding it: Hector Cuper's team still hasn't found its footing with the ball, and, more strikingly for a coach known for being cautious, it hasn't looked like a solid unit at the back either. The 16 goals conceded already top what the team let in during each of the last seven short tournaments. That hadn't happened before, at least not since 2023, when the run began that turned Universitario into three-time Peruvian champions.

The number carries even more weight when you look at the full picture. In the 2026 Apertura, the students had already let in 15 goals, a figure that went a long way toward explaining the fourth-place finish that closed out the first half of the year. Before that, the merengue defense had been considerably tighter: 13 goals in the 2025 Clausura, 12 in the 2025 Apertura, 10 in the 2024 Clausura, just 7 in the 2024 Apertura and 8 in the 2023 Clausura. The only comparable case is the 2023 Apertura, the tournament the 'U' didn't win, with 14 goals against.

A problem that changing formations hasn't fixed

What's odd is that Cuper, known precisely for his defense-first approach, has shuffled his setup without finding the answer. He opened the Clausura with a 4-4-2 back line, and through the third matchday the numbers were manageable: just 4 goals conceded. But then came the loss to Cienciano in Cusco, and the Argentine coach decided to go back to the 3-5-2, the system Jorge Fossati left in place three years ago. Since then, the count has spiked: the other 12 goals have come under that formation.

A game by game review doesn't leave much room for optimism either: Universitario conceded at least one goal in every Clausura match but one, the 3-0 win over Chankas CYC at the Monumental. Outside of that afternoon, the students' goal hasn't stayed clean.

The standings say the 'U' is fighting near the top, and that much is undeniable. But the level of play, and above all this defensive fragility unseen before in the Cuper era, leave a question hanging in the air: is second place good enough when your own goal has become the team's biggest weakness?