Erik Lira – UNAM Pumas’ pint-sized midfield enforcer
Erik Lira has captained every Pumas youth side from U13 to U20 level as he had a stint at Necaxa in which he never managed to break into the first team side, but he is back at the University side which honed the talents of Mexican National Team stalwart, Hector Moreno. The Mexican side have an efficient scouting setup and one of Liga MX’s most productive academies as they have Pumas Tabasco in the Liga MX Expansion as they adapted to the COVID-19 crisis well, promoting youngsters like 18-year-old, Jesus Rivas, 18-year-old Amaury Garcia and 20-year-old Lira who has been impressive at the base of midfield this season. This has led to a side that managed to sustain the longest unbeaten run in Liga MX this season while finishing second in the Apertura with only one loss.
Pumas purchasing their 20-year-old youth product from Necaxa in the summer proved to be a shrewd move as the youngster has long dreamed of making his debut in Liga MX with Pumas, wearing the captain’s armband and carrying the flag at youth level as his passion for the club is fervent and unyielding. Since 2015, Pumas has had 20 debutants from their youth academy in their first team as players like Carlos Gutierrez, Alan Mozo and Lira are becoming integral parts of the first-team like Hugo Sanchez, Efrain Juarez and Jesus Gallardo before them as they have become integral parts of Andres Lillini’s side which has punched above its weight and tussled with the other traditional giants of Liga MX.
Lillini deploys a modern day vertical 4-4-2 where the strike partnership of Juan Dinneno and Carlos Gonzalez are supplemented by the creative craft of Favio Alvarez tucking inside from the flank or being played in a more central role. Dinneno’s ability to drop into the ten space to receive possession in between the lines allows for fluid and quick-paced attacking transitions while giving midfielders like Lira a passing option for deep and line-breaking progressive passes. The 20-year-old is such an intelligent line-breaking passer, consistently progressing play from a two-man midfield as Alvarez will at times also drift into the ten space to receive possession as Lira sets a quick tempo to the game, moving the ball quickly and very efficiently with one and two touches.
In a 3-0 demolition against Xolos, the opposition sought to hoard possession, press high and dominate Pumas but Lira’s quick passing allowed Pumas to find outlets on the counter-attack as in the second-half, he played a cleverly lobbed ball over pressure to a teammate to instigate a counter-attacking opportunity. The youngster had an incredible level of comfort at the base of midfield despite only making his debut at the beginning of the Liga MX season against Atlas. He is able to keep things simple with quick one-touch passes in his own half while moving the ball forward as in another 4-1 thrashing at home to Puebla, he threaded a pass in between the lines to Dinneno who nearly worked a combination to get in behind and have an opportunity on goal.
Against Tigres, Lira started in a youthful midfield partnership with Amaury Garcia who had also made his debut a few weeks earlier but thrives on receiving possession in between the lines. Unfortunately, Garcia put in an anonymous first-half performance before being substituted at half-time as his midfield partner, stamped his authority on the game against one of the giants of Mexican football. Garcia put in a weak tackle that allowed Tigres to burst forward on the counter as Lira scampered back into the defensive line to intercept a cross in his own box before playing a pass to the reinvigorated, Juan Iturbe who dribbled into the centre to thread a switch ball through for Carlos Gutierrez to square a pass for Dinneno to hammer over a great opportunity.
The 20-year-old scampered back to regain possession on the flank from another Tigres break as the opposition looked to swarm him to regain possession as he calmly played a pass down the line for a teammate, to move into the six-space and receive possession before waiting a second for Alvarez to move in between the lines so the youngster could work a pass to him to beat the first line of pressure. The youngster then continued to show his increased level of comfort when he received possession in the six-space with the in-step of his left boot to roll the ball to his right boot to flick a pass to Alvarez in the ten space to instigate an attacking move. His timing of when to release the ball and weighting of his passes is exceptional as this allows him to be effective when pushing the ball forward on the counter or in recycling the ball with quick and incisive passes in approach play.
The 20-year-old then showed his creativity in the final third when he received possession from Gonzalez to control the ball, lift up his head and lob an exquisite pass to a runner in behind who was tripped over but was highly likely to have gotten on the end of the delivery as Pumas even had calls for a penalty. In the latter stages of the game, with both sides looking to find the winner it what was eventually a 1-1 draw, he received the ball on the right flank to turn and drill a pass into Dinneno who was dropping deep in the nine-space as this was yet another brilliant showing of his press resistance and progressive passing.
In another match against Santos Laguna, in a game that had some heart-stopping long range strikes and brilliant goals, Lira managed to put in another accomplished performance. He scampered back to cover for his fullback before winning possession and immediately lobbing a pass to Dinneno to instigate a counter-attacking move as he managed to move the ball further up the field in a matter of two touches. In a counter-pressing situation, near the half-way line, he managed to elegantly turn away from a challenge and work a pass to the right flank for a wide combination routine which lead to a crossing opportunity. The youngster has a directional first touch to shift away from pressure as well as also allowing him to set himself up for a turn as he has a low centre of gravity to twist and turn away from challenges while putting his body in between the ball and the opponent to earn fouls. He possesses the motoring skills of a high-level deep-lying midfielder as well as the passing range and defensive grit and resolve.
In a last-minute victory against bitter rivals, Cruz Azul, Lira put in another high level and efficient performance as he was crucial in his side willing their way to victory. He once received the ball with his left foot to lob a pass to the left flank with his right boot before receiving a pass on the half-turn to evade pressure and thread a pass through the lines to Gonzalez. However, in another instance he backed off in a counter-attacking situation instead of pushing forward as this allowed the opposition to have a shot at goal. Lira was tremendous in starting attacking moves with passes in between the lines before he worked combinations in the centre before switching the ball to left-back, Alejandro Mayorga who drove the ball forward and crossed for Gonzalez to head a shot wide at the back-post. The youngster was crucial in creating the equaliser as he switched the ball from side to side in build-up before his midfield partner, Juan Pablo Vigon lobbed a cross for Dinneno to redirect past the keeper. Dinneno scored his second in added time as his side secured an incredible victory.
Lira is also a defensive enforcer as he can jump high to win aerial duels while being able to scamper back from opposition counters to cover for his fullbacks or centre-backs to regain possession with interceptions and tackles. His positioning in the defensive phase is sound and he has the mobility to shuttle into open spaces to close down opponents as he can lead his team on the break as an integral two-way conduit. In the pressing phase he can push forward to regain possession with interceptions and well-timed lunges as his biggest flaw is decision making in certain situations, knowing when to push up and knowing when to cover for his teammates.
Lira has been a constant in a UNAM Pumas side that has exceeded expectations this season as the 20-year-old midfielder has a well-rounded skillset in and out of possession as well as playing with a maturity and authority that belies his tender years. He has also featured regularly with the Mexican U23 Olympic side which will see a lot of competition for midfield roles as he is one of the frontrunners of the younger generation. Pumas could also make a deep-run in the Liga MX Clausura play-offs with their prodigious enforcer at the base of midfield as scouts will be keeping an eye on yet another talented Mexican youngster from the club’s illustrious academy.
