The new Liga MX season is still young and one of the biggest surprises so far has been Lobos BUAP’s early success. The team from Puebla is undefeated with wins against Pachuca and Queretaro and has a draw against Santos Laguna under its belt as well.
Young manager Rafael Puente Jr. has taken an ambitious approach to this new season with his newly promoted club. The 38-year-old has been implementing a very aggressive and dynamic style of play with a 3-5-2 formation. Sometimes the set up appears to be a five at the back formation but the wing-backs push so far up the pitch that it becomes more of a 3-5-2. The current wing-backs are both doing wonders for the team, specifically, Heriberto Olvera has been one of the stand outs with a league leading three assists. But who is Heriberto Olvera? The Mexican defender along with Lobos BUAP came seemingly out of nowhere to burst onto the Liga MX scene.
The 27-year-old Pachuca native started his career with his hometown team and had stints with lower league sides before debuting with Los Tuzos in the Apertura 2014 tournament. Olvera was never a consistent starter with Pachuca but remained with Grupo Pachuca and played with Mineros de Zacatecas in the Ascenso MX.
The Mexican defender was an undeniable starter for the second-tier club from the Clausura 2016 to the Clausura 2017. Olvera was a subtle figure on the team, only scoring two goals in three tournaments for Zacatecas but was a solid player in the defense that earned some attention from Rafael Puente Jr.
Olvera was brought on to the Lobos BUAP project by Puente for this Apertura 2017 tournament and has so far been one of the more vital components of the team. In just two games as a starter, Olvera has been crucial in the midfield with three assists, 101 touches of the ball, 67 completed passes and a solid 73.6-percent pass accuracy. It is unclear if Rafael Puente’s tactics will continue to be fruitful as the tournament progresses but Lobos BUAP is certainly one of the more enticing and interesting teams this Apertura 2017 has to offer.
Olvera will be one of the main players to watch as the weeks go by and his progression will be exciting to see with a lack of talented Mexican players in his position.
