Tomás Alarcón is set to start on the bench again when Colo-Colo meets Audax Italiano this Sunday at the Estadio Monumental, as Fernando Ortiz leans toward a quicker, wider attack. The change marks another drop in status for Alarcón, who had once been Ortiz’s most-used player.
Ortiz is considering a setup similar to the one he used against Universidad de Chile in the Superclásico, and that shape leaves Alarcón as the player most likely to be sacrificed. The coach’s preference has shifted toward wide players with more pace, including Lautaro Pastrán and Leandro Hernández, while Álvaro Madrid and Víctor Felipe Méndez are being looked at for the middle of the field.
That adjustment matters because it changes the balance of Colo-Colo’s midfield at the same moment the club is trying to stay secure in the Liga de Primera race. Colo-Colo is 13 points ahead of Universidad de Chile, but the margin has not turned the title into a done deal, so Sunday’s match still carries weight beyond a single lineup call.
The friction for Alarcón is simple and sharp. Before the match against Universidad de Chile, he had played the most minutes under Ortiz; now he is the player most affected by the coach’s new emphasis on speed out wide. Ortiz has also used him in second halves to add stronger physical play in midfield, which leaves open one narrow path even if he does not begin the match.
What is still unresolved is not the direction of the plan, but whether it will be final when the teams kick off. The available evidence points to Alarcón losing his starting place again, while Ortiz keeps him as an option to change the rhythm later if Colo-Colo needs more strength in the middle.
