Goliaths held at bay by Davids in Argentine Primera Round Four
by Peter Coates
1. River and Boca both stunned by newly promoted sides
Few would have bet against River and Boca this weekend, in spite of their Libertadores commitments, they are both considered genuine title challengers and so when pitted against any of the newly promoted sides in this bloated 30-team Primera, only one outcome is really expected.
On Sunday both were pegged back but the nature of these draws and the situations of the two great rivals is now a little different.
Boca have won both of their Copa Libertadores matches to sit top of Group Five and had enjoyed a 100% start to their league campaign prior to Sunday’s trip to Colón.
Had it not been for Cristian Guanca’s unstoppable long range effort it would have been another deserved victory for Rodoldo Arruabarrena’s side, as they flexed their superiority over their lesser opponents for much of the game. The moment of inspiration nicked a point for Colón but Boca still sit second, just two points behind leaders Rosario Central.
River, by contrast, are not finding things quite so straight-forward and after a defeat in Bolivia and a draw against Tigres in the Copa Libertadores they find themselves now under a degree of pressure. Libertadores qualification is still likely but in addition to these set-backs, River have been held twice in the Monumental in the league.
Quilmes grabbing a 2-2 draw was a disappointment but Unión coming from two down on Sunday to do the same was complacent. The enforced changes and squad rotation are obviously having an impact and certainly it is difficult to imagine first-choice keeper Marcelo Barovero making the mistake that Julio Chiarini committed for Unión’s equaliser but Gallardo must manage this to successfully challenge for both.
A testing week lies ahead with a Thurday trip to Peru to face Juan Aurich before an away match with Arsenal in the Primera.
2. No wins for the promoted sides but plenty of draws
Over the weekend’s fifteen matches, there was not a single win for the ten newly promoted sides and while this is already not the first time that this has happened, the Primera has seven of the ten in the bottom half.
As a stern critic of this (and I remain so) it would be easy to point at their obvious inferiority but in the interest of balance, there were positives to take from this weekend.
Aside from the obvious successes of Unión and Colón, only two sides actually tasted defeat. Crucero del Norte and Nueva Chicago were on the wrong end of 2-0 scorelines against Newell’s and Godoy Cruz respectively but away from that it was a respectable weekend.
Sarmiento took a deserved point away to Vélez and in centre-forward, Héctor Cuevas boast the only player to have scored in every round of the season so far. Cuevas limped off during the draw and Sarmiento will be hoping this is not serious.
Argentinos Juniors, Unión and San Martin remain undefeated and have shown not just the resolve to stay in the top flight but some moments of genuine quality.
However, too many of the sides are struggling to convert draws into victories, and the difference between one point and three in the relegation table is significant. In part this could be attributed to wastefulness but all too often the teams appear more determined simply not to lose than risk going for the win.
3. Is Barrientos’ wondergoal another false dawn for San Lorenzo?
Pablo Barrientos provided what may well be the goal of the season on Monday night during San Lorenzo’s victory over Estudiantes in La Plata. A moment of utter brilliance from the 30-year-old saw his inch-perfect shot from over 50 yards, fly over Agustín Silva and into the net off the underside of the crossbar for a memorable moment in what is an excellent three points away from home.
Since lifting their maiden Copa Libertadores back in August 2014, San Lorenzo have been drifting. For the majority of the Torneo Transición they simply went through the motions as they killed time before the Club World Cup in Morocco but with 2015 upon us it is time for Los Cuervos to go again, both domestically and in the Libertadores.
Victories over Colón and Defensa y Justicia and a last gasp win over Danubio in the Libertadores suggested that Edgardo Bauza’s side were at least some way to recapturing form. However, home defeats to Corinthians, in the Libertadores, and surprisingly to San Martin in the league quickly dispelled any thoughts that they were close to recapturing their title winning form.
Estudiantes were one of the sides with a 100% record before their match on Monday and should be one of the sides in the mix for the league title so for San Lorenzo to take all the points is a sign of recovery.
Barrientos’ goal was something to savour but we should not read too much into the result just yet.
4. Maxi Rodríguez still proving his worth to Newell’s
Newell’s Old Boys enjoyed a comfortable 2-0 win over Crucero del Norte in Rosario but were once again indebted to the talents of their captain, Maxi Rodríguez. The former Liverpool and Atlético Madrid player netted twice to give his side a second win of the season but their reliance on Maxi is obvious.
In the four games so far this season, Rodríguez has bagged four of the five goals that the team has scored but extending that record back through the Transición highlights this even more. In the last twenty five league matches, Maxi has been directly involved in eighteen, scoring fifteen and assisting three and without his contribution, Newell’s would be in trouble.
The decision to bring Ignacio Scocco back from Sunderland, in an effort to replicate something like the form that helped Newell’s to the Torneo Final 2013, has so far not proved particularly fruitful. The striker has scored just three times since his return and in the meantime, Rodríguez has shouldered the burden. New boss, Américo Gallego will be hoping that either Scocco rediscovers some form or his alternative strikers can share the load.
Argentina manager, Gerardo Martino, who was the Newell’s manager in 2013, remains a fan of Rodríguez and is rumoured to be naming the player for his latest squad later this week.
5. Argentina squad named and Martino looks to include some Primera players
Gerardo Martino has named the 22-man squad of European based players for Argentina’s friendlies later this month in the United States. There are few surprises among the list as Tata opted for the familiar, rather than any of the younger players who have caught the eye this season, like Luciano Vietto, Paulo Dybala or Mauro Icardi.
However, in addition to this 22, Martino will name an additional few players based in Argentina to supplement the squad. Maxi Rodríguez is rumoured to be one of these along with the Primera’s other experienced international, Fernando Gago. Gago has returned to form at the start of this season for Boca and has a close connection with Lionel Messi and several of the senior players based on their time together with Argentina’s youth sides.
Another player that Martino has spoken highly of is Independiente captain, Federico Mancuello and after describing him previously as the best player in the local tournament it would not come as a surprise if the 25-year-old earned his first call-up.
The surprise name in the group is River Plate centre-back, Ramiro Funes-Mori. The error prone defender is under real scrutiny at club level with most supporters clamoring for Colombian defender, Eder Álvarez Balanta in his place but following an excellent Transición and a winning goal in the Superclásico, his reputation has grown. Argentina’s defence may not be as strong as its attack, but Funes-Mori is certainly not ready for any step-up to international level.
