Looking ahead to the local Final Championship

Some clubs strengthen, others weaken

For most local fans and some of the media, the most important moves during the break between the Initial and Final Championships have been the appointment of new coaches by River Plate (Ramón Díaz) and Boca Juniors (Carlos Bianchi); because they won titles with these clubs in the past people expect that they will do it again. But both need tools (players) to do the job, and when they won those titles, they had better tools than they have now.

Both coaches were brought back to replace coaches who had not done so badly — Julio Falcioni finished fourth with an improving Boca Juniors in the Initial championship, while Matías Almeyda’s River Plate was eighth (unbeaten in their last eight games) which is creditable in their first season back in the top division. But it was not good enough for these clubs more used to winning titles.

RIVER PLATE seem to have strengthened well with Leonel Vangioni (from Newell’s), Adalberto Román, Mauro Díaz and Juan Iturbe (all arriving from abroad), while two less important players moved to other clubs and three others (including goalkeeper Daniel Vega) were labelled unnecessary. River also offered three million dollars for another attacking midfielder, Jonathan Fabbro (Cerro Porteño), which was not enough to secure him. They seem to have a lot of money to spend, while Liga de Quito was claiming an unpaid previous fee for useful reserve striker Carlos “Chino” Luna. They had arranged to sell the useful midfielder Ezequiel Cirigliano to Zaragoza, but he did not want to go. A good thing. River Plate also have an advantage. They are not playing in the Libertadores Cup and can concentrate on the league.

Bear in mind that Iturbe and Rodrigo Mora, the attacking star of the moment, are on loan until June and River would have to shell out over three million euros if they want to keep Mora. The promising Daniel “Keko” Villalva has gone on loan to Argentinos Juniors for the rest of the season; he could have been a good reserve, but more first team action at Argentinos may benefit him.

The idol at River Plate continues to be frequently injured striker David Trezeguet, the former France international, but he may have less chance of a first team place now. A reader suggested that it’s a similar story to veterans Marcelo Gallardo, Ariel Ortega and Marcelo Salas (among others) who returned to the club talking of their love for River Plate, to earn their last pesos while no longer fit.

BOCA JUNIORS made a good acquisition in signing Juan Manuel Martínez to link up with Santiago Silva. The pair had a good attacking partnership and scored plenty of goals for Vélez Sarsfield not so long ago and a repeat at Boca should see the team improve. Bianchi however told half a dozen players they were not required, some good reserves which may have been needed as Boca has both league and cup games. Midfielder Cristian Chávez went to Lanús even before it was known whether Juan Román Riquelme would return to play. Youngster Nicolás Blandi, who has scored plenty of goals when called upon, was on the point of being sold, but luckily did not want to go, nor did Cristian Erbes for whom there was an offer of two million dollars from Europe. They are both going to be needed.

Veteran defender Rolando Schiavi is the only other first teamer to leave, but he gave away too many penalties, often “unseen” by the referee, and his leaving means one less dirty player in the top division. Riquelme is a case apart. His return is still not fixed at the time of writing, but perhaps too much is expected of him. Riquelme is 34, although his way of playing does not exert him too much. Boca Juniors need his skill — Bianchi has not found a proper replacement for him— but he has not played since last June and may not be able to show the same form as before. Boca Juniors has not done so well in the summer friendlies, but you can’t read too much into that even if three games were against River Plate.

VÉLEZ SARSFIELD, the season’s Initial Championship winners, made what is considered in Argentina as the best signing during the break with international midfielder Fernando Gago joining on loan from Valencia where he did not have a regular place. A few players have returned from Europe, but none were regular first teamers there. Vélez are always the club with the least activity in the transfer market and no player left this summer. This makes them favourites to take the title again which would make the playoff, under a new rule, between the winners of the two competitions unnecessary.

NEWELL’S OLD BOYS, who challenged for first place in the Initial Championship before finishing second, may have sold their chances down the river over the summer by transferring four players, including the prominent Vangioni and forward Mauricio Sperdutti. So don’t blame coach Gerardo Martino, who has improved the team so much, if they do not do so well this time. It was anticipated that some players would return from Europe to play under the coach, but it has not happened. Their first signing at press time was Peruvian Rinaldo Cruzado from Chievo Verona, where he had little first team action.

RACING CLUB were fifth in the Initial Championship and looked like possible challengers this time with their promising batch of youngsters, but they may have sold away their chances by transferring Ricardo Centurión and Gabriel Hauche, weakening their attack. They were also trying to sell another youngster, Luis Fariña. Rich Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala originally said they would leave Centurión here until the end of the season, then changed their mind and now want to pay less because they discovered the player needed a foot operation, so he is still here.

For the good of the club, Centurión should stay and there were disagreements in the management as to whether he should be sold or not. But it just shows that some club officials think more about getting money than strengthening the team... common in many local clubs. As this column goes to print, Racing were on the point of signing midfielder Mario Bolatti from Brazil’s Internacional, but he may not make up for what Racing would lose. The transfer window closes this evening, so there may be more news to come.