Argie Bargy

Clausura 2012 preview: Organisation key to Verón's hopes of a fairytale ending

2012-02-10T14:23:00Z

In the absence of bitter rivals River Plate, Boca Juniors waltzed (or should that be tangoed?) their way to an Apertura title with very little competition.

Second place seemed to induce vertigo upon the team to occupy it, with each more feeble than the next when presented with the chance to forge any sort of title charge. The result of this is that four teams ended up joint second, albeit twelve points back from Boca.

With the top sides taking part in the Copa Libertadores as well as the Clausura during the second half of the season, there will be a chance for the chasing pack to take advantage of the enormous midweek journeys being made by playing in the continent’s premier club competition.

Relegation will be decided in June, with Argentina’s complicated system meaning every point gained over the past three years could be absolutely vital. The bottom two sides of the average points table are automatically relegated while the next two play in two-legged survival playoffs against sides from the second tier.

Here is your team-by-team guide to the Argentine Clausura 2012...

All Boys
Mauro Matos scored seven of All Boys’ fifteen goals last season and if his contribution dips then el Albo’s flimsy squad will find themselves plunged even further down the table.
Key Player: Mauro Matos
Prediction: 18th – Relegation Playoff

Argentinos Juniors
With a new manager in, and a couple of their better players out; January has been a fairly uninspiring time for Argentinos fans who will need to unearth another talent from the youth system that spawned Juan Román Riquelme and Diego Maradona.
Key Player: Fabián Bordagaray
Prediction: 14th

Arsenal de Sarandí
A bizarre rule has gifted Arsenal a (perhaps undeserved) Copa Libertadores place and with a small squad, they could struggle over the next few months to juggle long midweek trips all over the continent with their domestic commitments, meaning they may have to settle for mid-table. Obolo will be a big loss, but Carlos Carbonero is a great signing.
Key Player: Luciano Leguizamón
Prediction: 11th

Atletico Rafaela
Hit the giddy heights of second early on in the Apertura, but Rafaela will be happy to repeat their mid-table finish if it gives them another season in the top flight to build on. Cesar Carignano returns to the club to partner Dario Gandín up front and will represent a great piece of recruitment.
Key Player: Cesar Carignano
Prediction: 8th

Banfield
A shocking campaign from Banfield saw them finish bottom, principally due to managerial comings-and-goings, but also thanks to general mismanagement from above. In Walter Acevedo and Facundo Ferreyra – among others – they have some fine players, but there are no excuses for losing 14 from 19 games in a season. They need a remarkable twelve months from now on if they are to avoid relegation in 2013.
Key Player: Facundo Ferreyra
Prediction: 13th

Belgrano
Finishing joint second on 31 points was an enormous achievement for Belgrano, having only just been promoted back to the Primera División. Having sold Franco Vazquez to Italian side Palermo, they now need someone else to build the side around and may struggle through this campaign at the wrong end of the table.
Key Player: Ribaír Rodriguez
Prediction: 15th

Boca Juniors
New signing Santiago Silva is only permitted by FIFA rules to represent Boca in the Libertadores, but this could well work out for JC Falcioni’s side. Their squad has been further strengthened following their title win and they finally have the right manager, but significant progress on the continental scene may mean they miss out on retaining their domestic title.
Key Player: Leandro Somoza
Prediction: 3rd

Colón de Santa Fe
Shrewd signings in the summer propelled Colón to fifth place (although level on points with second) and there seems little reason that they’d struggle to repeat that in the Clausura. The further addition of Leandro Gracián last month was a wise one, and without the added strain of continental football they should do well despite the unfortunate injury to defensive leader Ronald Raldes.
Key Player: Tomás Costa
Prediction: 5th

Estudiantes de La Plata
In re-signing Mariano Andújar and Enzo Perez, Estudiantes can now put out ten of the eleven players that won them the Copa Libertadores in 2009. Three years on from that, and under a different manager, the Students have a great shot at the Clausura title if they can once more get organised – something lacking in their last two managerial experiments. Could Verón end his career in fairytale fashion come June?
Key Player: Juan Seba Verón
Prediction: 2nd

Godoy Cruz
A terrific few years for the club from Mendoza mean they will get the chance to appear in the Copa Libertadores. But given their fairly small squad, they will be happy with mid-table anonymity and a progression from the group stages in CONMEBOL’s showcase tournament. They boast the Apertura top scorer - by quite a distance - in Ruben Ramirez.
Key Player: Diego Villar
Prediction: 10th

Independiente
The red devils are another side who will benefit from not being involved in continental competition, and following a torrid 12 months, could challenge for the top four again. With the experience of Gabriel Milito, and young talents like Patricio Rodriguez and Lucas Villafañez, Ramón Diaz has a strong squad to pick from.
Key Player: Ernesto Farías
Prediction: 3rd

Lanús
A small club that continues to punch above its weight, Lanús may struggle – like Godoy Cruz – to deal with battling on two fronts. They are boosted by the collapse of Guido Pizarro’s move to Fiorentina, after his Italian passport failed to come through before the deadline. The talented Silvio Romero needs to start scoring regularly to avoid wasting his undoubted potential.
Key Player: Diego Valeri
Prediction: 7th

Newell’s
Virtually certain to go down in 2013, they could bring that forward if they continue their horrendous performances of the past year or so. If archrivals Rosario Central don’t come up from la B then it could be the first time in the nationalised professional era that the city of Rosario doesn’t have a club in the top flight. They won just one of their nineteen Apertura games.
Key Player: Mauricio Sperdutti
Prediction: 16th

Olimpo de Bahia Blanca
Having overachieved in their first season after promotion, that difficult second season has proved to be just so for the league’s most southerly team. Stripped of many of their best players, only Martin Rolle keeps them above mediocrity and it could be a hard campaign for them.
Key Player: Martin Rolle
Prediction: 19th - direct relegation

Racing Club
Diego Simeone’s overly defensive outlook cost them the chance to challenge Boca for the Apertura, but his departure to Atletico Madrid will be replaced by a more attractive footballing era under Alfio Basile. Managing to keep hold of their prized Colombian duo of Giovanni Moreno and Teo Gutierrez has made them Argie Bargy’s favourites to triumph come June.
Key Player: Agustín Pelletieri
Prediction: Champions

San Lorenzo de Almagro
San Lorenzo face the very real possibility of joining River Plate – a fellow member of Argentina’s ‘big five’ – in plying their trade in the second tier. Having strengthened significantly in January though, they have given themselves as good a chance as possible of avoiding the drop. Carlos Bueno will be a vital signing.
Key Player: Nestor Ortigoza
Prediction: 12th

San Martin de San Juan
Another newly-promoted team that overachieved in the Apertura, they will find things a bit more difficult now other sides have become wise to their style of play. Facundo Affranchino has signed from River and could be a crucial player.
Key Player: Mauro Bogadón
Prediction: 17th

Tigre
The spectre of relegation is truly hanging over Tigre, but if they can repeat their strong performance of the Apertura, they may be able to avoid the automatic relegation places. A club of limited resources but they have a lot of heart, a good young manager and some talented individuals.
Key Player: Roman Martinez
Prediction: 9th – Relegation Playoff

Unión de Santa Fe
Having finished the season poorly, manager Frank Kudelka said he was looking to bring in some fresh blood. A lower-league striker has arrived but if he doesn’t immediately find his feet then Argie Bargy can see them finishing rock-bottom.
Key Player: Paulo Rosales
Prediction: 20th

Velez Sarsfield
One of the country’s best clubs over the last two to three years, Velez still managed to finish third last season despite having a poor season by their high standards. They have signed three top quality additions to their squad and Ricardo Gareca is a coach allowed the time and resources to keep evolving the club. They do, however, have some very long away trips in the Libertadores.
Key Player: David Ramirez
Prediction: 6th

Pragmatism, pain & plankton: the Apertura season review

2011-12-14T10:34:00Z

Ed Malyon rounds up the (half) season action in Argentina...

THE CHAMPIONS
Boca Juniors broke all sorts of records on their way to winning this title: an unbeaten campaign in which they conceded only six goals, winning the league by the biggest points margin since the move to short tournaments. Not pretty or expansive, but pragmatic and effective – they were deserving champions if not a little, well, dull.

THE CHALLENGERS
Slightly inaccurate heading: it was painfully clear from around the halfway point that nobody would stop the Boca juggernaut. Three sides finished level on points with second-place Racing, who could've been a contender but for Diego Simeone’s overly-defensive outlook – they drew 10 of their 19 games, their matches averaging just 1.26 goals per game in total.

The late surge from Velez flatters their season, while newly-promoted Belgrano will be delighted with their finish but should struggle more now that playmaker Franco Vazquez is off to Palermo in January. As predicted in these pages pre-season [humble brag], Colon did OK with new signings Chevanton and Tomas Costa, but certainly exceeded expectations by finishing fifth.

THE NOTHINGNESS
Mid-table anonymity is a desperate disappointment for some and a joyful haven for others; Godoy Cruz finished the season poorly but still qualify for the Copa Libertadores due to Argentina’s barmy football calendar system. Independiente shuffled managers and ended up in eighth, the three promoted sides that weren’t the aforementioned Belgrano all finished in the top 11, and the senseless plankton of the division like Arsenal and All Boys were in there somewhere, it’s just that nobody cares where.

Tigre are the most interesting story: almost certainties for relegation come June due to Argentina’s frankly odd relegation system (notice a theme?), this small suburban club needed to challenge for the title in both the Apertura and Clausura to even have a chance of staying up. Well, part one is complete: they finished seventh, and have a chance of reaching a relegation play-off which seemed impossible only a few months ago.

THE BOTTOM
Estudiantes should have been challenging for the title; the only bright spot for them is that Juan Seba Veron has decided he’ll postpone retirement for another six months. San Lorenzo are one of the Argentine ‘big five’ but are on course for the relegation play-offs despite boasting one of the division’s best playmakers in Nestor Ortigoza.

Olimpo’s Martin Rolle has been outstanding despite playing in a terrible side and he’ll doubtlessly be off when their inevitable relegation is confirmed in June. The other two sides at the foot were Newell’s Old Boys, who are just terrible, and Banfield. Argie Bargy's season preview tipped the latter to be the surprise package but they only surprised in how diabolically poor they were, finishing rock bottom.

COPA LIBERTADORES QUALIFICATION
Boca Juniors, Velez Sarsfield, Lanus and Godoy Cruz are all deserved qualifers for South America’s premier continental competition. Arsenal de Sarandi aren’t, but will somehow be playing in it due to being the most successful Argentinian side in the Copa Sudamericana. Getting into the top continental competition for not even reaching semis of the secondary cup is, however, an absolutely mental rule.

AND RIVER PLATE...?
They’re second in the B Nacional, just two points off leaders Instituto de Cordoba (former club of QPR’s Alejandro Faurlin). Expect them to be back in the big time come August.

THE ARGIE BARGY AWARDS
Player of the season Rolando Schiavi (Boca Juniors)
Young player of the season Franco Vazquez (Belgrano)
Top scorer Ruben Ramirez (Godoy Cruz)
Manager of the season Julio Cesar Falcioni (Boca Juniors)
Best nickname Franco ‘The Mute’ Vasquez
Player most likely to be mistaken for a constellation Agustin Orion (Boca Juniors)

Black eyes, stamped chests and the worst idea ever

2011-10-28T12:21:00Z

This week’s three major stories all unfortunately show some of the worst traits of Argentinian football, and all have hit the headlines in spectacular style.

Bottinelli, Black Eyes & the Barra Bravas
Mentioned before in Argie Bargy as one of the factors in River Plate’s relegation, the Barra Bravas are an ugly yet seemingly immovable blight on the country’s footballing landscape. Despite years of promises, AFA president Julio Grondona (more on him later) has failed to deal with the issue of these organised hooligan groups and in recent weeks there have been two major incidents that show their power – and that the authorities have been feeble in attempting to challenge them.

Firstly, there is the example of Independiente’s ‘Barra del Rojo’ who, following a home defeat to Boca Juniors, assembled outside the changing rooms, playing the funeral march. It was no cryptic message: they wanted coach Antonio Mohamed gone – and the next day, the club announced he had resigned. “I didn’t make this decision. The Barra made it.”

This week though, saw a worse example of the Barra’s behavour at San Lorenzo. Following some poor performances from a team who've won just two in the last nine, fans took matters into their own hands by breaking into a closed training session.
The Barra's confrontation with the players resulted in defender Jonathan Bottinelli being punched, and leaving him with a black eye, claiming he’d never play for the club again.

Ramon Diaz, manager of Independiente but formerly of San Lorenzo, lamented the impression that this presents to the outside world: “This is the image that we give of Argentina. We must calm this [violence]”.

World Cup winners & wars of words
A clash between title chasers Racing and Lanus on Wednesday night has led to some heated words and could have some disciplinary repercussions. Half an hour in, Mauro Camoranesi – a World Cup winner with Italy in 2006 – committed to a tackle on Patricio Toranzo, catching him slightly late.

It wasn’t a particularly bad tackle, but a disagreement ensued and the ex-Italian international headbutted Toranzo right in front of the referee. Camoranesi received a red card and went to leave the pitch but as Toranzo lay on the ground, he went over to him and launched a boot at his face. Inexplicably, Toranzo too received a red card whilst he lay strewn on the turf, and the front page of Thursday’s sports daily Olé carries the image in full-sized glory.

A bad-tempered game has led to a war of words between the two sides, with Lanus and Argentina goalkeeper Agustin Marchesin labelling Racing’s Colombian forward a ‘moron’ as well as Toranzo unleashing a tirade in response to Camoranesi’s actions.

“People don’t do these things," spat Toranzo. "To me, he’s a coward because he hit me on the ground… he is a coward.” He went on to say “This bloke is not normal – he should see a psychologist."

Sorry, how many teams?
Finally, it’s our old friend Julio Grondona. Upon his re-election for his ninth term as AFA president (having taken office in 1979), he has flown to Switzerland with a mission: to gain approval from FIFA president and all-round top bloke Sepp Blatter to enlarge the Argentine top flight to a mammoth 38 teams.

When this idea surfaced in June, the public outcry was enough for them to seemingly ditch the idea; after all, it was far too risky with Grondona up for re-election in October. Now though, there seems to be little that can be done to stop it as the machine begins to clunk into gear to run the most unwieldy tournament the world has ever seen.

The full proposal is explained here and is just as nonsensical as it was when the idea went back under the surface in the summer – but it's washed up again like a corpse in Argentine football's stinking river.

Atlanta, Artime, Zubeldia, Bohemians and Millionaires

2011-10-10T15:23:00Z

River Plate’s life in the second tier of Argentine football is going pretty much as planned. Unbeaten after the first nine games, they went top again with a 7-1 midweek win over Atlanta.

While the media coverage is obviously focused on their convincing victory, the vanquished Atlanta are just as interesting a story. This was the first competitive meeting between the sides since the Metropolitan Championship of 1984 – and since then, the two clubs have taken very different paths.

Weeks after their draw 27 years ago, Atlanta were relegated from the top flight of Argentina – and haven't returned since; in the meantime, River have won 14 league titles and five continental crowns.

Their histories have been intertwined since 1962, when Atlanta sold star striker Luis Artime to River for 17 million pesos. It was an economic success for bohemian Atlanta – still nicknamed ‘los bohemios’ – and a football success for River.

Artime went on to become a legendary goalscorer, first at River, and then across the continent. Argentine journalist Ariel Ruya of La Nacion recently described him in the most poetic of ways as someone who “did not take in air, he breathed goals. His body was the perfect nexus between the ball and the goal.”

Artime pouts for a photo in 1966

At Atlanta, Artime was managed by Osvaldo Zubeldia, who went on in 1967 to create Argentine football history by making Estudiantes the first national champions from outside the traditional ‘big five’. The key player of that championship side was Carlos Bilardo; openly influenced by Zubeldia, he went on to dedicate Argentina's triumph at Mexico 86 to the memory of his mentor, who had died of a heart attack in 1982.

The problem for Atlanta, being a small side from the central Buenos Aires district of Villa Crespo, was holding onto their brightest talents. If they had, then they may not have spent the intervening period floating between the second and third tiers of the domestic league, resulting in them running out winners of the Primera B Metropolitano – or third division – last season.

River’s historic relegation may have thrown together the two old friends, but while the Bohemios are still a class below the Millonarios, they have brought to Argentine football two of the all-time greats.

Clasico De Avellaneda finally taking centre stage

2011-09-28T15:18:00Z

In recent years, the shiny-suited and delicately-stubbled visages of Sky Sports have been known to talk of 'The Big Four' (a fairly questionable notion itself, given the recent emergence of Manchester City), while in Spain there is a well-known duopoly – or big two, but few outside Argentina will know of the 'cinco grandes' or 'big five'.

Two of the quintet are, of course, River Plate and Boca Juniors - the biggest and best-supported clubs in the country. San Lorenzo are another, based in La Paternal region of Buenos Aires, and the final two both hail from nearby Avellaneda: Racing Club and Independiente.

This weekend, the latter pair will face off in the 'clasico de Avellaneda', and while it has always been in the shadow of the ‘superclasico’, for the first time since 1908 it will undoubtedly be the biggest derby in the country, following River's relegation in June. And while fans of both sides have always claimed this fixture is the most passionate Argieball has to offer, the club’s respective current situations add further gravitas to an already high-pressure fixture.

Racing are the sky blue half of the city, and are currently second in the table - chasing Boca Juniors. The 'academia' have assembled a strong squad, with Colombian duo Giovani Moreno and Teofilo Gutierrez the stars. Both players are known more commonly by the disyllabic versions of their forenames: Teo is a livewire forward who spent a brief spell in Turkey, while Gio is a lanky playmaker who oozes class and is seemingly destined for greater things having recovered from serious injury.

Simeone is hoping to maintain Racing's title push

Managed by Diego Simeone – infamous on English shores thanks to his contribution to David Beckham’s dismissal against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup – Racing and their long-suffering fans will be hoping that following an undefeated opening half of the season, their unrivalled tendency for self-destruction manages to evade them in the quest for some overdue glory.

In the red half of the city, Independiente are having a rather worse time of things. Despite currently being in lower mid-table, they are preoccupied by the looming spectre of relegation.

With the complex system that defines relegation in Argentina, it is easy for a side to sometimes lose focus on the league, given that relegation is decided over an average points table over three years (six seasons). This meant that last year, when Independiente were struggling in the league and with no prospect of a domestic title, they piled all their resources into the Copa Sudamericana (the South American equivalent of the Europa League) and ended up winning it.

While this triumph cemented their reptutation as ‘rey de copas’ (king of cups) it only masked the deficiencies in the side, and no club that’s still in the top flight has accrued fewer points over the past twelve months.

Could Independiente's Copa Sudamericana win come at a cost?

Though there is little chance of them going down this year due to a successful domestic season in 2009/10 (which qualified them for the aforementioned continental competition in 2010/11), next year that will be wiped off, and Independiente know that with the debacle of the last twelve months added to what has been a mediocre campaign thus far, they will truly be in the relegation mire.

Despite a change in manager, they have not been able to improve in any noteworthy manner, and even the signing of Barcelona defender Gabriel Milito – a player who on the face of it should be too good for this league - has done little to reverse their fortunes. Independiente will be boosted by their superior record in these games, but in recent years they have tended to rely on sensational goalkeeping performances. Fabian Assman will start in goal on Sunday and recognizes the magnitude of this renewal:

“This Racing is the best that I have played… but these games are different and it will be fundamental that we win”

Truly, this weekend’s clash will be an amazing spectacle, not only is it currently the biggest grudge match in this football-mad country, but it will mark a turning point for the losing side. It could push Simeone’s Racing out of the title race – possibly seven points adrift of the top – or it could be the start of a hellish twelve months for the Red Devils, possibly resulting in them being the second grande to be relegated in as many years.

The Cream of Argentine football keep rising to the top

2011-08-31T12:21:00Z

Most football fans have probably never heard of Atletico Rafaela. Indeed, having only been promoted to the second tier of the Argentine football in 1989, this may not seem wholly surprising.

For those familiar with the European model of football club governance, the example of Atletico is one very different to the norm. In 1988, they became a non-profit organization – although through their own choice, unlike the plethora of European clubs who make gargantuan losses – and just a year after becoming a Mutual, Social and Sporting Association, they achieved the aforementioned promotion and have never looked back.

During the years of artificial financial stability in the Menem and De La Rúa presidencies, Rafaela mirrored this with fourteen years of consolidation in the second division, finally gaining a first ever promotion to the Primera in 2003 following successive Apertura and Clausura wins.

The intervening period was one of yo-yoing between the top two divisions, before the promotion this year that has found them back in the big time. Dwarfed by its provincial neighbours Santa Fe and Rosario and with a population of just 100,000, it’s a small city club with idealistic principles – but punching well above its weight.

It may only be four games in, but that’s nearly a quarter of the way through the Apertura championship and Atletico Rafaela find themselves top. ‘La Crema’ (the Cream) have nine points from their opening fixtures and continue surprising the more established names, like last year’s Apertura winners Estudiantes – Juan Sebastian Veron’s side currently find themselves second bottom and winless.

Rather bizarrely though, they haven’t played particularly well. They say it’s the sign of champions, not newly-promoted relegation candidates, to win even when they play badly. But Rafaela were fairly evenly-matched with Olimpo last weekend and found themselves 3-0 up. Olimpo got a goal back late on to add some semblance of justice to the score-line and Atletico midfielder Nicolas Castro admitted as much:

“We resorted to long balls and we didn’t play how we know. Luckily, we managed to settle it in the second half”.

The key to their success thus far seems to have been keeping together their strong side from last year. Having won the ‘B’ by eight clear points, they have maintained largely the same side in a bid to add some continuity and it’s working so far. Dario Gandín - playing his first home game for ‘la crema’ in eight years following leaving in 2003 – seemed to not be getting carried away with their form:

“We’ve got to keep our feet on the ground: we’re not better nor worse than anyone. We are a team that knows what it has to do.”
He also acknowledges the importance of keeping last year’s squad together. In the short-termist nightmare of the Argentine league (principally brought about by the ‘short tournament’ system), there is a far higher turnover of players at clubs. Fellow promoted club San Martin de San Juan have brought in eleven new faces since winning their promotion play-off but Gandín points out that

“Rafaela plays from memory, it’s the same team that got promoted, plus [Fabricio] Fontanini and I.”

A winning mentality and a solid unit, the likelihood is that when other teams begin to gel, they will wrest back the ‘puntero’ position from the new boys. But in spite of having lost star striker Cesar Carignano in June, their performances have surprised everyone and it remains to be seen whether ‘the cream’ can continue to rise to the top…

The careless and whimsical Argentine Primera División preview

2011-08-05T15:54:00Z

Yes it's back! After all of the Copa America action (which technically hasn't finished as the ball from Elano's penalty against Paraguay is still travelling through space), the domestic bliss that is the Primera División returns and truth be told, Argie Bargy is seriously relieved, and rather looking forward to it.

There are so many ways to do a season preview: team-by-team, just as a huge block of prose, using expressive dance and so on. But we've decided to do it roughly based on where teams finished in the last Clausura season, grouped together in a careless and whimsical fashion...

The Contenders

VELEZ won the title by four points and were by far the best team in Argentina over the whole 2010/11 season. They will begin the new season with a weaker squad though, having lost Ricky Alvarez to Inter for a fairly hefty sum, but more importantly, Maxi Moralez to Atalanta. While they have players like David Ramirez in the squad to soften the blow, they have not made any signings to take the breath away.

Last season's runners-up, LANUS, have also lost some key individuals, including Hoyos, Pelletieri and Valeri (who hasn't left yet but definitely will). They've been linked with Nacional playmaker Mauricio Pereyra, who'd be a great replacement for Valeri, but the key thing will be the continued development of young Romero up front. If he keeps on his upward curve, then Lanus will be contenders once more.

It will be tough for GODOY CRUZ to improve on their best season ever, but it will rely on how their raft of signings from the lower leagues bed in at the higher level. If one or two turn out to be gems then there's no reason why they can't finish in the top 4 or 5 again, and they haven't lost any key figures of their successful campaign. It's been a great year for provincial football in Argentina.

The Chasing Pack

OLIMPO were a surprise package last season, and were well in the title race for the first half of the Clausura campaign. Rather predictably though, a club of little financial means, they have been fleeced of many of the players that got them there. Gone are Ezequiel Maggiolo and Martin Aguirre amongst a list of 13 departures from the Bahia Blanca club, where new recruits - much like at Godoy Cruz - will have to make the transition from the lower leagues. Expect them to be lower mid-table.

ARGENTINOS conceded just 11 in 19 last season, but only netted 16 times. If they can build on this defence then there's no doubt that they could be contenders.

Best of the Rest

ESTUDIANTES had a shocking Clausura when you consider they'd just been so dominant in winning the Apertura title, but the fact is that Berizzo never got hold of things in La Plata and with largely the same squad, he just failed to get the results that his predecessor got. They've arguably had the most impressive incoming signings of any side in this off-season, so despite losing Enzo Perez and Federico Fernandez to Benfica and Napoli respectively, they look set for a return to title challenging. The only concern is new boss Russo, who was frankly unimpressive at Racing.

As you'd expect, INDEPENDIENTE and RACING have both bought well, without losing any vital cogs from their respective machines. Racing have got Diego Simeone in as boss in what could be a master-stroke - twinned with the return of the stupendous Gio Moreno, Argie Bargy predicts Racing to be top 4, starting slowly and building momentum. The red side of Avellaneda has the players to move up the table, but has 'the Turk' done anything in the league to merit still being in charge there?

BOCA JUNIORS have the money to get the right men in, but they won't win the title - we just refuse to believe they can do it. It's an ok side, which will win more than it loses but it is nothing more. 4th-8th.

From the rest, the only two clubs you could see surprising are BANFIELD and SAN LORENZO. The former have one of the bright young striking talents in Argentina (Facundo Ferreyra) and Acevedo could be an inspired signing from relegated River, whilst Eluchans is an exciting prospect. San Lore have a new manager and with that, hope that their already strong squad will be moulded into a team that can at least head for continental qualification.

Down The Bottom

That leaves us with five teams that featured last season but didn't impress. These could be roughly split into two groups - the ones that will be ok, and the ones that will struggle.

In the primary grouping, you'd place TIGRE and COLON. Tigre have held onto goalscorer extraordinaire Denis Stracqualursi, and strengthened well with players like Maggiolo. Colon have brought in two of the most exciting signings of the window, in Chevanton and Tino Costa - both returning from Europe. They have the evergreen 'Bichi' Fuertes up front who will score goals as long his legs still carry him, and because of this, there seems no way they will finish below mid-table anonymity.

The remaining three are your strugglers. NEWELL'S are an obvious one given their performances between January and June which barely merit the tag of 'football'. An utterly hopeless entity that has lost some good talent as well. ALL BOYS and ARSENAL both were in the lower reaches of the table and have got weaker squads, therefore it's kind of logical that they will struggle.

The New Boys

Of course, there are four relative unknowns joining the party this year and guessing how well promoted sides will do (apart from 'not') isn't particularly easy. BELGRANO have recruited some of the better players to the naked eye but it's usually the undiscovered gems that come to the fore. Ribair Rodriguez is an excellent midfielder though and with him the Pirates could well be the surprise of the promoted sides, but fans should look forward to a renewal of the Santa Fe clasico with the arrival of UNION in the top flight.

Argie Bargy Predictions
Champions - Estudiantes
Surprise Package - Banfield or Racing
Disappointment - Olimpo overachieved last year, and will struggle.
Whipping Boys - Newell's Old Boys
Rising Star - Silvio Romero (Lanús)

Argentina aim to ape Barça shape without being a bad copy

2011-07-01T16:14:00Z

In a summer of managerial movements and big-money youngsters, much has been made of identity. “Villas-Boas will need to change the identity at Chelsea,” we are told. “Jordan Henderson is a symbol of Liverpool's youthful new identity.”

By the same token it could be said that Argentina, hosts of (and favourites for) the 2011 Copa America, are having a bit of an identity crisis.

Sergio ‘Checho’ Batista is in charge now, and ever since the friendly with Portugal in February has set up his side to emulate Barcelona. But the boss is treading on very dangerous ground by publicly declaring his intentions to copy Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering side.

"...and I'll go bald and buy a nice suit"

Wanting to play entertaining and successful football, of course, is nothing to be criticised. People watch football to be entertained, and for a manager to set out his stall with this as his primary goal is to be admired.

However, success doesn’t necessarily follow from style; ask Arsene Wenger, who has suffered six years without a trophy whilst playing marvellous football. In Checho’s native Argentina, Estudiantes won the Apertura title but weren’t a hugely entertaining unit – they just got the requisite results.

Even if Batista gets this vastly talented squad playing in the style of the Catalan giants, the Copa America campaign won’t be a success unless he wins the tournament.

He aims to do this by playing the 4-3-3 with Messi as a false 9. The reasoning behind this is that following a disappointing World Cup from the one they call The Flea, Checho knows that this is a system guaranteed to get the most from the world's best player.

"Do that thing! Y'know, the one you do for him!"

That reasoning seems sound but overlooks the fact that the rest of the Argentina team wasn’t brought up in La Masia, the Barcelona academy responsible for developing the majority of the European champions’ first XI. Their distinct style of play is only truly known by Messi in this Argentina side.

It also means that virtually every other forward in the squad will be playing in a different role to that which they do for their club side. Manchester City's Carlos Tevez and Napoli's Ezequiel Lavezzi look set to start wide, whilst there is only one actual winger in the squad, Angel di Maria.

That’s not to say that this squad is unable to play in this system and won’t be successful, although there are more than enough good players in this squad not to have to copy anyone.

However, Batista has made his decision and he will be treading the line between emulating a successful style, and being a poor tribute act. Nobody enjoys watching the latter.

Titanic day for Argentine football sinks the unsinkable

2011-06-28T12:14:00Z

Ed Malyon on the end of an era in Argentina...

It was thought that the Titanic was unsinkable, an impossibility. Yet she sank in April 1912.

It was thought that River Plate would never get relegated. They couldn’t. Yet on June 27th 2011, the bow of the ship disappeared under the water, and into the B Nacional.

The utterly unthinkable state of affairs is that River Plate will now face trips to play clubs like Almirante Brown and Deportivo Merlo next season, following defeat in their relegation playoff game against Belgrano de Cordoba.

The sequence of events that has led to this is so surprising not just because they are Argentina’s most successful club, with 33 league titles, but because they have failed to avoid relegation despite having the buffer of the ‘promedio’ average points system and a two-legged play-off in which tied scores would have seen them safe.

The delicious irony for those enjoying the demise of River is that the promedio system was introduced in the early 1980s to prevent them from being relegated. This is no exaggeration.

Following a poor season that saw them finish in the relegation places, the AFA unashamedly changed the rules to introduce an average points per game table, calculated over three years in the hope that it would mean that the two biggest clubs could never slip down a league following a bad campaign.

Cry me a River: Weeping players leave the pitch and division

So what this week’s events show, is that this isn’t just River Plate having a bad season, this is the culmination of a whole host of short-, mid- and long-term factors that have seen them descend to la B for the first time in their 110-year history.

Long term
José Maria Aguilar was president of River Plate from 2001-2009, and in this period the club enjoyed a lot of success on the field, particularly in his first four-year term. In the second half though, off-field decisions were being taken that were placing the club in jeopardy.

In a bid to gain popularity – as well as a poorly-advised cost-cutting measure – Aguilar began to cave in to demands of the barra bravas, the organised gangs of the club’s fans. The barras in Argentina are very powerful groups, virtually untouchable to the police. They are guilty of racketeering, corruption and being involved in organised and serious violent crime.

Aguilar made them responsible for security within the stadium following an incident in which a member of the group known as ‘Bolita’ Nazareno was beaten to within an inch of his life for thieving inside the stadium. The idea was to send a message to the President, and it worked.

However, legitimising the Borrachos del Tablon [the Drunks of the Terrace], River’s unimaginatively named barra, was an enormous mistake and the tip of the iceberg. Within years, members of the group would be drawing salaries from the club and even receiving percentages of transfer fees.

Under Aguilar’s stewardship, the club also ran up big debts. They may be nicknamed los Millionarios [the Millionaires] but having sold a staggering $350million worth of players between 1989 and 2010, the most River Plate have ever paid for a player was $4m to Newell’s Old Boys for Fernando Belluschi.

This enormous income from player sales, which has long been the modus operandi for football clubs - particularly in South America – is vital for their well-being off the field but questions inevitably remain over where this money has gone.

It’s natural to sell your best players and expect difficulties on the pitch, but River, in fact, would consistently pluck players from smaller clubs to fill the gaps – and maintain their success.

Between 1999 and 2005, the Millionaires sold a ludicrously talented list of players for big fees, including Angel, Saviola, Yepes, D’Alessandro, Cambiasso, Demichelis, Cavenaghi, ‘Lucho’ Gonzalez and Javier Mascherano… but still won five domestic titles.

In 2008-09, however, they lost Falcao, Belluschi, Alexis Sanchez, Sebastian Abreu and Juan Pablo Carrizo from their talented side and failed to adequately replace them.

Medium term
Having played for and managed the club, Daniel Passarella seemed like a safe pair of hands for the club when elected in 2009 but he failed to right the wrongs of the previous regime.

The Kaiser, as he is known, never successfully implemented the financial mechanisms that he had publicised in his campaign, meaning that the club could never truly get on top of the increasing debts that they were faced with.

He may have inherited an unsuccessful manager in Leonardo Astrada but his subsequent managerial choices left a lot to be desired. Angel Cappa succeeded Astrada but was dismissed after an unproductive spell; in November 2010 he hired Juan Jose Lopez – a former team-mate of Passarella's, but a coach who hadn’t managed a side in the Argentine top flight for eight years. Lopez’s last act was to preside over this week’s relegation.

Cold comfort: Coach Lopez cuddles Carlos Arano

Passarella’s transfer dealings have been called into question, a short-termist policy revolving around loans was never going to allow the club to form a solid core. The signing of Juan Pablo Carizzo on loan had an option to buy, but at $6m, it was never going to be a viable option.

Rejecting a sizeable bid from Benfica for young striker Rogelio Funes Mori in favour of holding out for $15m was also a grave error. The academy product had shown little to merit such an inflated price tag and Passarella failed to realise that knowing when to sell is as vital as knowing who to buy.

Looking at the three seasons to blame for River’s relegation in the promedio standings, the combined Apertura and Clausura table for 2010/11 sees them finish fifth and qualifying for the Copa Sudamericana (South America’s Europa League) – so it’s the two preceding campaigns that have caused River to hit the iceberg.

They began 2008/09 by finishing rock bottom of the 2008 Apertura for the first time in the club’s history. A paltry 14 points from 19 games meant that even an improved second half of the season would cause them issues. In 2009/10 they amassed only two points more, and heading into the 2010/11 season, everyone knew River would face relegation worries – though no-one believed it could actually happen.

Short term
An excellent Apertura could have been a title-winning campaign if they hadn’t suffered seven games without a win in the middle of the season. A change in manager brought an end-of-season boost and a superclasico win as the Red Stripe finished in fourth.

In the Clausura, River led at half-way, and at the beginning of May were set for a to-the-wire title race. However, a run of nine games without a win saw them drop into the relegation playoff places, and then out of the division. Whilst their early-season form had impressed, based predominantly on a strong defence and around the creativity of starlet Erik Lamela, when things started going against them, coach Lopez faltered in leading his team.

Seemingly with no plan B, River would be relegated to the ‘B’. The common criticisms of the side were that they lacked passion and fight; in truth, a lack of quality in front of goal was a much more enormous problem, along with a dearth of experience in the squad, apart from the ancient but excellent Matias Almeyda (who will be River’s new manager next season).

Shellshock: the players gather after the match

Regardless of all these factors, River were still in the position to save themselves on numerous occasions, even before the playoff with Belgrano. Yet they serially came up short. Lopez’s falling-out with diminutive playmaker Diego Buonanotte could be argued to have cost them vital points, and at vital moments, he took wrong decisions.

He wasn’t the only one to make mistakes, far from it – Leandro Chichizola’s air-kick against Velez Sarsfield cost them at least a point, and Adalberto Roman’s error in the play-off first leg at Belgrano caused some River fans to run onto the pitch and threaten him.

Individuals aside though, the fact remains that gaining just five points from the last 21 possible destroyed the fragile confidence of the squad and manager, and playing off against a side with momentum was always going to be difficult.

So the future for River is up in the air. The nosedive in income will plunge their finances into a more perilous state; Passarella has declared that for him to go "They will have to drag me out by the feet"; and in a poll by leading sports daily Canchallena, River fans voted overwhelmingly that the first step to resolving River’s problems is a politician putting the end to the barras.

Contextualising this relegation is hard – it’s like Real Madrid, Ajax or Celtic getting relegated in their respective countries – but it’s happened, and whether those in charge at River look to implement real solutions, or just try to plug the leaks, will be the key to whether this club sinks for good or not.

How Vélez Sársfield bucked trends to be Argentine champions again

2011-06-24T13:40:00Z

Ed Malyon tells us why new champs Vélez Sársfield are different to other Argentinian clubs.

It’s no secret that many clubs in Argentina are exceedingly badly run. Vested interests, debts and a whole host of other reasons can see teams sell a player for a vast sum, only for the money to seemingly disappear.

Now Vélez’s principle advantage here was that they are well-run to start off with, and this has enabled them to reinvest monies received exceptionally wisely.

In January they sold key midfielder Leandro Somoza to Boca Juniors. They also sold starlet Jonathan Cristaldo, a young striker beginning to find the net with regularity, to Metalist Kharkiv in Ukraine. While he had potential, Cristaldo wasn’t a regular starter: it was an offer too big – and the Vélez hierarchy too wise – to refuse.

The income from these funded the move for midfielder David Ramirez, a player that had impressed with provincial outfit Godoy Cruz in the Apertura championship. While it may have seemed a questionable replacement for a striker (they did later bring in forward Guille Franco on a free), Ramirez was an example of thinking outside the box. Literally.

With marvellous forwards like Santiago Silva and Juan Manuel Martínez, even playing a lone forward would result in goals if they could provide chances. The issue was that head coach Ricardo Gareca and Christian Bassedas (the club’s sporting director) feared an over-reliance on Maxi Moralez (of whom more later). Ramirez provided extra depth in this department but was still obviously a goal threat.

He ended up as the champions’ top scorer.

The rotation sensation
It’s a common theme in football that the successful are emulated. Look at the spate of sides to copy the 4-5-1/4-3-3 after Jose Mourinho’s initial successes with Chelsea or current Argentina boss Sergio Batista’s unashamed Barcelona tribute act, complete with ‘false nine’.

This would be pretty hard to do with Vélez. They are blessed with an exceptional array of talent (although as discussed, it’s more judgement than luck) but the way that Gareca has changed system and personnel has been a remarkable success.

After coming up short in the Apertura – finishing two points off champions Estudiantes – and the aforementioned transfer dealings, they were left with plenty of options in midfield. This meant that Gareca, with one fewer top class striker, decided to be flexible in his systems to keep players fresh and to unsettle the opposition.

Diminutive playmaker Maximiliano Moralez was arguably their most important player, a sublimely talented midfielder whose jinking runs and precise passing were the heartbeat of this Vélez outfit. With midweek continental action though, Gareca enforced a rotation policy from which not even Maxi was safe.

The manager switched between his crative forces, namely Augusto Fernandez, Ricky Alvarez and new signing David Ramirez, the Apertura's highest scoring midfielder (with Godoy Cruz). This rotation gave them a freshness but it also bred a desire that led to this season's glut of goals. In both the Apertura and Clausura, they were the top-scoring side, and two of the three goleadores in the Apertura were Vélez forwards.

Formation-wise, they were flexible between a 4-5-1, 4-1-3-2 and all sorts of variations thereof. This was partially personnel-dependent but also an example of Gareca being a wise tactician. In Argentina, where there’s a plethora of systems being used, being able to attack the weaknesses of the opposition's line-up proved to be a vital weapon in the armoury.

Clean sheets and calamities
In a league where goalkeeping errors have been arguably the most memorable moments of the Clausura season, with Juan Pablo Carizzo’s mistake in the Superclásico being the most high-profile of blunders...

...and another being a ludicrous air-kick from Leandro Chichizola (which actually gave Vélez a win in a top-of-the-table clash)...

...Vélez goalkeeper Marcelo Barovero has been low-key. He’s been consistent and made no mistakes; this sets him apart from the rest. Make no mistake, Barovero is playing in a very good side, but he is the most reliable keeper in the country, despite not receiving a call-up for even the domestically-based ‘Argentina C’ team.

In his first season of being a top-flight ‘keeper – with Huracán in 2007/08 – he won the Ubaldo Fillol award for best goalkeeper. Upon moving to Vélez, Barovero was initially second choice but broke into the team as the start of the current season. At the end of the Apertura in December, he won the award again. Playing 16 of the 19 games in the tournament, he conceded just six goals as the Fortín (fortress) came second.

His low profile may be detrimental as far as international recognition goes, but for Vélez, keeping his name under the radar is undeniably linked to their success.

Vélez can certainly look forward to next season with great hope. Copa Libertadores semi-finalists and far and away the best side in the country over the 2010/11 season, on the pitch and off it, they seem to be a club in safe hands.

Generational shift sees Iturbe shoulder weight of comparison to Leo not Diego

2011-06-10T16:28:00Z

South American football writer Ed Malyon tells the tale of Argentina's next not particularly big thing...

February 18, 2011 - young winger Juan Manuel Iturbe finally makes his bow at the highest level in South American football, the Copa Libertadores. A talent already much discussed - and fought over - he’s introduced at half-time for former Bayern Munich midfielder Julio Dos Santos.

Barely two minutes later, he has slid the ball past Colo Colo’s helpless goalkeeper following some dazzling interplay and some tight dribbling. By the end of the game, he has bagged a brace and guaranteed that the media would be going into overdrive the next morning, and that they were. Pictures of the young winger were accompanied by “the Paraguayan Messi” or the “Guarani Messi”.

At five feet six and a half inches tall, the Cerro Porteño winger is half an inch shorter than the miniscule Barcelona star, but as la pulga has shown in Europe, size doesn’t always matter. The comparisons between the two seem inevitable upon watching Iturbe play; his small frame - draped in red and blue - gliding effortlessly past players, the ball seemingly glued to his feet, his talents are certainly similar, and ability-wise it could be that he’s not far behind.

The weight of comparison

It’s the moniker itself of “the new Messi” though, that is just as interesting in many ways, as the exciting potential of yet another South American forward.

With the decline of Diego Maradona’s glittering international career and eventually its shameful end through a positive drugs test at USA ’94, the Argentinean (and world) media have been searching for the Albiceleste’s next star, someone who could replace the irreplaceable in the number 10 shirt.

“The New Maradona” title has proved to be as much an unrivalled compliment as an inescapable curse.

The first player labelled thus was playmaker Diego Latorre, following his key role in a Boca Juniors championship side and Argentina’s successful 1991 Copa America campaign, he moved to Fiorentina with Gabriel Batistuta.

Whilst Batigol went on to become an enormous success in Europe, Latorre made just two appearances at the Florence club before moving onto Tenerife, and then Salamanca. Following an unsuccessful stint in Europe, he returned home to Argentina, where he finished his career in a rather muted fashion, a harsh contrast to the fanfare with which he’d left those same shores.

This same path would be followed by many others burdened with the expectation of filling the boots of El Diez, but to differing degrees. While Ariel Ortega, Marcelo Gallardo, Javier Saviola and Pablo Aimar will be able to claim some success in Europe, none came close to the feats of Maradona at Napoli.

Others were even less fortunate, Andres D’Alessandro roamed around mid-level European clubs for five years before returning to South America with Internacional of Porto Alegre. Carlos Marinelli had even less success, with just a handful of goals from his time in Europe, he now plays his football in the Peruvian first division.

The significance of Iturbe being labelled “the new Messi” is that it’s a changing of the guard for a nation where their football team has long since been their biggest source of pride. Messi, himself “the new Maradona” just a few years ago, has accomplished so much in the intervening period that his are the new boots to fill - and he's not even vacated them yet...

A tale of two boys

Like the tale of Messi, that of Iturbe’s career and development is unusual.

Born in Buenos Aires to Paraguayan parents, he moved back to his native Paraguay aged five. Juan Manuel Iturbe made his club debut at 16 for Cerro Porteño against Libertad on June 28th, 2009. He had come through the age groups with Paraguay’s youth team and was capped in a senior friendly against Chile in 2009.

What followed were a couple of disagreements that perhaps cast doubts over his attitude. First, Iturbe fell out with the powers-that-be in Paraguayan football and their counterparts in Buenos Aires pounced. “The New Messi” declared his international career with Paraguay a closed book and stated he would only represent the Albiceleste in future. The kid is highly rated though, to the extent that Diego Maradona (yes, him again) took him the World Cup in South Africa so that he could train with the squad.

Directly after this, there was a contract dispute at club level which led to him spending a few months with Quilmes in his [ahem] native Argentina. The legal wrangling however, prevented him from playing a game in the local league and in January 2011 he announced that he’d signed a pre-contract agreement with FC Porto, effective from July. In the meantime, he returned to play for his previous employers in Paraguay where he helped them to a surprise semi-final.

His incorporation into the national setup also suggests a shift towards a pragmatism from the AFA (Asociación de Futbol Argentino), whereas they’ve seen plenty of Argentinean players defecting to other countries in recent years at international level: including Lucas Barrios, Mauro Camoranesi and Guillermo Franco, they’ve pulled out all the stops to get a Paraguayan winger on board.

At just 18, it is impossible to say whether Iturbe will ever match the ability of Messi or Maradona, but if he does then who is to say that we won’t be talking about “the New Iturbe” in years to come?

Goalkeeping blunders & the Paraguayan Roberto Carlos

2011-03-15T15:43:00Z

Not for a month have we had reason to talk about goalkeepers. There’s been the a mistake here and there, the odd flap, the occasional shove or misreading of a situation, but not since Javier García’s misfortune in goal for Boca on day one of the 2011 Clausura has the debate focused on the number ones. When you have Riquelme and Messi, what else do you need to talk about, right?

This weekend changed all that.

First up came Leandro Chichizola, guardian of the River Plate goal in the absence of the injured Juan Pablo Carrizo. By rights Daniel Vega should have been the replacement, but coach JJ Lopez saw something in the 20 year old in pre-season and, even with a mistake in the ‘friendly’ superclásico with Boca, stuck by Chichi.

His faith was paid back with interest. River made their best defensive start to a season in 15 years. Chichizola set a new record as the first debutant keeper to not concede in his first four games in over 20 years.

But then came Vélez. The sight of the brawny, shiny-headed Santiago Silva bearing down on you would put the fear into most, but the pass back from Alexis Ferrero was straightforward, well placed and not too heavy.

"It is the kind of mistake every keeper makes once in his career," legendary stopper Amadeo Carrizo said shortly after the blooper. Unfortunately for Chichi it came right at the beginning of his career.

The situation for Emanuel Trípodi at Quilmes is somewhat different. A journeyman pro who spent most of the last decade in the second division and had spent the past four months on the Brewer’s bench. But after four defeats, the sub-editors’ favourite Ricardo Caruso Lombardi replaced Leo Madelón in the dugout and installed Trípodi as his keeper.

With Quilmes bottom of the relegation table and Huracán two spots above them, Monday night’s clash between the two was the very definition of a six-pointer.

Nervy play from both had the game in a predictable stalemate with just five minutes to go to the break, until Gastón Machín produced one of those kicks of the ball that is neither a pass, a cross, a shot nor an idea, it is simply a kick. As it rolled harmlessly across the area there was in all likelihood a puffed cheek or expletive up in the stand.

That was until Trípodi palmed the ball away to the waiting Roly Zarate – number 3 of the 4-brother clan, and Huracán took the lead.

Elsewhere…

Racing

The Academy hit another four and are league leaders after five rounds, meaning that many have already crowned them champions. There’s still a long way to go, but the tournament is named after the former president Néstor Kirchner, a Racing fan, so maybe it’s in the stars…

The Paraguayan Roberto Carlos

Boca lost the clásico with San Lorenzo to a wonderful strike from Aureliano Torres, which had scribes across the nation tapping into YouTube to try to work out which Roberto Carlos goal it was like. Why? He hit it with his left foot, it was from range and it had a bit of swerve on it. Take your pick.

Independiente Crisis Watch

The catastrophe is far from over, but at least all those at El Rojo have put distance between themselves and an all-time club negative record. First win in 14 matches takes the heat off…for a week.

Results Olimpo 1-0 All Boys, Tigre 1-2 Banfield, Lanús 0-0 Gimnasia, San Lorenzo 1-0 Boca, Argentinos 1-0 Arsenal, Estudiantes 0-1 Godoy Cruz, Colón 0-4 Racing, River 1-2 Vélez, Huracán 2-1 Quilmes, Independiente 4-0 Newell’s.

Independiente in Red Hell

2011-03-11T14:00:00Z

As if the team heading towards a historic negative league record - with players in the firing line, an unfinished stadium, conceding nine goals in a week and the highly popular coach arguing with journalists live on TV - wasn’t bad enough, the situation at Independiente managed to deteriorate even further this week.

‘Aldrete and Independiente president accused in PAMI fraud’ wrote Clarín on Thursday.

PAMI is the Argentine pensioners’ social services. Victor Aldrete, the former president of the institution, is accused of defrauding the state, with the insurance company El Surco, which Independiente president Julio Comparada is the owner of, allegedly complicit in the operation.

Comparada released a statement in which he says he is appealing, and that he ‘had nothing to do with the contract nor with the negotiation.’

But whatever happens regarding the case, there will be plenty of scope for wisecracks from other teams in the coming weeks. The alleged fraud involves funeral services.

Independiente may not be dead and buried but they are experiencing something pretty close to, as one website dedicated to covering the club calls itself, Red Hell.

Godoy Cruz extended the miserable week for the club on Thursday, with a 3-1 defeat of El Rojo in the Copa Libertadores, but that is by no means is the end of the suffering.

Although it was the second game in the South American Champions’ League in which Independiente conceded three, come the final day of this weekend’s round 5 on Monday, there could be an altogether more disastrous situation.

In between the defeats away to Liga de Quito and then at home to Godoy Cruz came a lacklustre 3-0 defeat away to Arsenal. It was the 13th league match without a win.

The club’s longest run without a victory was back in 2002, when the side failed to defeat 14 opponents. Anything other than at home to Newell’s will earn this team, the coach and all involved the unenviable reputation of levelling that record, plus spark the fear of setting a new record the following week away to Quilmes.

With just two goals in the last seven league games, and seven draws and six defeats in the last 13, there is little by way of hope for Independiente fans to cling on to.

Just back in December it was a different story.

The King of the Cups, as Independiente is known for its proud record as the club with the most Copa Libertadores in of all South American, won the Copa Sudamericana, the Europa League equivalent. It was their 16th international trophy and a magnificent achievement. It didn’t matter that their new stadium, loosely modelled on Old Trafford, was in truth nowhere near completion.

Snubbing Racing, who live 100 metres away, to the final Libertadores spot via the Sudamericana win was the cherry on top.

While the gloss of silverware glazed over the poor showing in the league, however, this season is a different matter. Bottom in the Libertadores group is of little concern compared to their league situation.

Because while River Plate have dominated the headlines when it comes to a big club facing relegation, Independiente’s poor run has them now level pegging with River in the relegation league table. And unlike River, Independiente are not churning out hard-fought draws or wins. They are not 3rd in the league. They are 19th.

Centre-forward Silvera hasn’t scored in 10. Goalkeeper Hilario is making mistakes – a rarity after his Sudamericana run heroics. Newboy Matías Defederico hasn’t settled in.

El Turco no se va they sang on Thursday, ‘The Turk is staying.’ In his debut in the Independiente dugout, Antonio Mohamed won the agitated clásico with Racing, endearing him to the supporters, but then took the side on the 13-match run without a defeat. And judging by the war of words he had with a journalist during a live TV interview, he is feeling the pressure.

Amid this situation, the question is very simple. Who can fix Independiente?

Round 5 Fixtures:
Friday: Olimpo-All Boys, Tigre-Banfield; Saturday: Lanús-Gimnasia, San Lorenzo-Boca, Argentinos-Arsenal; Sunday: Estudiantes-Godoy Cruz, Colón-Racing, River-Vélez; Monday: Huracán-Quilmes, Independiente-Newell’s

Viva Bichi Fuertes, the oldest gunslinger in town

2011-03-09T10:08:00Z

Minutes before River Plate kicked off against Argentinos Juniors, the radio confidently informed us that this weekend would be remembered in weeks, months, and perhaps even years to come as one of the best rounds of the season.

River and Argentinos, not to mention Vélez and Boca, proceeded to make a real fist of trying to take the sheen off from the other matches and drag us down with them in the process, but they failed.

While neither of the Big Two managed to find the net, and Vélez and Argentinos scraped up a single goal between them, it was up to the rest of the troops to provide the entertainment, and that they certainly did. There were 32 goals in the remaining eight games, making a tidy average of four per match.

In amongst the highlights were Racing taking a four-goal lead with 46 minutes on the clock, then finding their lead reduced to a single goal quarter of an hour later but holding on to win 4-3. Newells-Huracán was 3-2 at half-time. Banfield lead their clásico against Lanús with a solitary penalty – scored by their keeper – for 80 minutes, before winning 2-1.

Gimnasia lost 2-0 to Estudiantes in their derby despite having the entire stadium for their own supporters, while Quilmes played 10-man Tigre for 85 minutes and still lost, forcing Leo Madelón to step down. Arsenal simply put Independiente to the sword on Monday night.

But in amongst the various headlines battling for prominence and pixels after this weekend was one man. The Legend. To have stolen the "he should have a film made about him" sentiment – usually reserved for Martín Palermo articles – should offer some sort of an idea of the scale of achievement we are looking at here.

A single touch took him away from the centre circle before Esteban ‘Bichi’ Fuertes, born in 1972, hit it. Approximately as many yards out as years he has been on this planet, it simply rocketed in. Golazo.

NB Bichi's goal starts at 58 seconds

At 38, Mr Fuertes is the older of the veterans in the Argentine league. Level pegging with Rolando Schiavi, senior to messrs Palermo, Almeyda, Verón, Ortega and company, he is nonetheless the league’s top scorer with five goals in four games – none of which have come from the penalty spot. There was the poor defending on one freekick against Quilmes in week one, but otherwise Bichi is still powering, poaching and heading Colón ahead in their strong start to the campaign.

Viva Bichi Fuertes.

RESULTS All Boys 0-3 San Lorenzo, Gimnasia 0-2 Estudiantes, Newell’s 3-3 Huracán, Racing 4-3 Olimpo, Godoy Cruz 2-3 Colón, Banfield 2-1 Lanús, River 0-0 Argentinos, Quilmes 1-2 Tigre, Vélez 1-0 Boca, Arsenal 3-0 Independiente

Drunk fans, dreadful pitches & U2 - it's the clásico of the clásicos

2011-03-04T15:18:00Z

Huge, beautiful, brand-spanking new stadium? Check. Ageing club legend with a point to prove? Check, twice. Figure of one team’s hate sitting in the dugout? Check. Possibility of a historic defeat? Again, check.

However, despite ticking all the right boxes, there is a slight sinking feeling about the La Plata derby. It might not quite be the spectacle everyone – at least everyone with vaguely neutral tendencies – is hoping for.

The Estadio Unico is a fantastic stadium. Built as the centrepiece for the Copa America, it was unveiled recently to much fanfare. With an capacity of approximately 53,000, it is one of the only South American stadiums with a retractable roof and, unlike most of its Argentine cousins, it is not possible to find a piece of crumbling rock when you feel like launching a projectile.

There are two problems to it hosting the local clásico, however.

First is that given the febrile nature of the derby, the authorities have taken the no-nonsense approach to dealing with problems created when you mix in together tens of thousands of foaming-at-the-mouth, intoxicated supporters who sing songs about killing the ones at the other end of the stadium. The home side gets to take their fans. The away side doesn’t.

So while the Estadio Unico is brand new, it will be half empty for the city’s number one club football match. Gimnasia fans will be there. Estudiantes’ won’t. U2, on the other hand, will pack the place out next month.

The other problem is the pitch. ‘It is in a dreadful state,’ complained Gimnasia keeper Gastón Sessa this week, ‘which is a real shame for all the people who worked so hard to finish this wonderful stadium. But the pitch doesn’t help our style of play.’ Wembley, anybody?

With Gimnasia staving off relegation, you’d be forgiven for incorrectly expecting them to employ a kick-and-rush game plan to eek out results, but you’d be wrong.

The club brought in Ángel Cappa, the last of the Mohicans when it comes to preserving faith in patient passing football and practising what he preaches. The pitch won’t favour his side. And comments from Cappa about Estudiantes traditionally brusque and route uno football when he was in charge at River didn’t go down too well, particularly with Juan Sebastián Verón. Fortunately for Cappa, there will be no Estudiantes supporters to hurl abuse at him.

There may even be no Verón to growl at him from afar. Having twisted his ankle in training Verón is in this weekend’s squad, but is said to be doubtful to feature in the derby. Gimnasia aren’t believing a word of it and fully expect the Little Witch to run out with the captain’s armband.

If he does not, it will deprive the clásico of one further element – the duel of the legends.

The Verón dynasty is well-known at Estudiantes and has featured in this blog several times before.

This season there is also the Barros Schelotto Factor at Gimnasia. After forming part of the most successful Boca sides in history, Guillermo head off to the US to end his career. Returning from MLS with a fist full of stats (57 assists in 118 games!) he fully expected to retire and think about coaching.

With the club he started out at facing relegation however, he was persuaded to give it six more months. The financial situation at the club is so dire that he is playing for free. He himself claims he is there as much to help out behind the scenes, but he has played all three games so far this season and is vital for the side up front.

More than any game this season, Barros Schelotto will want to win the clásico. Verón always takes more pleasure from beating the city rivals than River, Boca or Vélez.

And while Gimnasia will fancy their chances – and it would be a historic win if they beat Estudiantes – for the away side the 7-0 win under Diego Simeone is still fresh enough in the memory to be the centre of most jokes.

FIXTURES Friday All Boys v San Lorenzo Saturday Gimnasia v Estudiantes, Newell’s v Huracán, Racing v Olimpo Sunday Godoy Cruz v Colón, Banfield v Lanús, River v Argentinos, Quilmes-Tigre, Vélez v Boca Monday Arsenal v Independiente.

Meet the team who might win the title and be relegated

2011-03-02T12:56:00Z

Matchday 3 results: Olimpo 3-3 Godoy Cruz, Colón 1-3 Gimnasia, Lanús 2-1 Quilmes, San Lorenzo 1-2 Racing, Boca 0-0 All Boys, Estudiantes 0-1 Banfield, Argentinos 1-1 Vélez, Independiente 0-1 River, Huracán 1-1 Arsenal, Tigre 1-0 Newell’s

Winning the Carling Cup and going down is, frankly, small fry in comparison. Anyone can poach on a centre-back’s blunder, having played the underdog card well, closed down for 90 minutes and then take the silverware home, qualify for European football, but go down in the same season.

No, here comes the trump card. It's one of the delightful idiosyncrasies of Argentina, where relegation spots are worked out over an average of the last three years, that it's possible to be fighting off relegation and challenge for the league title at the same time.

Looking through the history books, one side of the story about how River Plate and Olimpo are top of the Clausura, but battling at the wrong end of the relegation averages, makes sense.

River Plate, with their 33 league titles, should be challenging for the title. And Olimpo, as a Newly Promoted Side with a modest three second division titles, were expected to be the whipping boys (NPSs always struggle to stay up). The two sides have copied each other, morphed and become a confusing amalgamation of each other.

River are struggling as they still pay the price for a shocking campaign when Diego Simeone was in charge. While the three-year rule saved them from relegation back in 2007, it also condemned Los Millonarios to misery for the next three.

A cagey debut away to Tigre with essentially seven defenders resulted in the predictable scoreless 90 minutes, but steadied the boat after the club had been roundly mocked for their tepid foray into the transfer market – a solitary free transfer.

They they defeated Huracán 2-0 in a six-pointer on home soil before travelling to Independiente just last weekend. A more conservative second half resulted in less entertainment, but Mariano ‘The Tank’ Pavone, or ‘The Spartan’ as Matías Almeyda re-baptised him, pounced to win all three points from the clásico in the 88th minute.

For their part, Olimpo finished 17th in the Apertura just a couple of months ago. As they only just came up, they don’t have the help or hindrance of previous seasons’ points tally to come into play, but their poor opening season left them in the direct relegation spot.

This campaign, however, they started off with a brilliant and unexpected win against Banfield before their own six-pointer, at Gimnasia. Weathering the storm, metaphorically and physically, in the first half, the southerners delighted their 50-odd travelling fans after half-time with three goals and all three points.

At the weekend, home to Godoy Cruz, they took a two-goal lead, squandered it and were trailing 2-3, only to score the equaliser with 93:32 on the clock. Godoy Cruz’s complaints that the goal was offside and that they played 32 seconds too long were fully justified but totally ignored.

So it is that River and Olimpo head the pack, but have other concerns. River are nine points from the danger zone, so a top-six finish should see them clear, but they are the nearest name to the four relegation spots.

Olimpo, meanwhile, have a different proposition altogether. They are in the relegation play-off position, but are River’s nine points from saftey. Even if they stay top of the table till the very end of the season, if the teams around them and directly above them fare well, they could still face the relegation battle come June, and of course go down. As champions. That's Argentina.

Special mention of the week: Teófilo Gutierrez (Racing) – The Colombian new boy undid his good work of a brace, helping the Academy win the clásico with San Lorenzo, by going on Sunday night TV and declaring himself a River Plate fan.

Falcioni gambles his own Boca future by axing ever-popular Riquelme

2011-02-25T15:15:00Z

"I don’t give explanations," was all Julio César Falcioni was willing to offer. "It’s not a tactical question, it’s to do with how the team operates," he added, before stating that the side that he had chosen was the ‘best’ team he could field.

To the devotees, to the fundamentalists, to the believers and definitely to the group that met at Buenos Aires’ phallic landmark The Obelisk on Wednesday to kick up a fuss in the centre of town and show support for their idol, the idea that the ‘best’ Boca team does not include Juan Román Riquelme is heresy.

By excluding him from the squad - not just the starting eleven, but the squad - Falcioni is the first coach to leave out a fully-fit Riquelme. "I don’t agree with the decision," muttered the dropped number 10.

It is a decision that will define Falcioni’s reign at the Bombonera and, therefore, define Riquelme’s future.

Just two matches into the Clausura, the Boca coach has taken on the biggest fight of all, against the star player, against the fans’ favourite, against members of the board. It is an enormous gamble.

A distilled reading of what has happened so far goes like this: on his debut at the Bombonera, Falcioni lined up with Riquelme, and the team lost 4-1 to Godoy Cruz. It was a historic thrashing. The following week, without Riquelme, the team won away to Racing, 1-0.

Julio César Falcioni - he seems...fun

But beyond pure resultadismo, there is more going on. Against Godoy Cruz, playing just behind Riquelme was Walter Erviti, a creative and thoughtful passing midfielder who operates best slightly deeper than Riquelme, but whose function in his teams (before moving to Boca on the insistence of Falcioni) has always been similar to Riquelme’s.

The side made several chances, and bad luck and poor finishing conspired against Boca. At the other end the team leaked chances, and together with a nervy performance in goal by Javier García, they conceded four.

The following week against Racing they won, but neither Erviti nor Riquelme played. Boca created nothing. The only goal came after Javier García, back on form, held on to the ball for 10 seconds, much to the disgruntlement of Racing fans, and then thumped the ball forward. One bounce took the ball to Pablo Mouche, who was left unmarked and finished well.

It wasn’t so much route one as route zero (Riquelme, as Jorge Valdano once commentated, prefers to take the longest route possible).

Falcioni has form in dropping big name players from his spell in charge both at Vélez and Independiente, but as one radio announcer delicately put it during an interview with Riquelme after the news broke that he had been dropped, ‘who has got the testicles to put Riquelme on the bench?’ If Boca don’t find their stride quickly on Saturday against All Boys, Falcioni is in for a rough ride in front of the home fans.

All of this plays out in the context of a wider battle at Boca, within which Riquelme-gate is just one of the various plots, albeit one of the central ones, interweaving with other stories of power struggles. Riquelme’s contract extension split the board down the middle. Handing him an expensive four-year contract with his history of injuries was too much according to some.

The fact that the club then brought in a stern coach who doesn’t like to play with a classic enganche is, as Ariel Greco put it in Página/12, "like a top end restaurant bringing in a cook who only flips burgers because he overcooks the sweetbread."

And beyond the decision to bring in a conservative-minded coach while renewing the contract of the star player whose characteristics essentially demands building a team around him, rest several other problems.

Last week directors had to publicly refute reports that punches were thrown during a board meeting. Whether there were punches or not, the fact they have to deny those reports speaks volumes of the current climate in the boardroom. And things aren't looking much cooler in the dressing room either…

FIXTURES Friday Olimpo v Godoy Cruz, Colón v Gimnasia Saturday Lanús v Quilmes, San Lorenzo v Racing, Boca v All Boys Sunday Estudiantes v Banfield, Argentinos v Vélez, Independiente v River Monday Huracán v Arsenal, Tigre v Newell’s

Clausura Team of the Week: The defender with his finger on the trigger

2011-02-22T16:26:00Z

Our man in Argentina, Joel Richards, gives us his 'Team of the Week' for the second round of the 2011 Clausura, in a 2-5-3 formation - well, why not...?

GK Laureano Tombolini (Olimpo)
It is pushing it a bit to describe the keeper’s display against Gimnasia as ‘world class,’ but that is exactly what the pundits did. Plenty of shot stopping in the first half somehow kept Olimpo in the game at the break, and in the second half they went on to win it.

DF Gabriel Mercado (Estudiantes)
With something of the Mark Viduka about him, the Estudiantes right back is showing its not just facial shape that he shares with the Australian Croat – if we take the Viduka from his Leeds heyday. Last week he finished with a clever chip to score, this week it was a strong turn to beat his man with a killer finish.

DF Pablo Fontanello (Gimnasia)
‘Gimnasia defend with one hand holding a colt 45 in its mouth, with the other hand on the trigger,’ said one particularly irate local journalist after Gimnasia’s defeat to Olimpo. Everybody knew who he was talking about. Olé gave him 2.5 out of 10. Day to forget for the centre back.

MF Paulo Ferrari (River Plate)
Perhaps nobody should be allowed in the team of the week for a strong performance if that performance is against Huracán, who offer something between little and no opposition at the moment. Ferrari makes the grade, however, not least for his diving header to secure the points for River Plate.

MF Martin Rolle (Olimpo)
The architect of Gimnasia’s demise, was Mr. Rolle. His scooped shot bounced of the bar and dropped for his teammate to finish Olimpo’s second, but he made up for the miss with a brilliant freekick for the third.

MF Sebastián Grazzini (All Boys)
According to those at Racing, Grazzini ‘lives injured.’ It must be all the more disappointing then to have sold the midfielder, and to see him orchestrating much of All Boys’ football week in week out, and on weekends like the one just gone, scoring brilliant braces against Vélez.

MF Enzo Perez (Estudiantes)
Simply, the best player in the league right now. No argument.

MF Diego Rivero (Boca Juniors)
Team selection is causing something of a headache at Boca right now. Should Riquelme be in the side? Go with a playmaker, or stick to a straightforward flat midfield four? Rivero made Julio Falcioni’s job considerably easier, at least for a week, by earning himself a rather unnecessary red card – the 13th of his career.

FW Emanuel Gigliotti (All Boys)
He came on with 10 minutes left to play, but still managed to get an early shower in after making Maxi Moralez look like a crash test dummy after plowing into the Vélez forward.

FW Cristián Fabianni (All Boys)
Famous for including himself in the list of examples when he said ‘the fatties are the best ones’ and then going on to name Brazilian Ronaldo and a few other plump forwards, Fabianni is enormous. At the minute, his fitness is up and he set up both of Grazzini’s goal, the second after textbook holding-the-ball-up – with three defenders trying to get around him.

FW Mariano Pavone (River Plate)
Non-goalscoring centre forwards don’t tend to do it for fans, coaches, or bloggers. The Tank is the exception however, having become something of a cult figure since moving to River and having a hand, just as Fabianni did, in both of his side's goals.

Coach: José Romero (All Boys)
They are neighbours, but it’s hardly a clásico. That is how little All Boys have played Vélez, making the underdogs victory all the sweeter.

Results Gimnasia 1-3, Banfield 1-1 Colón, Argentinos 0-0 Independiente, Newell’s 2-1 Lanús, Vélez 1-2 All Boys, Racing 0-1 Boca, Quilmes 0-1 Estudiantes, River 2-0 Huracán, Arsenal 2-0 Tigre, Godoy Cruz 0-2 San Lorenzo

The Blood-Baiting, blind-eyed genocidal weekend preview

2011-02-18T09:30:00Z

Last weekend’s action in Argentina was closer to battles in the Coliseum during the Roman empire rather than a set of football matches in the 21st century.

The gladiators went into combat with full-blooded zeal, there was blood, there were tears, there were fights, and of course there were casualties. Check out Olé’s compendium of the weekend’s foul play – replete with highly objectionable sound effects - to put yourself in the zone.

Then take a look at All Boys’ persecution of Racing’s Gio Moreno.

It is important to add here that in amongst the aftermath of this match, All Boys fans are furious that none of Racing’s tough tackles were included in any of the ‘highlights’ packages.

Anyway. After the game the All Boys coach, Pepe Romero, reprimanded his men for their physical approach. But this was before the news that Gio Moreno will miss the next 6-8 months through an injury picked up in the game.

Cue screen grabs, 24 hour sports channels wall to wall coverage, and an explosion on YouTube and Twitter.

Few people had forgotten the elbow that Hugo Barrientos landed on Rubén Ramírez’ face towards the end of last campaign. But when Barrientos then kicked Gio Moreno all game long last weekend, and Gio then kicked back in retaliation - putting himself out of action for up to eight months in the process - we were all reminded of that elbow, of what an evil being Barrientos is, how he should be banished from the country… and then some.

There are several layers of bad news from Giogate. First, is that there is no remorse – from anyone. Certainly not from Barrientos, who refuses to admit that he lead All Boys’ efforts to hack Moreno out of the match.

Nor was there condemnation from Barrientos’ team mates either. ‘It’s not as if he committed genocide, is it?’ responded All Boys keeper Nicolás Cambiasso when asked for his opinion.

The match referee says he gave nine yellow (!) cards, so he did his part. He also claims that he didn’t see many of the fouls, adding that Gio and Barrientos were winding each other up all match long (subtext: Gio had it coming).

Racing fans are up in arms, as they lose their best player for the whole season. Colombians lose their player for the Copa America. Racing say they are considering taking legal action.

Barrientos, meanwhile, also says he is considering legal action - against a number of journalists for inciting violence against him. He says his children received death threats.

Fans, meanwhile, lost all sense of proportion. All Boys say the others should stop crying, in no way admitting their team’s responsibility in all this. Racing fans meanwhile published where Barrientos lives on forums and announced protests at AFA, at Barrientos’ house, on the corner of their block…
The real problem here is why Gio Moreno was injured, and in this, there are three culprits.

First are clearly the players themselves, who choose to try and kick their most talented opponents out of games, flagrantly ignoring anything resembling a code of conduct amongst fellow professionals.

Second there is the refereeing. If there a message sent out that violent foul play is not accepted – done by sending players off – it stops. But that message is never sent (curiously, it was the same referee who failed to protect Gio Moreno as the one who didn’t see Barrientos’ elbow on Ramírez).

The third culprit is the one party in all this who will never, ever, accept responsibility. The supporters.

No fan who has ever sung at matches demanding their players pongan más huevo’ – ‘put more balls into it’ – can complain when one of their own players is injured. Demanding more guts, more balls, more macho footballers, (while at the same time crucifying your club’s own players who do not demonstrably put in heavier challenges) means there is only one possible outcome.

The culture of más huevo, of winning ‘whatever it takes’, together with the permissive refereeing standards is what injured Gio Moreno, together with his own reaction. Singling out one player for a witch-hunt achieves nothing.

But fear not. Hugo Barrientos won’t play this weekend. He picked up his fifth yellow card against Racing, so sits this one out.

FIXTURES Friday Gimnasia v Olimpo, Banfield v Colón Saturday Argentinos v Independiente, Newell’s v Lanús, Vélez v All Boys, Racing v Boca Sunday Quilmes v Estudiantes, River-Huracán Monday Arsenal v Tigre, Godoy Cruz v San Lorenzo

Clausura Team of the Week: García's howler and Vega's rocket

2011-02-15T11:48:00Z

Weekend rounds ups will be taking the form of Team of the Week this season, but don’t go thinking that it’ll make it a love-in with the great and the good –the weekends winners and, where necessary, losers, will feature in equal measure. And don’t expect tactical orthodoxy every week...

Round 1: (3-4-1-2)

GK: Javier García (Boca Juniors)
Having spent millions of pesos both in this recent close season and the one before that, Boca were declared title favourites going into the Clausura. Losing 4-1 at home on day one hasn’t totally derailed that ambition, but certainly doesn’t feature in the script either. García’s howler with 13 minutes on the clock allowed Godoy Cruz to score the first. He repeated the mistake minutes later, but that goal was ruled out for offside. He still went on to concede three more. Ouch.

LCB: Juan Manuel Díaz (River Plate)
River fielded a side against Tigre dressed up as a 3-4-2-1, that was in reality a 5-2-2-1, and that in terms of players’ mentality was essentially a 7-0-2-1. Díaz fulfilled his role on the left with the adequate level of attacking ambition, which is to say very little, but what about that a handball in the area in the closing minutes? Hmmm?

CB: Rolando Schiavi (Newell’s Old Boys)
Getting tapped up by your former club hours – not days, hours – before starting the new campaign understandably unsettles a player trying to tune in for the big kick off. Boca’s advances may explain Rolo Schiavi’s opening half an hour against Estudiantes, which culminated in a tug on the shirt and the resultant penalty. Fortunately for El Flaco, ‘La Gata’ Fernandez failed from 12 yards.

RCB: Gabriel Mercado (Estudiantes)
A striker’s finish from the Pincha right back, after just 23 minutes, doubled the champion’s lead against Newell’s. The rout that looked on the cards didn’t materialise, and Mercado’s goal ended up separating the two.

CM: Néstor Ortigoza (San Lorenzo)
Hunched, hyperactive, bossy and with pinpoint accuracy on 60 metre passes… Ortigoza is a superb mdifielder. Perhaps in Europe he wouldn’t be such a standout player… but he’s not playing in Europe. In Argentina, he is one of the best midfielders around and he put in another top class performance this weekend, this time on his debut for San Lorenzo.

CM: Hugo Barrientos (All Boys)
Mala leche. Bad milk. That was the verdict on All Boys’ midfielder performance after his treatment of Gio Moreno. Together with the incident when his elbow opening up Rubén Ramírez’ face just a couple of months ago, Barrientos is not flavour of the month over Argentina.

LM: David Vega (Olimpo)
Wayne Who? Ok, not quite, but Vega’s rocket for Olimpo’s equaliser, and which put them on the way to taking all the points, was the goal of the weekend (twelve seconds into the below video).

RM: Enzo Perez (Estudiantes)
One of Alex Sabella’s last actions as Estudiantes coach was to refuse Perez permission to go and play for Argentina in midweek. As a result, Toto Berizzo, Sabella’s replacement, now owes his predecessor a drink or four after the midfielder’s display. Enzo, meanwhile, needn’t worry about his international career – another call up won’t take long in coming.

AM: Mauro Camoranesi (Lanús)
The Italian World Cup winner’s first contribution to his new team was to commit the foul that allowed Arsenal to level the match via a brilliant freekick. He more than made up for it, though, with a delightful chipped pass to set up the Granate’s second against Arsenal.

CF: Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Gimnasia)
‘Of course it was a penalty’ said The Twin, running away from his interviewer to avoid breaking into a complicit grin in full view of the camera. Melli won, in every sense of the word, the penalty that earned his side a valuable point. Yes, he went down easily, but Matías Gimenez should have though twice about putting his foot in when he had no hope of getting anywhere near the ball.

CF: Bichi Fuertes (Colón)
38 years young, Bichi had a stroke of luck with his first goal from the set piece as it took an enormous deflection on the way through. The second was as text book a set piece as they come, curling it through the space left by his team mate in the Quilmes wall.

Coach: Jorge Da Silva (Godoy Cruz) As coaching debuts go, winning 4-1 away at the Bombonera is up there with the best of them.

RESULTS Independiente 2-2 Vélez, Estudiantes 2-1 Newell’s, Olimpo 2-1 Banfield, San Lorenzo 1-1 Gimnasia, Colón 2-0 Quilmes, All Boys 0-1 Racing, Boca 1-4 Godoy Cruz, Tigre 0-0 River, Lanús 3–1 Arsenal, Huracán 1-1 Argentinos.

Clausura 2011 Preview: Riquelme's fitness the key for Boca

2011-02-11T11:30:00Z

It’s Friday. It’s February. There’s a Tory government in power and there’s a royal wedding just around the corner. Perhaps it is difficult to engross oneself in the delicious nuances of a far away league which is hours from kicking off, but that shouldn’t stop you...

The Argentine league is about to get under way with its usual array of greying legends and Juventus/Milan/Manchester United/Real Madrid/Barcelona–targeted wunderkids filling up the ranks. There’s even an Italian World Cup winner knocking about this season.

The 2011 Clausura - The Nestor Kirchner Clausura, to be precise - begins today with renewed faith and optimism in the local game, despite what was – and don’t just quote this blog on this one, nobody else does – a rather poor Apertura.

Title Race

The Copa Libertadores is already under way, raising the stakes for those in continental competition – step forward Estudiantes, Vélez, Argentinos Juniors, Godoy Cruz and Independiente. The drain of a serious challenge for the South American Champions League title (more 30 hour round trips and midweek action) may well hinder these clubs’ chances of domestic league glory.

In come Boca, who have appointed the most serious coach around, Julio Falcioni, and have bolstered their playing staff too, having brought in the midfield trio of Walter Erviti (Banfield), Leandro Somoza (Vélez) and Diego Rivero (San Lorenzo). More importantly, Riquelme is back from injury. If he stays fit, the title will end up at the Bombonera. Well, that is what the man himself promised the board.

Julio Falcioni - Boca's happy-go-lucky new coach

Relegation battle

Barring miracles, and judging by the Apertura there’s not one on the horizon, Olimpo and Quilmes will occupy the two direct relegation spots at the end of the campaign. Then it is up to Huracán and Gimnasia to claw their way out of the relegation playoff spots, needing to catch River or Tigre to do so.

If the presidenta’s team, Gimnasia, do escape, it will be one of the stories of the season. The Establishment’s hate figure, Ángel Cappa, is directing affairs from the dugout, and Guillermo Barros Schelotto is playing for free and playing well into his retirement years to try and save the club from the drop.

Eye Candy

David Ramírez is the best player in the country according to Riquelme, making that a good enough reference for this blog. Now, Ramírez joined Vélez in the close season, and should coach Richard ‘The Tiger’ Gareca so choose, he could form part of an attack that will make opposing defences tremble.

Imagine Ramírez pulling the strings from midfield, centre forward Santiago Silva growling at the centre backs, and Juan Manuel Martínez and Maxi Moralez scurrying around causing havoc… Sí señor.

With a Point to Prove

While Catania appear to be trying to buy every player who ever looked at Argentina on the map, let alone possesses an Argentine passport, they did let one go. Pablo Barrientos joined Estudiantes and after hardly setting Europe alight, so will be out to show just what the Sicilians missed out on.

The same goes for Franco Zuculini who returns to Argentina approximately 14 years too early. Spells at Hoffenheim and Genoa didn’t work out for the talented young midfielder, but a good season at Racing and no doubt he’ll be back in Europe soon.

Elsewhere, Matias Defederico will also be looking to put his career back on track at Independiente after a disappointing time in Brazil with Corinthians, but the real phoenix could well be the Little Donkey, Ariel Ortega. Booted out of River Plate, All Boys welcomed him with open arms – we’ll wait and see if he can deliver a final flourish to his career.

Poor Millionaires

The transfer market has been busy, but the millonarios have been the quietest of the lot. River Plate are broke. Actually, it’s far worse than that. They are on the brink – and not just with the banks. They brought in just one player on a free transfer, despite promises of several players from River’s more glorious recent past. They also jettisoned Ortega. All things considered, the Apertura was a good season, but failure to repeat those results could make for one of Argentine football’s biggest club stories in decades, come the end of the season.

FIXTURES Friday Estudiantes v Newell’s, Independiente v Vélez Saturday Olimpo v Banfield, San Lorenzo v Gimnasia, Colón v Quilmes Sunday All Boys v Racing, Boca v Godoy Cruz, Tigre v River Monday Lanús v Arsenal, Huracán v Argentinos

Neymar and Ronaldo both come under fire from a Messi gun show

2011-02-09T13:54:00Z

It takes a creative mind to imagine either of them producing a Ron Burgundy kiss-the-guns routine after yet another match-winning display, but this week is the perfect opportunity for the Messis to prove just who is running the show.

First up came The Paraguayan Messi, the name by which we are obliged to call the Argentina’s starlet Juan Iturbe.

The albiceleste under-20s are currently battling out World Championship and Olympic qualification in Peru and, frankly, making something of a hash of it.

Despite a number of talented players in the squad and the official line from the coaching department that they are trying to instil a Barcelona-style philosophy both at youth and full international level, the youngsters are still some way from impressing.

However the issue of how the side is playing was left as something of a footnote on Monday morning. The papers, portals and presenters instead revelled in headlines which ranged in tone, but all essentially carried the same message. IN YOUR FACE, BRAZIL!

The Young Samba Boys had looked by far the strongest of the sides in Peru, and also boasted the best player of the tournament, the formidable Santos striker Neymar.

Yet Argentina, aided by a seventh minute red card to Juan and subsequent penalty, won the clásico. The winner came from Iturbe - another brilliant goal, this one even closer to copying Messi than his previous golazo in the tournament.

Iturbe had stolen the headlines from Neymar (and predictably set off the rumours about Manchester United’s interest).

One explosive, complete, gifted, moody, Portuguese-speaking and questionably-coiffed villain down, one more to go.

While the under-20s have another derby today, with Uruguay, the real showdown is Messi against Ronaldo.

It is utterly futile pretending that Argentina against Portugal is not a battle of the two. ‘Messi and Ronaldo steal the show’ say La Nación. Olé reckon it is ‘Star Wars’.

While there has been some other issues to argue about – Tevez left out as a punishment being one of them, not to mention an eyebrow-raising squad selection – it is the duel between the Barcelona and Real Madrid forwards that has everyone talking.

In Spain, the battle has been taken on an extraordinary dimension, with La Liga Loca’s favoured morning read, Marca, even resorting to lying over the number of goals each player has scored.

But while we argue about stats, who contributes more to the team, whose style we prefer, or who has a more agreeable personality, the international friendly in Switzerland is possibly a far better test than their club form.

Of course, the fixture lacks the tension of a Barca/Madrid summit meeting as it is merely a friendly, but both players being removed from the context of their respective clubs certainly makes things a little more tasty. The argument sustained by CR9 lovers is that Messi fits into a system at Barcelona, and so his goals are served up on a plate. With Xavi and Iniesta around him, who wouldn’t score all those goals?! (Bojan is the quick answer to that one.)

So while Argentina aim to regroup after the World Cup, as mentioned above, the official line is that Barcelona are the style of football they aspire to playing. As an idea, it is flawless, but the reality is somewhat different. Argentina may have thrashed a groggy Spain side in Buenos Aires 4-1 back in September, but it fooled nobody.

Argentina are still some way off playing the type of football Barcelona delight us with. So if Messi still produces a world-class performance, especially with Ronaldo down the other end of the pitch, then it is one more argument in favour of the flea – if anyone still needed it.

Not only that, it would add to a pretty special week for Argentina, and the Messis. Perhaps some gun-kissing would be in order.

Why Blackburn new boy Formica isn't 'the new Gabriel Batistuta'

2011-02-02T10:48:00Z

With Torres and Carroll dominating the headlines, several other transfers involving English clubs were largely ignored and exiled to the inner pages. There is, however, a fascinating aspect to one deal that finally went through on Monday.

Just what are Blackburn expecting from their new Argentinian, Mauro Formica? Now, FourFourTwo doesn’t employ certain investigative tactics used by some sectors of the British media, so cannot read a transcription of the conversations at Ewood Park regarding Formica. It is clear, however, that there was some confusion. Or doublespeak. Or bending of the truth.

As Blackburn’s interest in Formica emerged, Kean was out in front of the media describing the player as "the next Gabriel Batistuta". Perhaps Kean cannot, and should not, be expected to give a full detailed appraisal of every single player Blackburn are looking at. But it is someone’s job to know exactly who they were trying to buy, and exactly what type of player he is.

It’s not as if they were pushed into a last-day-of-the-transfer-window-deadline corner and forced to sign him. Formica’s move took weeks to complete. It was a footballing telenovela in all its glory that earned itself a twitter hashtag ‘The Cat’s Soap Opera’ as it slowly unravelled. Newell’s desperately needed to sell Formica to balance the books, but the saga ran on and on.

First The Cat was off to Galatasaray (to shorten a long story, we'll not name clubs that were only ‘interested’). Then he was in Genoa ready to sign, but according to Newell’s the Italians simply weren’t playing cricket over the deal.

Back training with Newell’s, Formica was then supposedly heading to Blackburn, on loan via Red Star Belgrade. But Formica himself wasn’t particularly pleased with that arrangement. Then Monaco stepped in, and were even said to have photos of their new man in the strip, before Blackburn struck up a new and improved deal with Newell’s taking him up to Lancashire with the paperwork finally going through on the final day of the transfer window.

Clearly, what with all the interest, Formica is highly rated and Blackburn rightly believe they have pulled off something of a coup, having signed one of the most exciting players from the Argentine league.

The only problem is that judging who they are likening Formica to, they seem to think they are signing a muscular 6ft 1in line-leading centre forward who scores every other game. In fact, they are buying a 5ft 9in creative midfielder who chips in with a goal every four games.

Comparisons are inevitable, especially when fans haven’t seen much of a player, as tends to be the case when they move from South America to Europe. Robinho was The Next Pele when he joined Real Madrid from Santos. We already have The Next Messi – he goes by the name of Juan Iturbe. The list of Next Maradonas is encyclopaedic in length.

But it's one thing comparing a player with a former great based on physique, their position or style, or even who their mentor as a youngster was. It's quite another to grab a name from the canon of greats based purely on nationality. Yes, both Formica and Batistuta are Argentine and yes, both started out at Newell’s Old Boys, but the similarities end there.

Formica works best in an advanced midfield role, perhaps even as a second striker at a push. He will perhaps enjoy being surrounded by players that do not expect him to win games alone, as essentially happened at Newell’s. But then working against him will be the pressure of fans’ expectation that he can immediately reproduce the form he showed in Argentina in a faster and stronger league.

There is no reason that Mauro Formica should not a success in the Premier League. Perhaps he will go onto achieve great things at Blackburn and in years to come we’ll be talking about the Next Formica. Just don’t be surprised if the Next Formica turns out to be a left-back.

Botox-free Palermo hits the right end of the spectrum as Boca beat River

2011-01-25T12:42:00Z

Juan Román Riquelme said it was marginally more important than a practise match for Boca. Matías Almeyda promised that River would be treating it as a cup final, but seconds later doubled back with ‘these games serve no purpose.’

Pre-season derbies are tricky. Technically speaking there is nothing at stake, but it is impossible for River and Boca to face each other without all sense of proportion being lost.

The players can try to play down the importance all they want. They may argue that there are no points for the taking. They may argue that the preseason has only just begun so we really can’t extrapolate from the results. There is no continental cup qualification riding on the outcome... But it is futile.

Knowing which of the two – fans or TV – hyped The Summer Tournaments in Argentina up into such a big deal is a bit of a chicken/egg conundrum. They just ‘are.’

More often that not, TV ratings are high. Depending on who is playing, there is also a good turn out of fans, helped by the fact that many games are played in seaside resorts. It doesn’t matter that the players are not ready for serious competition yet, nor that many teams are still planning on bringing in new faces. Baked-bean coloured TV presenters get the hype-machine rolling, the transfer tittle tattle continues in the background, and we are subjected to, in the most part, second string sides putting in third-rate performances.

The superclásico tends to raise the bar, however, not always in the quality of football on display but because of the very nature of the game. No match between River and Boca can fail to set pulses racing.

In this year’s first meeting between the two, the onus was largely on Boca. River haven’t really bought, haven’t really sold, and haven’t really changed a great deal since last season.

Boca have a new coach. Boca have big name transfer targets. Boca have new players. Boca have Riquelme waiting to return. It was up to Boca to make this game kick off.

Also, Boca were out for revenge. Last year in Mar del Plata, the seaside resort where these tournaments usually take place, the fixture put Alfio Basile out of work, and put River’s striker Gabriel Funes Mori on the map.

But while new Boca coach Julio Falcioni goes about moulding the side into a decent outfit, and while we wait for the return of Riquelme, it is still up to San Martín Palermo to deliver.

Palermo is getting so old that watching him alongside teenagers is rather like a real life Latin American version of the film Rocky Balboa, where the botoxed 50-something legend comes out of retirement to mix it with the kids.

Sure, there is no botox in Palermo (that is, as one fame-seeking doctor bizarrely alleged, another Argentine international…), but the grey hairs are showing through. At times his lack of mobility is chronic. At 37 years of age, just how can Martín Palermo be the star of one of the world’s biggest derbies?

‘He goes from comedy to tragedy too easily,’ wrote Horacio Garcia the following day in Olé, ‘from the ridiculous to the heroic. He himself recognises it, it is part of his very essence.’

That is Palermo in a nutshell. His performances can hit either end of the spectrum, and they do hit both ends of it.

Against River at the weekend, it was one of the displays that sends fans into delirium, and tees up irony-lacking headlines that suggest that Palermo should play into his 50s. He was sensational.

First there was an assist to put Boca 1-0 up. Then there was a trademark header, a brilliant goal to double the lead. Then there were the backheels. Then there was the 180 degree Zidane spin. Lucas Viatri, who must feel like he has been The Next Palermo for the last 48 years, clapped and laughed on the sideline. Was this really happening?

It was. Whether it will happen much more is a question we should all know the answer to. Palermo has few of these performances left. But the sight of a 37 year old Palermo spinning on a sixpence makes these preseason friendlies a whole lot more bearable.

El Americano and the Paraguayan Messi look to make the grade

2011-01-18T17:24:00Z

Five World Youth Championship titles between 1995 and 2007 lends weight to the widely held notion that Argentina is a never-ending conveyor belt of precocious talent.

Performances in those tournaments catapulted the likes of Lionel Messi, Javier Mascherano, Pablo Aimar, Esteban Cambiasso, Sergio Agüero, Mauro Zarate, Javier Saviola and many others into the glaring spotlight of interest from European clubs, newspaper and magazine profiles, sponsorship deals, vastly improved contracts and in many cases, big money transfers.

Not all of the youngsters, needless to say, made it to the top, but that is by the by. The under-20s are a source of immense pride for Argentine football.

The South American under-20 tournament kicked off in Peru at the weekend, with qualification for the World Youth Championship at stake. And while the focus is on making it to this year’s youth World Cup, this particular tournament is the chance for Argentina to set the record straight.

In the 2009 Under-20 South American Championship, they failed. With Sergio Batista, the man later appointed to replace Maradona with the full national side, in charge, they finished bottom of a six-team group and missed out on the World Youth Championship – the very same one they won on five occasions since 1995.

This debacle was largely hushed by the local press, but the ramifications and concerns did not go unnoticed. The pressure is on to improve this year, not least as they are without some of this generation’s most talented players including The River Plate Three – Erik Lamela, Manuel Lanzini and Roberto Pereyra.

Michael Hoyos looks surprised to score against Uruguay U20 on Sunday

Argentina began with a 2-1 win over Uruguay. Poor in the first half, the half time introduction of Boca’s Sergio Araujo and, particularly, Juan Iturbe vastly improved the team.

While the win settled early-tournament nerves, the way in which they won brought up something of a debate. The two goalscorers were, strictly speaking, not 100% Argentine.

In and around La Plata, Michael Hoyos is referred to as ‘El Americano.’ He was born in California, where his Argentine parents had moved to around 20 years ago. He quickly took to soccer. But a change in the family situation led to Hoyos moving to Argentina with his mother, his younger brother Kevin and his sister.

After earning a six month trial at Estudiantes upon returning to Argentina, both Michael and Kevin are now on the club’s wage bill, and Michael played an important part in winning the Apertura title win just last month.

But while Hoyos has the straight-forward choice of playing for the USA or Argentina, the situation surrounding Iturbe is considerably more blurred.

Born in Argentina to Paraguayan parents, the family returned to Asunción when Juan Iturbe was still very young.

Iturbe celebrates a goal of his very own against Uruguay

As a gifted 16 year old, he made his debut for Cerro Porteño, and was soon called up for the Paraguay under-16 and under-20s. He was fast tracked to the full national side by Gerardo Martino, playing played 17 minutes of a friendly against Chile. His characteristics – short, pacey, skilful, left-footed – led him to be dubbed the ‘Guaraní Messi’, or ‘The Paraguayan Messi.’

Interest from some of Europe’s top sides including Manchester United and Real Madrid ensued, and Cerro Porteño offered him a contract. Iturbe refused to sign.

In the middle of the conflict over several clauses of the contract on offer, Argentina stepped in. Iturbe went to Buenos Aires to train with the under-18s, and spent last season training with first division side Quilmes, although he never played for them. Technically, Iturbe does not have a club. It is thought Cerro will be paid a sum, up to $1m according to reports, for formation rights, and Iturbe may well move to Europe next summer after spending the next six months at Quilmes.

As for whether he is eligible to play for Argentina, lawyers have been forced to comb through the small print of the Paraguayan constitution – it states that citizens with dual nationality do not have to opt for one nation or the other till the age of 18. Iturbe is still 17. And although he scored against Argentina with the Paraguay youth teams, the full national side fixture he played in was not an official match.

Both Iturbe and Hoyos are highly regarded by AFA. The two of them went to the World Cup as part of a ‘sparring’ team for the full national side in South Africa, serving as a way to introduce them to the national team set up, and in a sense to warm them over to opting for Argentina.

Clearly, choosing Argentina over the USA or Paraguay is in itself a risk. Competition is greater and the chances of enjoying a successful international career are less clear-cut. Given their debut performance, perhaps that isn’t something they’ll have to worry about. What USA and Paraguay think, however, is a different matter altogether.

Little Donkey to team up with Shrek and co. after River 'sacking'

2011-01-14T09:30:00Z

Usually when an employee breaks the terms of contract with their employers and simply doesn’t show up for work, they are sacked. This is the case particularly when the number of non-appearances for duties moves into double figures, and all the more so when said skiver is nearing retirement.

Rarely are they shifted on to someone else for a few months (or even up to a year and a half) on the condition that they sign a brand new three-year contract.

Ariel Ortega’s sacking at River Plate was as run of the mill, and yet at the same as unorthodox a dismissal as they come.

The pre-season may be a predictable beast - naïve optimism, players back-stabbing loyal clubs, meaningless friendlies and the like. News that Ariel Ortega failed to turn up for Day One of River Plate’s pre-season simply added another par for course ingredient.

The difference this time was that The Burrito, Little Donkey, has pushed his luck too far. Ostensibly the decision came from coach JJ Lopez, although professional whisperers aren’t ruling out that the decision ultimately came from River Plate’s president, Daniel Passarella.

‘It was for the good of the team,’ López said after informing Ortega that he was surplus to requirements at the Monumental. ‘I had to look beyond the surname.’

Sacking Ortega is a delicate business. Along with Passarella, or Enzo Francescoli, or Ángel Labruna, he is one of the club’s greatest players. Six league titles and a Libertadores underwrite his brilliance on the pitch. Over the past couple of years, as the club slid into the murky waters of mediocrity and were on the verge of relegation, it has been ‘Ortega’ that fans chant as the teams come out, in the hope that he could rescue the club.

"The exit's that way is it? Well, see ya..."

His name was also the one River Plate fans sang while the team misfired and entered its downward spiral, while he was exiled out to Mendoza on Diego Simeone’s orders.

Episodes of Ortega’s ‘indiscipline’ are legendary and merely not turning up for training is certainly the least colourful of his misdemeanours off the pitch. Those in the know speak euphemistically of his ‘illness,’ and how he needs to be at an institution that deals with addiction rather than one that focuses on playing professional football.

So between them, the powers at River Plate decided they wouldn’t take any more. His no-show at the start of preseason was the excuse. In truth, 36 year old Ariel Ortega is no longer the player who can single-handedly turn River’s fortunes. He was largely ineffectual for the team last season and 70% of club members agreed with the decision to allow him leave.

Around £700,000 in unpaid wages and bonuses caused River Plate something of a headache when it came to sacking the 36-year-old. So too did the political ramifications of going down in history as the coach, or president, who let Ortega leave River.

Finally, they granted him the freedom to choose where he wanted to move, on the condition that he signed a new three-year contract. He will be away for half of that period, but he can still retire, technically at least, as a River Plate player in 2014. For now, the problem at River Plate has been resolved.

In the meantime, what would happen to Ortega? He has said himself that he would play anywhere - well, anywhere apart from Boca. He wouldn’t even discount playing in the lower leagues.

Step forward All Boys - official ‘Surprise Package of the Season’ from the Apertura with giant-killing attacking football - just months after winning promotion to top flight after a 30 year absence. In an audacious bid, which could prove to be the transfer coup of the year (in Argentina, of course), they landed Ortega on a free, paying him around £125,000 for six months, with the option to an extra year.

Ortega will line up alongside Esteban Cambiasso’s brother, Nicolás, while the second of the four Zarate Kids, also Ariel, will provide competition for a place in the side. Alongside him up-front will be the WAG-chasing Cristián ‘The Shrek Monster’ Fabbiani (the 27-year-old made a habit of donning a Shrek mask after scoring during his time in Chile) - if he ever gets fit.

The arrival of Ortega at All Boys has unleashed euphoria at the club. Over a year ago, they were in the second division and had less than a 1,000 members. His new coach says it will be ‘an honour’ to have him in the squad, while the president says Ortega is the most important signing in the club’s history.

One of the club’s top fans, a well known match commentator on the big local sports network, announced how excited he was via twitter, and even forwarded how he will commentate one of his goals. Needless to say, it will include lots of OOOOOOOOOOOOOs in between a ‘G’ and an ‘L’.
How many more goals he has left in him remains to be seen, but it seems the Ariel Ortega story is still far from over...

The Argie Bargy Apertura Awards 2010

2010-12-20T16:34:00Z

The flip side of the short league format in Argentina providing two champions a year is, of course, two extended periods of mourning. No competitive football, only interminable rumours, friendlies, marketing exercises and the like. This is compounded by Fútbol Para Todos, where the fixtures are played back to back, often making the weekend run from Friday night to Tuesday.

Technically, this season isn’t over. There is still the Independiente versus Tigre match to play after the Rojo’s Sudamericana foray delayed that particular showdown, but for all intents and purposes, the Apertura 10 has finished.

Player of the season: Gio Moreno (Racing)
Strictly speaking we’re meant to say Juan Manuel Martínez (Vélez) because that’s what everyone else is saying, or Enzo Perez at Estudiantes, or - because Riquelme singled him out - David Ramírez at Godoy Cruz.

The prize, however, goes to the DNA experiment Gio Moreno who has fused together Peter Crouch’s build, Guti’s passing, Riquelme’s languid style and individual brilliance together with (young) Rivaldo’s creativity. He is a genius.

Goal of the season: Juan Manuel Martínez (Vélez) vs. Racing
No arguing about this one. Some said it was pure Maradona. Others that Caniggia would have been proud of it. Others suggested it was worthy of Messi. It was in fact Juan Manuel Martínez.

Surprise Package: All Boys
Quilmes and Olimpo managed to hang on and end 16th and 17th, but rather than just hanging on, fellow promotees All Boys swaggered their way to 8th in the league, beating Boca, Estudiantes, River and Independiente on the way.

The ‘You’ve Got To Hand It To Them For Sticking At It’ Award: Quilmes.
The Brewers suffered a 14-match droop before finally getting it up in the final stage of the season and actually winning a game.

Most annoying metaphor: Ramón’s Falcon.
It was fun at first. We all did it - it was handed to us on a plate. But enough is enough. San Lorenzo’s coach Ramón Díaz said his side weren’t so much a Ferrari as a more practical Ford Falcon. It doesn’t mean that EVERY SINGLE article about the club has to use it in the headline.

The I’m Going to Quit Award: Claudio Bichi Borghi
As the championship winning coach with Argentinos Juniors, Claudio Bichi Borghi was the perfect choice as Boca coach for this season. Things didn’t quite work out, though. ‘He’s too nice,’ confided one first teamer. Borghi threatened to quit three times before losing the superclásico to River, by when he no longer had a choice.

The Hats Off To The Board Award: Argentinos Juniors
When Borghi went to Boca, in came Pedro Troglio. Taking over a championship winning side that’s lost half its players isn’t easy. Not winning in the first seven matches makes things even harder. But the board stuck by Troglio, and ended the season in a very respectable midtable position. Hats off.

The Did They Really Finish That High? Award: Arsenal and River Plate
The *rse went quietly about their job and managed to finish third. River Plate were battling the relegation averages plus had all the fuss about Angel Cappa surrounding them, meaning that few noticed them creep up to finish 4th in the table.

The Most Libellous Claim: Juan Angulo Villegas
Tigre’s Colombian right back went national with his claim that his coach, the prickly Ricardo Caruso Lombardi, asked for money to get into the first team. We’re leaving that one right there…

The Should Get A Better Agent Award: Roberto Pereyra.
All the talk has been about Milan, Juventus, Benfica begging to part with sums of up to $15 million for striker Gabriel Funes Mori and forward Erik Lamela. Fine. But what about the other brilliant teenage midfielder at River Plate? Who? Where?!

The Chalk and Cheese Award: Independiente
The King of the Cups won their 16th international trophy with the Sudamericana. They also finished bottom of the league with just two wins all season. Go figure.

The Nestor Kirchner Clausura ’11 kicks off on February 13th

Injury-plagued López comes good for Estudiantes when it really matters

2010-12-14T11:48:00Z

The irony of Hernán Rodrigo López scoring the goal which sealed the title for Estudiantes was lost on nobody.

It was a classic López goal, a classic centre forward’s goal, a brilliant header – his second of the game - and was a prime exampble of exactly what he was brought to the club to do at the beginning of the season.

The fact Estudiantes were fighting Lopez’ former club Vélez all the way for the title, and that it was he who scored the title-winning goals on the last day of the season is only half the story.

When Mauro Boselli moved to the Wigan bench, López was signed as his replacement. He was to be the reference point up front for the Pincha and score the goals. Estudiantes forked out nearly £500,000 for his services. This may seem like small change in Europe, where wealthy benefactors from Russia or the Middle East pay their star striker the same amount every fortnight, but £500,000 for a club in Argentina is an enormous investment.

So when López picked up a knee injury on matchday two, the team appeared to be hamstrung. The board were criticised for spending so much of their budget on a player who broke down just days into the new season. López refused to speak to the press after suggestions that he had joined the club knowing he was injured.

He ended up playing just seven games in the 19-match Apertura ’10 campaign. He didn’t start a single match. He was on the pitch for just 120 minutes, managing four goals in those two hours.

Veron: "No - it's my trophy - MINE! You can't touch it!"

And yet on the final day it was López who replaced the injured Verón, and scored the crucial goals. To get to the stage where Estudiantes were within a final-day win to secure the title, the Pincha were forced to improvise and play a completely different system to the one their coach, Alejandro Sabella, had designed in preseason.

Compounding the injury to their striker early on in the campaign, was the blow to morale. Estudiantes suffered unexpected defeats on the continent. They lost the Recopa – South American SuperCup - to Liga de Quito, and then went out of the Sudamericana – Europa League – to Newell’s.

But Sabella tweaked his side, pushed Gastón ‘La Gata’ Fernández further forward as the striker, insisted on midfielders like Enzo Perez getting forward and played three at the back.

In the cold light of day, the results, like the achievements, are undisputable. They beat all of the Big Five, including a 4-0 thrashing of River at the Monumental. They suffocated title rivals Vélez, also away from home and without Verón, keeping the Fort at arm’s length. They won their clásico with Gimnasia. They were top of the table from round eight. They won all nine games at home, setting a new record, and conceded just one goal in the process. Their 45 point haul is one of the best ever in the history of the short-season format.

And contrary to popular opinion, the ‘defensive’ and ‘tactical’ Estudiantes scored only one goal less than the ‘attacking’ Vélez. Just 10 of the 32 goals were from set pieces.

The big question is what happens now at Estudiantes. They face a tough group in next year’s Libertadores. The club has been one of the models of stability in recent years, both on and off the pitch. But how long left does Verón has as captain, and how many of the youngsters will they have to sell?

The key question, though, is whether Alejandro Sabella stays on. He has won the Libertadores and the league with the club. He came within minutes of beating Barcelona in the Club World Cup last year. He was said to be the top candidate for the Argentina job, while River Plate also hope to sign him. His players have begged him to stay on at, while the board have reminded everybody that will listen that he has a contract till June 2011.

After this season’s title win he will not be short of offers, but for now he’ll be enjoying his success, or as he prefers to call it, ‘the glory.’

Estudiantes and Vélez battle for the title as 'big five' whittled down to two

2010-12-10T14:59:00Z

Both lost twice in the season, and only the two points dropped in a draw keeps Vélez behind Estudiantes.

They have the same goal difference, with the Students scoring one less, and conceding one less too.

And while it has become standard bar-talk to say that one is defensive and one is attacking, this is hardly Chapter 1,482 of the Bilardo vs. Menotti debate.

Estudiantes may be where Dr. Bilardo developed his palate for a more raw style, but Vélez are far from claiming to be – historically – the cradle of beautiful football. It is true that Vélez have looked like a stronger attacking side this season - in Santiago Silva and Juan Manuel Martinez they have two of the top scorers in the league with 11 and nine goals respectively. Throw in Maxi Moralez for added flair, or the late entrance of Jonathan Cristaldo, and The Fort have overwhelmed several sides going forward.

But Estudiantes have scored just one less this term. They lost Mauro Boselli and José Sosa in pre-season, and then lost Hernán López – Boselli’s replacement – to injury. Gastón ‘La Gata’ Fernández is far from a target man and chipped in with six goals as the Pincha’s top scorer.

But even without captain Juan Sebastián Verón and the dynamic Enzo Pérez, Estudiantes still thrashed River Plate in midweek. That 4-0 result speaks volumes of the dire state River are in, but also how strong Estudiantes are, despite missing two key midfielders.

Fernández has lead the way, goal-wise, for Estudiantes

So the title race goes down to the final day. Vélez are away to Racing with the Academy currently in mourning after losing the chance of qualifying for the Libertadores to their local (100 metres away) rivals Independiente, who won the Sudamericana and snapped up that final place.

Estudiantes are home (if playing in Quilmes while their new stadium is finished can be called playing at home) to third placed Arsenal. The title is there for Estudiantes to lose.

Yet in all this, this season has grabbed the attention. Not necessarily for the quality of football, because as everyone here admits this has been far from a vintage season. But there has been no surprise package. Over the past few years the Argentine league had become characterised by one-off seasons from the football middle classes who challenged for the title. Argentinos Juniors, Banfield and Lanús went all the way and won.

There are eight points separating second-placed Vélez and third-placed Arsenal. The gap between the front pack hasn’t been so large in years. It was to be expected that Vélez and Estudiantes would challenge, but for nobody else to even come close has be a surprise.

Are they settling in to their role as the Big Two? Are the traditional Big Five of Boca, River, Independiente, Racing and San Lorenzo beyond redemption? A few more seasons will need to pass before we can answer that question, but in the meantime, for the drama queens out there, lets hope for a grand finale – Estudiantes draw and Vélez win, setting up a tasty one-off winner-takes-all playoff.

FIXTURES Saturday All Boys v Godoy Cruz Sunday Racing v Vélez, Estudiantes v Arsenal, San Lorenzo v Banfield, Colón v Newell’s Monday Huracán v Independiente, Lanús v River, Boca v Gimnasia, Olimpo v Quilmes, Tigre v Argentinos

Estudiantes win comes at a cost as Veron suspended for title showdown

2010-12-06T16:05:00Z

There are just two rounds to go in the Apertura 2010 - by next Monday it’ll all be over. The title might be decided midweek, if Vélez fail to beat Huracán and Estudiantes beat River on Wednesday. In the meantime, round 17 looked roughly like this…

Olimpo 1-1 Arsenal

Latino pop guru Luis Miguel had been due to ‘sing’ at Olimpo’s stadium, so the fixture was pushed forward. Luis then decided that he’d ‘sing’ at Vélez instead, by which time the game had already been moved. Soon the most un-noticed fixture of the season had been and gone.

All Boys 2-1 Banfield

All Boys' home form has been as good as league title challengers Vélez and Estudiantes, with seven wins from nine games. For a newly-promoted side it is a remarkable achievement, which couple with the way they have been playing, has been applauded by all. The same cannot go for their midfielder Hugo Barrientos, however, who opened up Rubén Ramírez’ face with his elbow.

Racing 2-0 Gimnasia

Guiding Racing out of the depths of mediocrity this season has been the Crouch/Riquelme/Guti-esque genius of the Colombian, Gio Moreno. For once, however, it was Gabriel ‘The Demon’ Hauche who stole the headlines with a quite brilliant finish for his 6th goal of the season and keep the Academy in the hunt for Libertadores qualification.

Estudiantes 3-1 Argentinos

Estudiantes have managed to make it to the final stage of the season at the top of the table with no out and out ‘No.9.’ Injuries left them without a target man. Had Martín Palermo scored Gata Fernández’ header on Saturday, however, it would have been labelled a classic No.9’s goal. We would have spoken about the dying species that is the born goalscorer.

Instead The Pincha got on with things and back from a goal down to stay top, but there was bad news. Verón picked up his fifth yellow card (judging by TV replays, for breathing) and will miss the trip to River and the crunch-down with Matías Almeyda.

Colón 1-2 River

Almeyda had been rested for the visit from Estudiantes, we were told, but for the first time this season River played well without their warrior in midfield. Erik Lamela scored a golazo - for his part it was a decent finish, but it was the build up which made it. A series of intricate one-twos…. you can tell its Cappa’s team. What? Oh, he was sacked.

Mariano Pavone scored the 93rd minute winner to take River even further from relegation trouble.

San Lorenzo 0-0 Newell’s

There are presidential elections at San Lorenzo next week, making the atmosphere somewhat tense. ‘Whoever wins will have to put a team together quickly,’ warned coach Ramón Díaz, who added that ‘we all want to be challenging for silverware.’ Unless we see Messi, Drogba, Sneijder and Xabi strutting their stuff in Boedo in the near future, Ramón will be gone.

Tigre 3-1 Huracán

Allegations of Tigre coach demanding money from his players in order to play had dominated the headlines last week, but the Tiger’s players went out to prove their support for the man in the dugout, albeit against a very poor Huracán. Foreign commentator’s nightmare, Denis Stracqualursi grabbed a brace, and now has nine goals to his name.

Godoy Cruz 0-4 Vélez

Godoy Cruz coach Omar Asad played in the Vélez shirt last week when he turned out for his former club against Milan in a re-run of the Fortress’ 1994 Intercontinental win.

There were no suspicions of his side rolling over to help Vélez challenge for the title, however, not when the steamroller Santiago Silva is playing as he is. The Uruguayan centre forward added a two more to his tally, making him the season’s top scorer with 11 while Vélez kept within touching distance of the title.

Boca 1-0 Quilmes

Within four minutes we’d had two bookings and Boca had hit the bar. We were in for a classic. Sadly, it didn’t materialise. The one-goal margin flattered Quilmes enormously, but also spoke volumes about how far off Boca are from finding their stride.

Lanús 0-0 Independiente

The final match of the weekend was a somewhat Spanish affair, kicking off at gone 10 in the evening and not letting those at the game return home before 1am, if they were lucky. Independiente put out a reserve side as they prepare for Wednesday’s Sudamericana Final second leg, so expecting them and us to focus on this match was asking a bit much.

You can catch all the goals, right here

Whoa, easy Tigre: defender accuses coach of demanding cash to play

2010-12-03T13:33:00Z

It started with a warning. "THERE IS GOING TO BE A BOMB IN A COUPLE OF MINUTES ON LA RED."

While one of local radio station La Red’s journalists may be unaware of twitter etiquette and pointedly writes in capitals, he was entirely right with the tone of his message, because La Red had managed to get one of the stories of the year in Argentine football.

Tigre right back, the Colombian Juan Angulo Villegas, was on the air.

"He asked my agent for money so that I’d play. I said no. I’m not a bad player. I can do what he asks of me, and earn my place in the team."

Villegas was speaking about his coach Ricardo Caruso Lombardi. BOOM!

The 22 year old has yet to play for the Matador since signing a few months ago. Caruso had in fact recently said that the player who hadn’t been in the first team was Villegas, because he had been injured for two of the three months he has been with the club.

Villegas spoke to the radio. Then he spoke on TV, repeating his version of events and the accusation that his coach has demanded money in return for a place in the team.

Caruso quickly went on the attack. First he was on radio. Then he was back on an afternoon TV talk show on the phone where he went into meltdown, and released a series of insults and counter-accusations in a 20 minute rant that made for astonishing viewing.

He wanted to know who the fu*k this Angulo kid was to come and say these kind of things about him, and Villegas would be in for a hiding if he found him.

He said that Villegas wasn’t a bad kid, but was just stupid. Meanwhile, Caruso also had plenty to say about Villegas’ agent, who he claimed had ‘stolen’ seven players from a Colombian club. The agent is a ‘gangster’ according to Caruso. And in and around this, there is the sports daily Olé’s journalist who covers Tigre, is also Colombian, and according to Caruso has a vendetta against him.

The cross fire sparked Caruso quitting from the club, and many believe he will quit football altogether. He denied any wrong doing – ‘ask any of my players if I even asked they pay for a coffee’ – but the mud will stick.

Perhaps there is a vendetta against Caruso. Just last week news filtered through that there had been a fight during a closed training session at Tigre. Caruso was said to have taken a punch while trying to stop the scuffle. But some said that Caruso was in there throwing his fists around too. Who should we believe?

The other problem Caruso faces is the well-known touchline fracas with Godoy Cruz coach Omar Asad last season.

Tigre were losing 6-2 to Godoy Cruz in Mendoza, and being taught a lesson. A comment from an irate Caruso sparked off Asad who made a money-counting gesture over and over again.

He was saying Caruso took money from his players.

Months later, Villegas came out and said what nobody else had dared say before. But is Villegas being used? Is there a vendetta out on Caruso? Is this a stitch-up?

Caruso is one of the larger-than-life local characters - essentially the Phil Brown of the Argentine game for skin tone and personality, and even a mild resemblance. He may be lost for good.

RESULT Olimpo 1-1 Arsenal FIXTURES Friday All Boys v Banfield, Racing v Gimnasia Saturday Estudiantes v Argentinos, Colón v River Sunday San Lorenzo v Newell’s, Tigre v Huracán, Godoy Cruz v Vélez, Boca v Quilmes, Lanús v Independiente.

Draw for South America's hypothetical cup fails to set pulses racing

2010-11-26T16:54:00Z

It is the number one club competition on the continent, but the Libertadores Cup has its flaws. It has nothing to do with the final being over two legs, nor does it have anything to do with it being a South American club competition in which North American teams play.

As the South American Champions’ League, it is steeped in tradition. Its name – The Liberators – adds far more gravitas than any choral arrangement at the beginning of the transmission does for its European counterpart.

Quality of football aside, however, the problem with the Libertadores Cup is how it gets going. It inspires next to no emotion. The draw is a farce.

On Thursday, we had the sight of eight groups of four being decided. Of the 32 balls in the mix, only 11 were real teams, with real players, and real aspirations to win the trophy. The remainder were hypothetical league winners, league runners-up, cup winners and playoff winners.

Group 7, is the worst offender for anonymity, looking like this:

Argentina 2 Apertura Champion
Paraguay 2 either Guaraní, Apertura champion, Clausura champion or someone totally different
Brazil 4 Brasilerão runner up
Game 1 winner winner of preliminary play off between Brasilerão 3rd place v. Colombia’s best placed team in the annual league table

It is complex, speculative, confusing and thoroughly under-whelming.

Yet despite knowing just three teams' identity in Group 3, it has already been labelled the Group of Death. Argentinos Juniors, Nacional (Uruguay) and América (Mexico) will be joined by the Brasilerão champion. Danger.

While we have to wait for the anonymous slots to be taken up, in Argentina the race to qualify is reaching its climax. Estudiantes and Argentinos Juniors have already done so via their yearly performance and having won the Clausura ’10, respectively.

The remaining four slots go to teams based on their annual performance – results from the Clausura ’10 and this season, the Apertura ’10 – making the last four games of this season for those involved all the more vital.

So far the teams to go through would be this season’s title winners, Godoy Cruz, Vélez and then Newell’s. Just behind them are Banfield and Racing, making this weekend’s clash between the two vital for the Libertadores qualification.

In and amongst all this is the King of the Libertadores, the team whose new stadium is named the Libertadores of America, Independiente.
With seven Libertadores trophies from seven finals, the Rojos are the Real Madrid of the competition - the ultimate champs.

On Thursday they did that tradition proud by making it to the final of the Sudamericana. If they go on to win that, then they will steal a place in next year’s Libertadores Cup.

So while we now keep track of who is qualifying for the Libertadores Cup, keeping track of the league action is an even more drawn out exercise. Action starts Friday night, and ends… on Tuesday.

FIXTURES Friday Gimnasia v Godoy Cruz, Arsenal v San Lorenzo Saturday Quilmes v All Boys, Banfield v Racing Sunday Independiente v Estudiantes, Newell’s v Boca, River v Olimpo Monday Huracán v Lanús, Argentinos v Colón Tuesday Vélez v Tigre.

Bicycle kicks, inch-perfect freekicks & Ronaldinho-esque genius

2010-11-23T15:12:00Z

On the face of it, Racing, All Boys, River and Newell’s are the same this season.

Sure, Racing and All Boys have won one more game than River and Newell’s, but River and Newell’s lost fewer and drew those matches. They are all on 22 points.

They are not having a particularly good - nor a particularly bad - season. Were they in Europe, they’d be chasing Europa league spots. And with this points parity, you’d expect things at the four clubs to be much the same. This would be incorrect.

On the one hand we have All Boys, who are now officially the ‘surprise package’ of the season. The side promoted just a few months back has claimed the scalp of River, Independiente, Estudiantes and Boca at their rickety home ground. After another three points at the weekend and an excellent performance, the coach José Romero modestly suggested that other team’s fans should come to watch them play. "The truth is that it is a pleasure to watch this team play," he confessed.

All Boys’ points were taken at Newell’s expense. The men from Rosario are now the paragon on stability in the Argentine league, with Roberto Sensini the longest-serving coach in top flight. Nothing exemplified the work being done at the club more than the heroic defeat at altitude and against one of the continents top sides in the Sudamericana recently. But then All Boys happened. ‘It was the worst performance of the year,’ said midfielder Bernardi. He was not far off.

Racing’s performances and results, meanwhile, are directly proportional to the quality of performance by the Crouch/Riquelme/Guti/Rivaldo DNA experiment, aka Gio Moreno. With him out of sorts, the Academy struggled to beat Quilmes, and the chances of qualifying for the Libertadores diminish.

River, meanwhile, should feel they are doing pretty well given the state of the side’s relegation average, plus the dire state of the club – this week the true extent of the club’s debt was revealed, discussed and shouted about. Bankruptcy is still not too distant a possibility. And they were truly dire against San Lorenzo.

Yet all four are on the same points…

Elsewhere this weekend, many were quick to point out that there were ONLY 18 GOALS!!!! This apparently equates to a level of tedium only previously recorded when Ricardo Fort is on TV (we're not going to pretend we know who this is - ed).

But no - there was plenty of entertainment to be had. Carlos Sánchez scored a belter against Banfield, while Sergio Araujo scored his first goal – a brilliant one - for Boca (video below) and will soon no doubt soon provoke the typical INTER/BARCELONA/CHELSEA/MILAN/BENFICA/JUVENTUS SWOOP FOR BOCA ACE headlines.

Franco Neill scored a perfect bicycle kick to earn a point for Argentinos.

Maxi Velázquez was invited by the Colón defence to run at them, before he tired, and hit a 25-yard shot for Independiente, before being sent off.

And Mario Regueiro scored an inch-perfect freekick, plus a volleyed second, to win the points for Lanús’ debutant coach, Gabriel Schurrer.

To this list we must add two more. First is Gabriel Mendez’ for Banfield, but it seems like a cross more than a shot.

Second is David Ramírez’ goal against Banfield for Godoy Cruz. It was Ronaldinho-esque. The commentators thought it was genius. ‘Watching it on TV it does look like I meant it,’ said the playmaker after the game. ‘But it was a cross.’

Things are not all that they seem, either on TV, or in the league.

RESULTS Godoy Cruz 2-1 Banfield; All Boys 2-0 Newell’s; Estudiantes 2-0 Huracán; San Lorenzo 0-0 River; Boca 2-1 Arsenal; Gimnasia 0-0 Vélez; Racing 1-1 Quilmes; Olimpo 1-1 Argentinos; Colón 1-1 Independiente; Lanús 2-0 Tigre.

Shortlist looking rather long as Boca seek to replace Borghi

2010-11-19T14:44:00Z

The Favourite for the vacant Boca Juniors hotseat knows what it is like to win the league at the Bombonera. His Banfield side won the title there on the last day of the season just over a year ago.

The fans’ choice, according to the surveys at least, has recent World Cup experience with Argentina, but most say that alone shows why he shouldn’t get the job (let alone his relationship with Boca’s playmaker). Another name linked with the gig was recently (10 days ago) sacked by Boca’s arch enemy, River Plate.

Another recently retired from the game in the US, but doesn’t get on with one of the team’s stars so is unlikely to get the job right now. Another is mentioned with just about every job in South America after his successful spell at Boca, but he would say no to rejoining the club. Another is the club’s former hard-hitting midfielder currently coaching in the lower leagues…

The list of possible replacements for Claudio Bichi Borghi, who resigned as Boca coach this week after losing the superclásico, is long. Maradona, Ángel Cappa, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Carlos Bianchi and Blas Giunta have all been mentioned, although Julio Falcioni is the front runner for now.

This is not the look of a man expecting to be in a job by sunrise...

Borghi had threatened to quit, or half-quit , three times already this season, before finally leaving after losing 1-0 to River on Tuesday.

So now Boca are looking for a new coach. Jorge Ameal, the Boca president, who took over the club exactly two years ago, November 2008, is in the market for his 6th (sixth) coach. Carlos Ischia soon went, Abel Alves committed the cardinal sin of subbing off Martín Palermo, Alfio Basile lasted little, Roberto Pompei filled in until Borghi came in, and now Pompei is once again filling in until the new coach is found.

Reports say Falcioni is a done deal, and will join the club in the new year if he cannot leave Banfield sooner. The task at hand is enormous. Boca were very, very poor against River, and the news that Riquelme is out with injury until next year hardly helps the side which is currently 15th in the league.

The wider issue, or question, is who wants to coach Boca? Sure, it’s a huge club, with an enormous fan base. A successful spell at the Bombonera would open the door to working in Europe or with a national team. The chances of being given time to mould a title-winning side, however, are slim. And the problems go far beyond a few players not performing well.

The problem, however, is not just at Boca.

Borghi is the eighth coach to go this season. The seventh walked just last weekend, the 29 year old Luis Zubeldía. The youngest man to ever coach in top flight had become the Sir Alex Ferguson of the league, having been in charge at Lanús more or less since records began, over two years ago. With Zubeldía quitting (actually, being told to quit), it leaves Roberto Sensini at Newell’s Old Boys as the longest-serving coach currently working in Argentina’s first division. He took over at Newell’s in February, 2009.

FIXTURES Friday Godoy Cruz v Banfield Saturday All Boys v Newell’s, Estudiantes v Huracán Sunday San Lorenzo v River, Boca v Arsenal, Gimnasia v Vélez, Racing v Quilmes Monday Olimpo v Argentinos, Colón v Independiente, Lanús v Tigre.

It's time for the Superclásico - let the show begin!

2010-11-16T13:42:00Z

It is not meant to be ironic, but it is. It may be called El Show de Fútbol, but in truth they actually show very little football.

In fairness to the Sunday night shout-a-thon, it has graduated from not playing any of the weekend’s goals, to now putting a tiny screen in the bottom corner with the highlights while they carry on talking about River and Boca for two hours in the studio.

Oscar Ruggeri, the journalist that Maradona claimed ‘takes it up the ar*e’ is there, along with a couple of stalwarts of sports journalism and a few ex-pros who - if they are lucky - manage to get a few words in edgeways.

The Show de Fútbol (SDF) is highly entertaining. It requires suspending all notion of disbelief for most of the program, but it is compulsive viewing. (See the gang get stuck into some heated post-World Cup debate below).

Why are we dealing with a TV show when the Superclásico, River-Boca, the madre of them all, the Worlds Biggest Club Match, is just hours, minutes, seconds away?

Well, its very simple. The SDF could well be responsible for the major tactical change that we will see this evening.

Boca coach Claudio ‘Bichi’ Borghi likes a back three. It’s the way his teams play. It’s the way he won the league title just a few months ago with Argentinos Juniors. According to the SDF, however, “IT IS NOT THE WAY BOCA PLAY. OK????” The war against the ‘back three’ has become a crusade.

Borghi stuck to his guns, however, having signed the players to make up this rearguard – goalkeeper Cristián Luccheti, plus Cristían Cellay, Juan Manuel Insaurralde and Matías Caruzzo.

When injuries or suspensions have kicked in, Gary ‘The Pitbull’ Medel has stepped back in to the línea de tres.

When the results haven’t been forthcoming, however, (15th in the league with 17 points from 13 games confirms just how unforthcoming they have been…) SDF has had the answer. ‘Boca do not play with a back three.’

Now, just in time for the superclásico, SDF may well have won, as Boca are set to line up with a back four.

The favoured three, mentioned above, will all budge over a tad to make room for Clemente Rodriguez on the left.

Boca boss Borghi gets some more advice from the SDF...

This hardly means the issue is resolved, as after playing every single split second of Boca’s campaign to date, keeper Cristián Luccheti has been dropped. He’s not even on the bench. The erstwhile number one wanted public backing from his coach after a mistake last weekend. Programs like the SDF have, somewhat unsurprisingly, been constantly questioning the 32-year-old keeper.

Again, they have won. Borghi dropped the keeper he signed, so the keeper he wasn’t convinced by (Javier García) comes in for the biggest game of the season. Given García’s track record – fine saves countered by absolute howlers – anything could happen. He could ship five, he could be man of the match and keep a clean sheet.

With Lucas Viatri’s injury, Boca might be forced into making a sensible change by dropping the two centre forwards and bringing in the deeper-lying Pablo Mouche to accompany Martín Palermo up front. Needless to say, Boca’s chances of winning revolve around the axis of the side that is Juan Román Riquelme.

As for River, they too have their 30-something talisman - Ariel Ortega. The Little Donkey was confirmed in the starting eleven by interim coach J.J. López, who was in charge of the reserve team until a week ago.

He took over after Ángel Cappa was sacked and River realised initial favourite for the post Tolo Gallego wasn’t speaking to club president Daniel Passarella, and second choice Marcelo Bielsa was still locked down by his contract with the Chilean national side.

Midfield boss Matías Almeyda returns to add some leadership to the centre of the park, while Eric Lamela returns to the side to add some pace and flair down the left wing.

And to add a little extra spice to a fixture which already generates enough hatred to start a war, both sides are coached by men who once played for their opponents.

It’s show time.

Power of the Jonas Brothers stretches Argentina's weekend

2010-11-12T15:25:00Z

In the world of Fútbol Para Todos, where all first division games are broadcast live on national TV, we are used to ‘weekends’ stretching into the working week in order to fit in all the games.

Kicking off on Friday night and finishing on Monday has, so far, been the longest ‘weekend’ of football. But this weekend, we enter new territory.

Round 14 will start on Friday night, and end late on Tuesday.

It should be the superclásico weekend, but there was a hitch. First of all, the president’s husband, and former president Néstor Kirchner passed away. Given the relationship with AFA, as looked at in this blog, plus the reaction within Argentina to Kirchner’s death, it was probably the correct move to cancel football.

In fact, next season will be called the Néstor Kirchner Clausura, in tribute to the ex-president. In the meantime, the fixtures were all pushed back a week.

This is where the hitch occured. In recent weeks, Núñez has been over run with leather, as Bon Jovi were in town. Then just this week, Sir Paul McCartney has delighted the locals with his 60s repertoire. The very presence of SPM has produced an outbreak of highly gratuitous references to Beatles’ classics in the press, but clearly computers here don’t have an English-language spell check. ‘Help. A need somebody’ is the worst offender so far.

Anyway, joining the Bon Jovi/SPM roll call to play the River Plate stadium this weekend are the Jonas Brothers.

But, it’s also River v Boca.

So it is that the superclásico, after much toing and froing which amounted to a contest between the two supergrandes proving who has the grandest one, will be played on Tuesday night.

This is what the Jonas Brothers look like, if you wondered/cared/own a gun

The pitch needs time to recover after all those thousands of teenyboppers, you see.

In the meantime, the rest of the sides will get on with business.

First up is Huracán – Colón, where the home fans will be split over how to receive Joaquin Larrivey. Should they a) cheer his every touch after he scored around 40 goals in the second division, helping the side win promotion to top flight. Or should they b), throw the most vile and heinous abuse at the striker whose foul on keeper Monzón went unpunished in the title play-off a year ago between Huracán and Vélez, and from which Vélez scored the winner and logically, won the title. We all know which it will be.

The other game to watch for is Quilmes against Godoy Cruz, although you’ll have to do so on TV. The game is being played at Banfield’s ground and behind closed doors.

Quilmes, 13 games without a win, were subjected to attack by their own ‘fans’ last week after another defeat. The team bus was stoned, while players had their windscreens smashed and scratched as they tried to leave the ground.

Quilmes vice-president, Aníbal Fernández, who also happens to be the government cabinet chief, admitted this week that he knows who the aggressors are. ‘They are two idiots and I hope they are put away for 70 years, and I know one of them very well, he’s a neighbour.’ That what we want to hear! Justice!

Criminals put behind bars! No such luck. Fernández continued: ‘the issue is that nobody will report them to the police.’ Despite his role at the club, despite his role with the government and despite admitting he knows who they are, Fernández himself will not act. Perhaps the large banner held by the Quilmes barra brava which carries the name of his political group has something to do with this. Perhaps not.

Politics aside, Quilmes are in freefall. Godoy Cruz are one of the best sides in the country. There’ll either be a goal-fest, or a historic win for the Brewers.
Fixtures

FIXTURES Friday 12th Nov Huracán v Colón, Banfield v Gimnasia Saturday 13th Nov Arsenal v All Boys, Tigre v Estudiantes Sunday 14th Nov Argentinos v San Lorenzo, Quilmes v Godoy Cruz, Independiente v Olimpo, Vélez v Lanús, Newell’s v Racing Tuesday 16th Nov River v Boca.

The return of Riquelme like a chick with three breasts

2010-11-09T15:17:00Z

This weekend was the Return of Riquelme. His coach said it was like seeing, as you may have guessed from the above headline, a chick with three breasts (apparently a compliment).

Others called it the Second Coming, despite Juan Román Riquelme already having left and returned to Boca, so technically, after six months out, and if we really have to go down this line of thinking, it was the Third Coming.

Another excitable local journalist suggested it was like when Perón returned to the country in 1973, after living abroad in exile. It was an unfortunate comparison given that when the General did return, his right-wing supporters were waiting for his left-wing supporters and promptly massacred hundreds of them.

For all the metaphors, Román couldn’t have come back at a better time. With the superclásico just around the corner, his return to the team was all that would be needed to give Boca the jump-start that the team had been lacking all season.

And, broadly speaking, for Riquelme it was a success. There was no Hargreavesian early injury. He looked strong and fit, his touch was as perfect as ever, he hit the woodwork from a corner. He set up several decent chances for the front pair of Martín Palermo and Lucas Viatri, he won a freekick with less than a minute on the clock. He was even spotted sprinting!!, pointed out the cynics.

But while Riquelme was head and shoulders above his opponents, he was also head and shoulders above his team mates. 12 matches without finding a style or direction, with no continuity in the side and with results going against them means that the rot may not have set in, but it is spreading. Talented players make mistakes – technical or tactical. The team is in a rut, and Riquelme cannot solve everything.

Despite Boca largely dominating proceedings, Argentinos grabbed two late goals and the points.

Argentions were well organised. They are the current league champions. They were playing Boca, at Boca. They were playing against their former coach. And Riquelme was back in the team.

It was more than enough motivation and reasons for Argentinos to go to the Bombonera and win.

Borghi would soon be given the dreaded ‘backing’ from the board. Again. On Monday, he said that he wasn’t sure he’ll be around to take charge of Boca against River next Tuesday.

There is one coach who certainly won’t be at the superclásico. Ángel Cappa.

After 13 games, including not a win in the last seven, River Plate parted company with their coach.

At first it appeared to have been an agreement from both parties, although it soon transpired that Cappa was in fact sacked. His only defender in the boardroom was the president Daniel Passarella, who couldn’t convince his colleagues.

Having made one decision, they soon had to make another – who shall we bring in?

Predictably, Marcelo Bielsa won the vote. There are two problems with this one, well, 3,000,001 problems. First is that Bielsa may have stepped down as Chile coach, but still has a contract till the end of the year, so he couldn’t have taken over until January, even if he wanted to – which is a big if. The other problem is Bielsa contract, which as suggested seconds ago, is in the $3m region.

Other suggestions were bandied about – from even Passarella appointing himself as coach (he did win the league as River Plate coach), to midfielder Matías Almeyda taking over. The most likely option is Tolo Gallego, who already won the league in 1994 and 2000 with the club.

Either way, after this weekend there is the improbable situation where the superclásico may see two debutant, or at least caretaker coaches, go head to head.

River Plate relegation watch: the game with All Boys was as clear cut a 6-pointer as they come. Win, and River would have been out of the relegation zone. But they lost, are six points adrift and Cappa is out.

Quilmes win watch: The Brewer’s barra brava decided enough was enough after their 13th game without a win and threw stones and rocks at the team bus and players cars after the defeat to Gimnasia.

RESULTS Olimpo 4-0 Huracán, Estudiantes 3-0 Lanús, Gimnasia 1-0 Quilmes, Godoy Cruz 0-0 Newell’s, Racing 2-2 Arsenal, Boca 0-2 Argentinos, San Lorenzo 1-1 Independiente, All Boys 1-0 River, Colón 1-0 Tigre, Banfield 2-3 Vélez.

The worst kept secret in Argentine football finally 'revealed'

2010-11-03T17:09:00Z

Ricky Martin’s sexuality. There were no WMDs. Santa Claus doesn’t exist. Out there are many, many poorly kept secrets that, when they finally make the light of day and are admitted, turn out to be remarkably underwhelming.

You knew the truth all along. (Perhaps Santa Claus is a bad example here. La Liga Loca is reported to have broken down during his GCSEs upon hearing the news that Father Christmas was, in fact, just daddy…)

Now, naming a national team coach may not be as transcendental as any of the above, but the appointment of Sergio ‘Checho’ Batista as the Argentina coach was surrounded in a shroud of pretend suspense nonetheless.

He had already been in charge of three Argentina matches since Diego Maradona was ousted after the World Cup. He was also Lionel Messi’s choice, and if he was Lionel Messi’s choice, then that would be good enough for most of AFA. He didn’t necessarily have the backing of General Manager Carlos Bilardo, who was tasked with recommending candidates for the job to the committee set up by the AFA to make the final decision. All the same Batista was in pole position.

The announcement filtered through via ‘sources’ days previously. From the very start, when Batista first stepped in months ago, he was 99.9% guaranteed to land the job. The official announcement wasn’t made, however, until Tuesday evening.

But now, at last, Batista is in charge. He is officially the man to take the selección to Brazil in 2014.

The decision wasn’t met with applause from all quarters. Despite AFA saying there was unanimity in the decision to appoint Batista, it soon emerged that Vélez and Lanús were not in favour of the choice.

There were other dissenting voices too. “If Checho hadn’t been the youth team coach, he wouldn’t be in charge of the national team,” said Gustavo Alfaro, coach at Arsenal. Ironically, as the more diligent readers of Argie Bargy already know, Arsenal is the team founded by Julio Grondona, whose backing of Batista was central to the decision being made.

Anyway, Alfaro didn’t stop there. “If we choose the coach because he’s friends with the players then we are in trouble. It is a mistake to think that the coach has to get on with his players.”

As Alfaro pointed out, Batista made the step up to the full national team from the Under-20 side. Back in 2008, he had been intended to work as Maradona’s right-hand man, but El Diez thought that Batista had been disloyal to him when Diego was chosen as coach. Batista ultimately stayed with the U-20s.

Checho’s link to several players in the current generation had already been formed – when Alfio Basile decided not to coach the team that went to the Beijing Olympics, Batista had his chance.

The side won gold, and players like Di María, Agüero and of course Leo Messi all responded well to Batista in the dugout.

Whether or not Batista is chummy with his players, as Alfaro suggests, or whether its more a case that they respect and listen to him, and he knows how to get them to perform, remains to be seen.

It is true that Batista does not have quite as impressive a CV as some other candidates for the job, which included Alejandro Sabella, Carlos Bianchi, Americo ‘Tolo’ Gallego and Ramón Díaz. It is also true that Batista has not coached a grande in Argentina, nor a grande abroad. Indeed, with Batista as under-20 coach, Argentina did not qualify for the U-20 World Cup.

There have been signs, however, that under Batista that there will be a more measured and rational approach to the national team in terms of tactics and formation. There are also problems with Argentine football, such as a chronic shortage of full backs, which no coach would be able to resolve immediately.

It looks likely Batista will aim to rejuvenate the side in phases. Next year Argentina host the Copa America – a good showing there is vital, so certain older players (Zanetti, Demichelis, Heinze, Cambiasso) may well stay in contention.

Riqulme is expected to return to the side. It is after that competition that the team will start building for the 2014 World Cup with a younger crop of players.

Just in case Batista needs any reminding what his real goal is – to return victorious from the World Cup in four years time - his first game since being confirmed as coach is on November 17th. Argentina face Brazil.

Futbol para nobody

2010-10-29T14:32:00Z

Football is off. There is no marathon of 10 games back-to-back on TV. No second division, no reserve matches, not even the odd under-18 kickabout. Football is cancelled.

The death of former president Néstor Kirchner this week shocked the nation. Just as Argentines were sat at home waiting to be counted – it was census time – news filtered through that the current president’s husband, aged 60, had passed away, dying from a heart attack.

Despite the shock, and despite the political ramifications for the country (with elections next year, Kirchner was leading in the polls if he ran for president once again), did they really need to cancel the weekend’s football? Would a minute’s silence and black armbands not have been sufficient? The answer, according to AFA, was no.

First of all, Kirchner was a huge football fan. As a true Peronist, his team was Racing. "I suffered more with football than I did with politics," he once said, which is saying something given the amount of abuse he received for his politics.

Just last year, Racing were facing relegation. They had the task of travelling to the Bombonera, desperately needing three points from Boca to stay up. Kirchner promised four 32-inch plasma TVs if they won. It did the trick. Racing won 3-0 and Kirchner duly delivered the TVs in person, congratulating the squad on the win.

More than whether Kirchner was a crazed Acadé supporter or not, however, is the role that he and his wife, current president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, played in the current situation in Argentine football, and the debt that AFA has to Kirchner.

Kirchner & Kirchner: Football lovers

Facing enormous financial difficulties, Argentine clubs went on strike in August 2009. One of the problems, according to them and AFA, was that the income from the TV rights deal wasn’t fair and wasn’t enough. AFA promptly ripped up the old deal, and signed a new one with the government worth 600 million pesos (£94 million).

Fútbol Para Todos – Football for Everyone – was born. All 10 first division games are broadcast live on free-to-air television. Other channels beyond the state-owned Canal 7 are able to broadcast the games too. As free content goes, top-flight football isn’t bad.

Of course there are plenty of gripes with Fútbol Para Todos, from the quality of the output to the eternal government advertising. Those arguments can be saved for another day. The issue here is that thanks to the Kirchners, AFA found its way out of an enormous problem.

And while AFA are grateful to the government, Kirchner passing away has had a tremendous effect on the mood in Argentina. It is not just because people can watch football free on TV that tens of thousands of people have waited for hours on end in mile-long queues to pay their final respects.

Even the Maradonian Church cancelled their Christmas. Maradona turns 50 on Saturday, but the party is off. "Argentina lost a gladiator who brought us out of the ditch," El Diego said on Thursday when he went to Kirchner’s wake, adding that "Néstor had many things like Che Guevara".

Fútbol Para Todos will return next week. For now, it's fútbol para nobody.

Huracán bring a breath of fresh air

2010-10-26T10:12:00Z

Despite the promising set of fixtures - clásicos, top-of-the-table clashes - the weekend in Argentina was far from vintage.

In amidst the pervading sense of mediocrity on the pitch there was the odd flash of skill, a golazo here and there, and even a tidy move if you looked carefully. But the racist taunts, the poor refereeing decisions, the disgraceful ‘tackles’ and the ever-present barra bravas stole the headlines.

Results Matchday 12: Arsenal 1-3 Godoy Cruz, Vélez 0-0 Estudiantes, Argentinos 1-0 All Boys, River 1-1 Racing, Quilmes 0-2 Banfield, Lanús 1-2 Colón, Huracán 3-0 San Lorenzo, Independiente 0-0 Boca, Tigre 3-2 Olimpo, Newell’s 1-0 Gimnasia

The super-super-weekend failed to materialise. Commentators shunned Panenka, Zidane or even Totti and preferred to use El Loco Abreu as their reference point for Luciano Leguizamon’s chipped penalty which gave Arsenal the lead at home to Godoy Cruz.

It put them joint top of the table for nearly half an hour, but Arsenal lost their lead and lost the game. The wind may be out of their sails for now, but the *rse are still within four points of Estudiantes.

Vélez against Estudiantes was a non-event. Not even had Juan Sebastián Verón been fit and lined up for Alejandro Sabella’s side would the Students have gone out looking to make a game of it.

Instead, they made do with a back five, a remarkable display from midfielder Rodrigo Braña, and won a point, suiting them just fine. Vélez missed the pace of Maxi Moralez up front, but hoofing long balls to Santiago Silva proved to be a poor Plan B.

River-Racing stood out only for glimpses of brilliance from Gio ‘GM10’ Moreno and the promise of an improvement in the game when Diego Buonanotte put the millionaires level, just seconds after coming on after the break.

It was a chimera. The second half was worst than the first. The two sets of fans made their own fun and stuck to sarcastically applauding songs emanating from the other end of the stadium.

And on Sunday afternoon, football was a mere anecdote in the Independiente-Boca clásico - the barra brava and racist chants took the headlines. While Huracán and San Lorenzo predictably faced their own demons with a series of events between the two clubs’ barra brava (including shoot-outs), fortunately there was football to talk about in that particular clásico.

With two wins in 11, and not one in four under coach Miguel Brindisi, the odds were against Huracán. Ramón 'Díaz’ Falcon was the firm favourite, with San Lorenzo not playing the best football this season, but still considerably better than their hated rivals.

Huracán, meanwhile, lined up with a team of babies with an average age of 22. Five of the team could count the number of top-flight games they had played on one hand. In total, those five players had 15 games’ experience between them.

Yet despite their form and experience, San Lorenzo neither defended well, nor attacked well. Huracán’s youngsters, many of whom had been close to leaving the club for lack of opportunities, shone. Huracán’s centre-backs Quintana and Quiroga both scored great goals leading from set pieces, while Diego Rodriguez - one of the veterans of the side at the ripe old age of 24 - finished off the game with a late penalty.

The last time Huracán beat San Lorenzo 3-0 was in 1972. On that day, Miguel Brindisi was amongst the goalscorers. Four decades on, he masterminded the victory. "This win comforts the soul," he said afterwards. Going on the other performances this weekend, Argentine football as a whole could also do with a bit of soul-cleansing.

River Plate relegation watch Both Tigre and Huracán won this weekend, so after their fifth draw in five, River are six points clear of safety.

Quilmes win watch Leo Madelón replaced Hugo Tocalli in midweek as the Brewer’s coach, but there was no debut win. Indeed, there was no debut draw. There wasn’t even the alegría of a debut goal. 12 games in, Quilmes are still searching for the first win.

Arsenal prepare for super, super weekend

2010-10-22T15:21:00Z

For any sports broadcaster partial to the odd bit of hyperbole here and there, two derbys on the same weekend usally means a barrage of swooshes, fancy graphics and sizzling promos revolving around the use of 'super'. This weekend in Argentina is a realisation of the wildest dreams of jumped-up, bronzed news presenters, salivating football fans and newsagents. Three (3) clásicos, a top of the table clash, potential league leaders versus one of the best sides in the country - it promises to be a super, super weekend…

Arsenal - Godoy Cruz

‘Tell people something they know already and they will thank you for it,’ goes the phrase, ‘tell them something new and they will hate you for it.’ As already discussed in these pages this week, Arsenal aren’t getting much attention amongst the media or fans despite the fact that if they beat Godoy Cruz they will go joint top of the table. That’s TOP. And depending on events in Liniers right after, The *rse could stay there. Despite their form, Gustavo ‘Lettuce’ Alfaro still hasn’t found his ideal starting XI, while Omar Asad will continue to look to David Ramírez for inspiration for the Men from Mendoza. If Riquelme says Ramírez is the best player in Argentina right now, he must be.

Vélez – Estudiantes

Estudiantes were the first Non Big Five to win the league in Argentina. Vélez sometimes feel like the fifth Beatle in trying to join the elite and form a 'Big Six'. But they don’t succeed. But while these two may not fall into the category of a grande, they are big. Over the past few years both Vélez and Estudiantes have been the most consistent sides in the country. With Estudiantes commanding a three-point lead over Vélez, a win for the pincha could put them out of reach, especially if Arsenal don’t defeat Godoy Cruz. But although Juan Sebastián Verón returns, they will have to go for the win without a recognised striker, while also stopping Vélez duo Juan Manuel Martínez and Santaigo Silva, the league’s top two goal scorers this term, in the process. In the word of @optajoe: clash.

River – Racing

Ángel Cappa sent himself off last weekend when River Plate had their winning goal disallowed right at the death against Godoy Cruz. Unfortunately, his colourful abuse was overheard by the officials, meaning that once again he had to explain himself to AFA this week. Cappa now has a suspended suspended-touchline ban. This is one headache he has to deal with. Another is that he still can’t find his preferred XI, and to make things worse, Diego Buonanotte is kicking up a fuss about not playing, despite the forward performing considerably below his ability this year. It’s just as well Racing hardly even win at River.

Huracán – San Lorenzo

Not so long ago this derby was considered one of the most dangerous in Argentina, and the feds are still taking no risks with this one. A series of robberies in which flags were the booty have meant that the Globo and Cuervo fans are the proverbial haybarn waiting for any single spark to kick things off. Flaunting the stolen flags during the clásico used to be the perfect ignition the two sets of fans needed to go at it, so the law has banned any flags being brought into the ground for this game. There are unconfirmed reports that talking will also be banned at football games, in the coming weeks…

Independiente – Boca

Independiente are on thin ice. They beat Uruguayan outfit Defensor in the Sudamericana on Wednesday to progress in the tournament, but while the trophy offers their one and only chance of salvaging their season, the club is in danger of sanctions from CONMEBOL for the Defensor keeper being hit by a rock during the game. All eyes will be on the Libertadores Stadium to see how the fans behave, so a high-pressure clásico against Boca his far from ideal. Boca, meanwhile, are patiently waiting. Waiting, waiting, waiting. It will happen, but it seems that it won’t be this weekend. Mr. Juan Román Riquelme will return. Soon.

FIXTURES: Arsenal v Godoy Cruz, Vélez v Estudiantes, Argentinos v All Boys, River v Racing, Quilmes v Banfield, Lanús v Colón, Huracán v San Lorenzo, Independiente v Boca, Tigre v Olimpo, Newell’s v Gimnasia

Little Arsenal making big waves

2010-10-21T10:45:00Z

The specialised press dedicated 21 pages to other matters before finally getting there.

The Big Five all had their story – with Independiente winning in the Sudamericana (despite the opposition keeper having blood pouring from his head after being hit by a rock thrown by fans). Boca are arguing about where they’ll spend the preseason, River have to bring in a new holding midfielder to the starting XI, San Lorenzo have the clásico against Huracán and Racing star Gio Moreno took up the centre spread.

Then came Vélez and Estudiantes, the top two, who play on Friday in a match that could decide the championship.

Only then, 22 pages in, did Arsenal get a mention. All 164 words of a mention.

Usually, the club from Sarandí only really deserve a small column hidden away in the deeper depths of the press because they are wallowing in a mid- to low-table mediocrity, with no real stars, not playing particularly well, and just getting by.

But this year it is different. This year’s league title race is a three-way between Estudiantes, top of the table on 26 points, Vélez, on 23, and Arsenal. Although they only get 164 words, Arsenal are also on 23 points.

The *rse, as they are affectionately known, are an extremely modest club. The club’s history is limited, along with its resources. The ground has a capacity of 16,000 but has a distinctly non-league feel to it. The club’s record top scorer in the first division has scored a mere 33.

In 1957, Julio, his brother and a group of friends decided to set up a club. Legend has it that it was the friend with a stutter who suggested they should name the new club after the Londoners, Ar-Ar-Ar-Arsenal.

The group of amigos looked no further than their local rivals, giants Independiente and Racing, for inspiration over what Arsenal de Sarandí’s club colours must be – hence the sky-blue shirt with the red stripe.

Julio later moved on to the presidency of Independiente, and in 1979 made the move into the role he holds to this day – president of AFA. But it wasn’t just Grondona who moved onwards and upwards, so too did the club that he founded 53 years ago.

After wallowing in the lower divisions, then gradually working their way up, Arsenal gained promotion to the top flight in 2002. Jorge Burruchaga, the clubs most successful youth team product who returned to coach the side and take them to the first division, said he shouted more when the *rse won promotion than when he won the World Cup with Argentina.

The crowning moment in Arsenal’s history came in 2007, when the side beat Club America in the final of the Copa Sudamericana to win on away goals.

But just three points off the top, Arsenal are now in with the chance of becoming the latest ‘surprise package’ in Argentina.

In recent years, Argentinos Juniors – current holders, Banfield, Lanús, are just a few examples of ‘modest’ clubs to have won the league title. Tigre, Huracán and Godoy Cruz have all come close.

And should Estudiantes and Vélez cancel each other out on Friday, Arsenal could go joint-top of the table this weekend.

Gustavo Alfaro, who won the Sudamericana with the club in 2007, returned as coach this year and looked to build up a team that hid it's defects. “This is down to everyone,’ he said this week speaking about the side's position in the league, ‘from the players, the coaching staff and the board to the kit men.’ But Alfaro is playing the classic underdog card in the title race. ‘It is up to Vélez and Estudiantes, who have the responsibility here. We are just onlookers.’

At one stage in the season, Arsenal seemed content to do just that – look on and let things happen. Against River at the Monumental a few weeks ago, Arsenal started to kill time with less than 10 minutes on the clock. There would be no initiative. A point would do, and if we can grab one on the counter then great, seemed to be the plan.

But last weekend they showed that they could take games to their opposition too. They may have only been playing Gimnasia, deep in the relegation battle, but twice Arsenal found themselves behind, twice they pulled it back and when it counted, right at the death, they took the lead and all three points.

Working against Arsenal is the fact that with Estudiantes and Vélez out of the Sudamericana, both are now focusing solely on the league. Arsenal might push the two of them to the death, just don’t expect to hear too much about it.

Handball, handball and...er...handball

2010-10-19T13:34:00Z

For those with long memories and limited powers of forgiveness, news that this weekend’s round of fixtures in Argentina was overshadowed by three handballs will come as no surprise. All those and more in the Round 11 round up…

Handball (1)

At the age of 37, Esteban ‘Bichi’ Fuertes is still finding the net in top flight. As just about the whole of Santa Fe and indeed the rest of the country could see via TV, however, the Colón striker needed a little helper this weekend to get his fill. Were it not for his outstretched muscly right arm, the ball would not have fallen for him to finish in some style to give his side an early lead over Estudiantes. The most important person at that time failed to see, or punish, the use of the arm and the goal stood.

Handball (2)

When Martín Palermo finally decides to call it a day, his oeuvre will stand as a testament to the full repertoire that any goalscorer should aspire to. It’s neither here nor there whether he missed a few penalties for Argentina, or whether he ‘looks’ good or not, the Titán, the Loco, has scored 228 goals for Boca, from all angles and with just about every body part. His 228th came this Sunday, against Huracán - a stunning 180-degree turn on the edge of the box. The problem was that as he controlled the ball with his back to goal, it hit his hand and landed perfectly for him to turn and hit. Huracán were understandably furious, but the rules say handball must be deliberate, which it wasn’t.

Handball (3)

This one wasn’t actually a handball, but was still given. Having twice thrown away the lead at Godoy Cruz, River Plate’s second half subs Ariel Ortega and Gabriel Funes Mori combined to score a late third. It would have been the winner, it would have brought to an end the four games without a win. But it didn’t stand. While Funes Mori appeared to try to use his hand to control Ortega’s pass with his outstretched arm, he failed. ‘I controlled it with the badge,’ he said afterwards. The referee, who couldn’t have possibly seen how the striker controlled the ball because of his positioning, blew up all the same.

The Gio Factor

The Crouch/Riquelme/Guti of Avellaneda, who goes by the name of Gio Moreno, returned to his stomping ground at the weekend. The Colombian returned from international duty and duly turned the game against Argentinos around, with a perfect freekick and cool finish to win the points for Racing. Having lost the clásico with Independiente, Racing ‘fans’ intimidated the players during the week, and after not applauding the supporters after this win, the player-fan relationship isn’t exactly at its highest ebb right now, but one man will be forgiven.

Goal of the weekend

To look at Santiago Silva you’d think his nickname would be El Loco. He plays like a possessed madman, and has the shaved head and build to go with it. But Uruguayan is, in fact, The Tank. Yet there was no brute force in his scooped lob at the weekend against Quilmes, just pure class.

Result of the weekend

Newly-promoted sides usually have to get on with it and accept their fate in top flight, which is to be the whipping boys and go straight back down. All Boys, however, are carving out a reputation as the giant killers. At the weekend Independiente joined Boca and Estudiantes as victims to the plucky upstarts. Having lost to Racing, they can’t claim a full house of the Big Five, but they look set to stay up and do so with a few famous scalps in the process.

River Relegation Watch: Huracán, Gimnasia and Tigre all lost, but River’s winner was ruled out, meaning the Millionaires only clawed back a single point on their relegation rivals. Four points from safety.

Quilmes Win Watch: The Brewers remain winless after their defeat to Vélez - that’s 11 games without a win, and unsurprisingly at the weekend they were coachless. Hugo Tocalli stepped down, and Leonardo Madelón, no stranger to relegation scraps, is set to take over.

RESULTS San Lorenzo 2-0 Tigre, Quilmes 0-2 Vélez, Gimnasia 2-3 Arsenal, All Boys 3-1 Independiente, Colón 1-1 Estudiantes, Banfield 0-0 Newell’s, Olimpo 1-0 Lanús, Boca 2-0 Huracán, Racing 2-1 Argentinos, Godoy Cruz 2-2 River Plate.

Scratched cars and petty theft

2010-10-15T15:47:00Z

San Lorenzo – Tigre

The wheels are off Ramón’s Ford Falcon. Three defeats on the trot appeared small fry when compared to the news that one of the San Lorenzo players had money stolen from the dressing room during training this week. Some cuervo fans believe a number of players have been stealing from the club for some time now by accepting money for their performances, so taking on Tigre at home is the game to turn things around for the home side.

Quilmes – Vélez

Quilmes have yet to chalk up a win this season. Vélez hit six past Colón last weekend. Forgone conclusion, or so you’d think…

Gimnasia – Arsenal

Third in the league and level-pegging with Vélez just five points from the top of the table, Arsenal are one of the untold stories of this season. Depending on how results go this weekend, perhaps this blog will fill the void of this criminally ignored topic next week. They take on Gimnasia, whose morale should be slightly higher after the players finally were paid their wages. The club had next year’s TV money brought forward to cover the situation, which begs the question – what will they do next year?

All Boys – Independiente

Fresh from the win over Racing, Antonio Mohamed is thinking of changing as many as eight players in the starting eleven to face All Boys, who as one former vice-president admitted, named the club as such because they looked around and realised that the players were, indeed, all boys. Stunning logic.

Colón – Estudiantes

Verón and Rodrigo Braña are ruled out for the visitors, but regardless of injuries Estudiantes have dropped just five points in 10 games and are kings of the castle. Colón will need Esteban Fuertes to forget that tax evasion charge so that Colón can forget last weekend’s 6-0 drubbing.

Banfield – Newell’s Old Boys

Banfield’s run in the Sudamericana came to an end this week, meaning that Julio Falcioni’s men can concentrate on their league position. After his recent bust-up with Angel Cappa over how winning is more important than playing well, ninth placed Banfield better start winning games in the league…

Olimpo – Lanús

100 years ago today, there was a debate. Shall we call the club Libertad? Shall we call it River Plate? No, we shall call the club Olimpo. It’s the team from Bahía Blanco’s centenary and, as the president promised when he took over 15 years ago, they celebrate it in top flight - against Lanús. The visitors are without Sebastián Blanco, not because he is moving to Atlético Madrid (as his coach Luis Zubeldía pointed out, there hasn’t actually been an offer) but because he is injured.

Boca Juniors – Huracán

149 days after his knee operation, Juan Román Riquelme is back. Well, he’s back training. Román should return to first team action for the xeneize next weekend just in time to get ready for the superclásico, but in the meantime Claudio Borghi has to work out how to replace Gaona Lugo, who in just two games became a shoe-in on the right side of midfield.

Racing – Argentinos Juniors

Losing the clásico was one thing. Seeing players out partying just hours after losing the clásico was another. Some Racing ‘fans’ somehow made it past security and waited to speak to the players after training this week. When Braian Lluy didn’t come out of the changing room, they simply scratched his car, to let him know that sort of behaviour wasn’t on. Lluy had supposedly been seen out clubbing. He says he was miles away at a birthday party with his family.

Godoy Cruz – River Plate

The men from Mendoza are having another strong season under Omar Asad, making the trip particularly tricky for River, who failed to win the last two games in which they made 22 chances to score. Cappa may choose to leave Ariel Ortega out of the starting eleven, which is probably the right decision, but if River don’t win while Ortega is on the bench, there will be an almighty fuss next week.

Badge kissers, killers and little donkeys

2010-10-12T15:25:00Z

Hilario ‘The Ice Truck Killer’ Navarro

For some he always looks like he has only just woken up. Others prefer to point out he belongs to the Dmitri Kharine school of keepers by wearing his tracksuit for the duration of games. To this blogger, he bears a startling reminiscence to the baddy from the first series of Dexter – the Ice truck killer.

To previous coaches at Independiente, Hilario Navarro simply hadn’t been the favoured number one, but new man on the block Antonio Mohamed had no doubt in putting him in goal for the derby with Racing. He made several brilliant saves, earned a 10/10 rating from almost all the papers, and won Independiente the clásico. Some would say with their finishing, Racing lost the clásico, but we’ll stick with the positive for now.

Juan Manuel ‘The Little Donkey’ Martínez

When Wigan decided to pay £6.3 million to have Mauro Boselli sit on their bench, Estudiantes went looking for a replacement. They found him at Vélez, and indeed Hernán López scored for the pincha this weekend. That move in turn opened the door for Juan Manuel Martínez to get more minutes at Vélez.

With every weekend he is improving, and his second at the weekend reminded everyone just why he was nicknamed after Ariel Ortega for his trickery in the area and brilliant finish. He was in inspired form as Vélez hit Colón for six. Martínez, along with his teammate Santiago Silva, is the league’s top scorer with six.

Matías ‘The Badge Kisser’ Gimenez

When Clemente ‘a red card waiting to happen’ Rodriguez lived up to his (pretend) middle name last weekend, Claudo Borghi was forced into making at least one change for the traditionally tricky trip to Tigre.

In came Matías Gimenez, who Boca purchased from Tigre just a year ago, and predictably the 27-year-old opened the scoring against his old side. In reacting to the goal, he first put his hands together and apologized to the home fans. Fair enough. But then, just split seconds later, he was reaching for the badge of his current side and giving it an affectionate kiss. And then they complain they get abuse from the terraces…

Erik ‘He’s going to be a bit special’ Lamela

River taking on Gimnasia was as much of a six pointer as they come. Both are in the relegation playoff zone, and going head to head on Monday’s bank holiday gave either the opportunity to get some breathing space ahead of the other.

Gimnasia, however, have been poor this season. River should have won easily. In the first half, the 18 year old Erik Lamela terrorized the Gimnasia defense, hit the woodwork, and looked like River’s best chance of creating a goal.

Nobody understood why he didn’t come out after half time. Stories of a bust up with Ortega in the dressing room must be true, because nothing else explains why he didn’t carry on. River failed to score, and were booed off the pitch.

River Plate relegation watch: The millionaires failed to capitalise on Huracán, All Boys and Tigre all dropping points, and are still five points from safety.
Quilmes win watch: good point in Rosario for the Brewers, but still no win in sight.

Title watch: Estudiantes were eight points clear for a couple of hours on Friday night, but Arsenal and Vélez both won, bringing back the deficit to five points.

RESULTS Estudiantes 2-0 Olimpo; Arsenal 1-0 Banfield; Huracán 1-1 All Boys; Lanús 2-0 San Lorenzo; Argentinos 0-0 Godoy Cruz; Newell’s 1-1 Quilmes; Independiente 1-0 Racing; Vélez 6-0 Colón; Tigre 1-2 Boca; River 0-0 Gimnasia.

The Turk looks to down Racing

2010-10-08T16:35:00Z

The Turk had his feet up at home, sat on the sofa with his son, watching Wrestlemania and eating croissants. The trip to Miami was booked for this week, and after two years in charge of Colón it was time for some R&R, time with the family, time away from football… some down time. Time to take stock, reappraise, recharge, and prepare for the next job.

Over in Mendoza, however, things were looking distinctly grey for Independiente. Although they had taken the lead, Godoy Cruz replied with three before the break, making the Rojo presidente Julio Comparada decide there and then, at half time, to bring in a new coach.

Comparada had already said 'Thanks but no thanks' to Daniel Garnero, after a terrible start to the season with no win in seven games for the seven-times Libertadores winners. Ricardo Pavoni came in while Independiente sounded out various coaches, with the Uruguayan Jorge Fossati in pole position to take over. The problem was that Fossati is currently in charge of Al-Shabab in Saudi Arabia, and might not have been able to get out of his contract for another couple of months.

The board, meanwhile, were hoping to protect the new coach from the result of this weekend’s clásico. Pavoni had won his first game in charge with a late goal. 1-0, three points, breathing space.

But then the following week Godoy Cruz scored three in the first 45 minutes, added another before the final 90, rushing forward the need for a decision. The lycra-watching weekend was over, the holiday in Miami was cancelled, the offer was made, the meeting was set up, and hands then shook.

Antonio ‘The Turk’ Mohamed was the new Independiente coach. Having never lost to Racing in his coaching career helped boost the feel-good factor in the red half of Avallaneda. ‘We can negotiate what system we use,’ he said upon taking over, ‘but not the side’s attitude.’

As if the team needed any extra motivation ahead of this weekend’s derby with Racing, the fans offered it at Thursday’s training session. A 50 metre banner read ‘we want commitment and sacrifice from the players. On Sunday whatever it takes, play like fans. Win or die.’ The spelling mistake on the banner only slightly detracted from the menacing tone of the message.

Mohamed quickly identified what he’d need to do – find the backbone of players around which to build his side. Hilario in goal, Eduardo Tuzzio at the back, youth team product Fernando Godoy and legendary striker Andrés Silvera are the chosen four.

While Independiente gee themselves up for the derby, just 100 metres from their half-finished stadium are Racing. The Academy haven’t conceded in three games, with a 4-0 and a 3-0 win either side of a goalless draw, and should go into the game as favourites.

There are two problems with this.

First is recent history. Racing haven’t won the Avellaneda clásico since 2005. They have lost six and drawn four with their neighbours in the last ten meetings. Players say these things don’t matter, but fans can’t forget it. Nerves are on edge.

The other problem is Gio. Giovanni Moreno is turning out to be something of a revelation this season. Brought over from Colombia in the preseason, the classic number 10 has scored three and set up several other goals too. He strolls around the place, perfectly happy in the knowledge that it is up to lesser beings to do things like mark, run, or stay in position. His job is to be brilliant, and he does it really quite well. Think of a cross between Peter Crouch, Riquelme, and Guti – physique, languid (ahem) nature and gloved left foot, respectively – and you are more or less there.

Gio has fast become Racing's key player since joining. So when the Colombian national team decided they simply had to have him for their friendly with Ecuador, it doesn’t take a genius to work out how that news went down at Racing.

Miguel Angel Russo will have to reshuffle his deck and do without Gio, but if Racing can put an end to the awful run of form against the local enemies, they’ll make Mohamed wish he was still at home watching men in lycra.

Matchday 10 fixtures
Estudiantes – Olimpo
Arsenal – Banfield
Huracán – All Boys
Lanús – San Lorenzo
Argentinos – Godoy Cruz
Newell’s – Quilmes
Independiente – Racing
Vélez – Colón
Tigre – Boca
River - Gimnasia

Estudiantes to bag 150 points?

2010-10-05T10:42:00Z

Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool

Last week we had 13. This week there were 30. Things started off predictably tepid on Friday night with the duel between Quilmes and Arsenal, who between them had mustered 14 goals in 16 previous games. 83 minutes in, however, Pablo Aguilar got the ball rolling with his winner. Rolando Schiavi and Mauricio Sperdutti added to the total to take the tally to three by Friday night.

Saturday was a riotous orgy of goal mouth action, with a pump and thrust of All Boys and the Tiger ending three a piece. Godoy Cruz steam-rolled Independiente and hit four, Racing scored three, as did Colón, while Lanús, River and Banfield all chipped in with two each. Only San Lorenzo and Quilmes failed to find the net in the highest-scoring weekend of the season so far.

Estudiantes top of the class

On a pro rata basis on the back of the past week’s haul, Estudiantes should finish the term with over 150 points. Clearly, that isn’t going to happen, but after taking nine points in seven days, the Pincha might as well be that far ahead of their closest rivals. Beating San Lorenzo by a single goal, without Verón, took the students’ lead at the top of the table to five points. They have conceded three goals in nine games and only Godoy Cruz have scored more. Odds on champions.

Independiente on fire

Part of the reason Godoy Cruz have scored so many goals is because they played Independiente at the weekend. The rojo are in the red, big time. The board of directors were supposedly waiting till after next week’s clásico with Racing to appoint a new coach after sacking Daniel Garnero two weeks ago. The logic was to save the new boy from a likely defeat. Then they went ahead and hired Antonio ‘The Turk’ Mohamed, sacked by Colón just two weeks ago, but who conveniently has never lost to Racing as coach.

Naughty Clemente

The Turk may be the new angel in Avallaneda, but Boca’s Clemente Rodriguez is the devil of top flight. He was sent off against Lanús for conceding penalty in time added on, but in fact should have been sent off twice, if not three times before that. He was a convenient hate figure for fans and the phone-ins, making him public enemy number one for now.

Borghi’s quit! Oh, no he hasn’t. Not yet, anyway

Borghi committed the heinous crime of taking his place in the dugout a minute later than the rules allow. The crack down on punctuality may seem over the top with four coaches now sent off for their time keeping, but at least a rule is being enforced. He trudged back over to the stands like a man condemned.

As he watched on from the stands, helpless as Clemente conceded the late penalty that gave Lanús the victory, all hell broke loose on twitter. BICHI HAS QUIT, declared one person in the know. BICHI IS OFFERING HIS RESIGNATION NOW said another. CLEMENTE APOLOGISES, forwarded somebody. SIX PLAYERS MEETING BORGHI TO CONVINCE HIM TO STAY, offered another insider.

All these turned out be rubbish when BORGHI ON TYC popped up on the twitter line.

“I’m still the Boca coach,” said Borghi over on the sports channel, but with the look and words of a man ready to quit. “I’m not sure it’s worth it” was one choice phrase which suggested that it is a question of time till he steps down.

River Plate relegation watch

While Bichi mulled over his resignation, down in the south of Buenos Aires River were taking on Banfield. Ángel Cappa shared his colleague’s fate by being banished to the stands, presumably for foul and abusive language. What proceeded was the comic sight of the River Plate coach watching on through a barred window, as if he was in jail, selling tickets, or selling nuts. What was clear to see was him venting his aggression on an unlucky wall at shin height below him. River mustered a point, somehow, and are five points from safety from relegation.

Matchday nine results

Quilmes 0-1 Arsenal
Newell’s 2-0 Vélez
All Boys 3-3 Tigre
Godoy Cruz 4-1 Independiente
Racing 3-0 Huracán
Olimpo 2-3 Colón
San Lorenzo 0-1 Estudiantes
Boca 1-2 Lanús
Banfield 2-2 River

The Gloriously Respectful preview

2010-10-01T15:28:00Z

“You have to respect the glory,” says Alex Sabella. Various sectors of the press, the fans and the world have not exactly been forthcoming in lavishing praise on his Estudiantes side in recent weeks, and the men from La Plata are not happy about this lack of respect.

After losing to top-flight newcomers, All Boys, in the league recently, the critics have rained in. After losing to Newell’s in the Sudamericana and going out of the competition, the critics rained in. And after losing the Recopa – South American Supercup to you and me – to Liga de Quito, yes indeed, the critics rained in.

Estudiantes had been the darlings of Argentine football before this campaign. They’re not one of the Big Five, they have a Millwall ‘nobody likes us and we don’t care’ swagger about them, and although they haven’t won the league since 2006, winning the 2009 Libertadores Cup meant that nobody could come close when it came to bragging rights.

Along with Vélez, they were the favourites for another successful season a couple of months back. And it wasn’t just going to be any old successful season, but a championship, Sudamericana and Recopa grand slam.

But then All Boys, Newell’s and Liga de Quito put paid to that talk. Everone was on the Picha’s back again. Lacking respect.

Fortunately, in Argentina there are two types of competition that save seasons - one is the league, the other is the clásico. The La Plata derby had been postponed because of the Recopa final, but on Wednesday the two went to battle. Fortunately, in light of recent gun-wielding antics from the Estudiantes fans, there was no battle. Although there was a victory.

The Pincha breezed past Gimnasía winning 2-0, including a penalty from Juan Sebastián Verón, forcing the gymnasts coach Diego Cocca to quit, and went top of the pile again.

‘We have to thank these players, they lead us to glory and that deserves respect,’ Sabella demanded after the derby.
The problem is that the current squad is nowhere near that has been so dominant in recent years. To balance the books, Estudiantes were forced to sell Mauro Boselli to Wigan, Marcos Angeleri to Sunderland, Clemente Rodriguez and Cristián Cellay to Boca, plus José Sosa to Napoli over the close season.

Without that group of players, challenging in the Sudamericana and on the home front would be far too big a task.
‘We are like a pick-up truck,’ reckons Juan Sebastián Verón, obliging the journalist who unflinchingly continued the insidious newly-installed trend in Argentina to compare all teams to cars. This weekend they take on San Lorenzo, the Ford Falcon, readers may recall, where sanloré’s coach Ramón Díaz believes the whole country will be supporting the ciclón in order to knock Estudiantes off the top spot.

The clash between the two ought to have been two contenders for the biggest, most powerful, most glorious and most respected job of them all – national team coach. Ramón Díaz has the CV for the gig. Alex Sabella is Carlos Bilardo’s favourite for the role. But as Maradona pointed out this week, it’s all about profile. And that must be respected.

‘It’s not my fault if the new coach has a low profile because he only scored three goals. I scored 200, I earned my profile on the pitch,’ said Diego about Sergio Batista in Russia while helping to raise $500,000 for charity.

Maradona, you see, isn’t being shown enough respect for what he did as a player, for his time as coach and for what he can still bring to the national team. This lack of respect has been turned around on a sixpenny piece by pelusa himself, and thrown back in the face of just about everyone.

Between his fund-raising trips to Moscow and interviews with local TV stations, Maradona has criticised everybody – from AFA head-honcho Julio Grondona for lies, to Carlos Bilardo for not being able to sing karaoke, to Sergio Batista for not being recognised in Uruguay (and only scoring three goals), to the players when they were still his players for their lack of concentration against Germany…

The list goes on, but the story is the same. The glory must be respected.

Matchday nine fixtures

Quilmes – Arsenal
Newell’s – Vélez
All Boys – Tigre
Godoy Cruz – Independiente
Gimnasia – Argentinos
Racing – Huracán
Olimpo – Colón
San Lorenzo – Estudiantes
Boca – Lanús
Banfield - River

Quilmes flat after River draw

2010-09-27T15:30:00Z

Quilmes is the Argentine national beer. It tends to be quite a divider amongst the foreign legion in Argentina, the main gripe being that it is just too light.

The highly contemptuous term ‘shandy’ has even been mentioned in one or two discussions within earshot of this particular blogger, although at 4.9% it is not far off matching its misogynistic competitors in the market.

Complaining about the taste of the national beer will earn you fewer local friends than if you point out that the company that produces Quilmes beer belongs to the Brazilians.

As well as the nation’s beer of choice, however, Quilmes is also a town on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, meaning that of course it also has a football team. Quilmes, in fact, holds the honour of hosting the oldest football club in the land.

Back in the 1880s, as one Quilmes website proudly reminds us, there were about 30,000 ‘English’ living in Argentina. The website happily explains that by ‘English’, they mean English, Irish and Scottish.

Anyway, these ‘English’ immigrants formed the Quilmes Athletic and Polo Club to play football, polo and other sports. Seven years later Quilmes Rovers Athletic Club was formed, passing onto Quilmes Cricket Club before settling with the Quilmes Atlético Club we all now know.

Its status as the Godfather of Argentine football hasn’t necessarily transpired into success, with just one top flight league title to their name.

And although everyone – they themselves – knew they would struggle after winning promotion to primera this year, it was generally seen as good news that the founders were back in the big time.

Naturally, not everyone was happy. Conspiracy theorists and paranoid opposition coaches claimed that The Brewers were granted some unfair advantage in their return to the big boys club.

First of all, the government’s chief-of-staff Aníbal Fernández (also one of the architects of Fútbol Para Todos whereby the state bought the TV rights to the first division) became the club’s vice-president a week before the league started.

Then, together with River Plate and Arsenal, they were accused of having an advantageous fixture list. In the case of Quilmes, their first three league games were at home – ‘that’s unfair!!!’ cried other clubs.

With this backdrop, Quilmes brought in their former keeper, and championship winning coach from Chile, Hugo Tocalli. And there were new faces – lots of them.

They didn’t just sign a new team, they almost signed a new squad with over 20 players joining. Amongst them was the ‘Paraguayan Messi’, 17 year old Juan Iturbe, who, confusingly, is Argentine.
Yet despite this it hasn’t been the best of starts for Quilmes.

On Sunday they got lucky, having been poor against River Plate. Had Funes Mori scored one of his various chances, the millionaires would have sown up the points after Mariano Pavone gave them the lead in the second half.

And despite improving on recent performances, Quilmes offered between little and nothing during 90 minutes. Lucky there’s time added on, eh? In the 91st minute, a free-kick swung in, and former Boca Juniors midfielder Miguel Caneo, totally unmarked, headed in the equaliser.

The point may have felt like a win for the visitors, but it wasn’t at all. Quilmes are the only side without a win in top flight. Independiente sacked their coach Daniel Garnero last week, having not won in 7, and then proceeded to beat Gimnasia 1-0.

Reigning champions Argentinos Juniors had also failed to take three points from a game till this weekend, but managed just that against Banfield at home.

Whoever scores the winner for Quilmes’ first victory will no doubt find a crate of beer on his doorstep when he gets home. When, and if, that happens is an entirely different matter.
Meanwhile…

River Plate relegation watch:

They should have wrapped up the three points against Quilmes, but then that’s exactly why they are where they are. Failure to do see leaves River in the relegation playoff position, six points from safety.

The Back Three:

Thanks to one Sunday night football show, the new evil in humanity has been identified.

Regularly demonising Claudio Borghi’s decision to play three defenders, all that is left is to put ‘the back three’ up there with drug-smuggling, irresponsible privatizations during the 1990s, the bogey man, parents, the virus that invaded twitter the other day, responsibility for breaking up The Beatles, social injustice, cruelty to animals etc.

Matchday Eight results:

Vélez 3-0 Olimpo
Independiente 1-0 Gimnasia
Argentinos 1-0 Banfield
Estudiantes 1-0 Boca
Lanús 1-0 All Boys
Colón 2-0 San Lorenzo
Arsenal 0-0 Newell’s
Huracán 1-1 Godoy Cruz
Tigre 0-0 Racing
River 1-1 Quilmes

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Ramón's Falcon getting job done

2010-09-21T09:07:00Z

The 2007 San Lorenzo side was a Ferrari. So said Ramón Díaz – once of Oxford United fame - who coached that side. He oversaw the likes of Ezequiel Lavezzi, Gastón Fernández and Cristían ‘The Wolf’ Ledesma as El Ciclón strolled to a 6-point championship win.

There was no such talk in Bajo Flores this preseason after Ramón returned for another crack at the whip at the Nuevo Gasómetro.

‘This San Lorenzo side is no Ferrari, it’s a Falcon.’

The Ford Falcon is an Argentine classic. Reliable, robust, tough and practical. There were nearly half a million of them made in Argentina before production stopped years ago, and there are still plenty of them driving around the country.

The car was also the preferred vehicle used by the military dictatorship for the systematic kidnapping and ‘disappearing’ of political dissidents in the 1970s, but that’s a different story altogether.

Ramón almost walked out on San Lorenzo during the preseason over the lack of transfer activity. With one or two new faces signing late on he decided to stay put, with the Falcon comment he was lowering the expectations of the expectant sanloré fans.

Seven matches into the league, true to his comparison, his side is robust, tough and practical.

At the weekend San Lorenzo were trailing by a goal to Olimpo, the recently promoted side who were playing in front of less-than-impressive-sight of under 100 travelling fans.

Recognising the three at the back wasn’t working out and the visitors were passing the ball around like Barcelona, Ramón replaced centre-back Meza with fullback Sebastián Luna, reverting to a flat back four.

Two minutes later, the side levelled.

They went on to score two second-half goals to win the three points, go top of the table, and, thanks to other sides’ results, stay there. Vélez failed to trouble Arsenal, Estudiantes lost to All Boys and River also lost away to Newell’s, while Tigre somehow beat Godoy Cruz.

But despite being top of the table, San Lorenzo are at times more like a 1980s Skoda than a classic Ford Falcon.

For the first 20 minutes San Lorenzo were shocking. The passing was atrocious. The fans, as one put it, ‘hate’ the left back. The centre forward Sebastian Balsas, a Uruguayan Peter Crouch, received a 3.5/10 rating for his performance. And while creative hub Leandro Romagnoli had his best game of the season, he is still far from his own best as he recovers from injury.

None of this matters for now, because much like the Falcon, San Lorenzo may not be flashy, but they are getting the job done.

Elsewhere…

Gimnasia have scored just three goals in their six fixtures so far, and all three came this weekend. They waited 482 minutes to find the net this season, then hit three great goals in 90 minutes to grab their first win of the campaign.

Martín Palermo hit a hat-trick against Colón, taking his total to 218 goals in Argentina and placing his as the 6th all-time top scorer in the league’s history.
Daniel Garnero won just 3 points from 21 with Independiente, so unsurprisingly he is no longer the Rojo coach. Banfield thrashing his side 4-0 was the final straw.

And finally, the River Plate relegation watch - the millionaires are currently in the relegation playoff. As things stand they’ll fight for first division status over a home- and away-leg with one of the second division upstarts. They are still six points from safety.

Results

Gimnasia 3-0 Huracán
Racing 4-0 Lanús
San Lorenzo 3-1 Olimpo
Godoy Cruz 1-2 Tigre
Quilmes 2-2 Argentinos
Arsenal 0-0 Vélez
All Boys 2-1 Estudiantes
Newell’s 1-0 River
Banfield 4-0 Independiente
Boca 3-1 Colón

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Good night and good luck

2010-09-17T13:56:00Z

The news that Diego Buonanotte has been charged with manslaughter spread on Monday. The judge investigating an accident that happened on December 26th of last year, in which three passengers were killed, called the River Plate forward in to testify.

Buonanotte was at the wheel during the accident in question.

Tests soon dismissed any possibility of him having driven under the influence, but the on-going investigation is over the possibility of Buonanotte’s responsibility for reckless driving.

Remarkably, given the type of accident, Buonanotte was back training within months, but he had no recollection of the accident. He was only told several days after the accident, while he was still in hospital, what had happened and that his friends had not survived.

After testifying on Monday, River Plate gave him time off. Club president Daniel Passarella told him to come back when he was ready. Coach Ángel Cappa quickly realised that although he could do with an in-form Buonanotte to help River this season, the player needs professional help.

Cappa began the season with Buonanotte in the first team. The idea was to help him deal with the situation by playing football. In the first three matches of the season, he was in the starting XI.

His rating in Olé, out of ten, was 4.5. On matchday 4, against Argentinos Juniors, the paper gave him 3.5. It clearly wasn’t working - Buonanotte simply wasn’t in condition to play football.

Away to Vélez, on matchday five, he was on the bench.

The game against Vélez was tense enough, with Cappa a hate figure amongst the Vélez fans after the controversial season finale in 2009, when Cappa was in charge of Huracán.

Despite starting with the idea of keeping Buonanotte on the bench, an early injury forced Cappa to put him on in the first half. With a brilliant shot from outside the box, Buonanotte brought River back level.

"Killer” screamed one home ‘fan’.

While the judiciary decides whether Buonanotte is guilty of manslaughter or not, it is clear that Buonanotte will be punished – by himself - for considerably longer than any prison term possibly could.

And while he comes to terms with the accident, as long as he is playing football he will always be a target for opposition ‘fans.’

The issue escalated from mere verbal abuse from ‘fans’ on the terraces with problems, as it happens, involving Vélez last weekend.

They travelled to play San Lorenzo at the Nuveo Gasómetro, with a clever, yet provocative banner poking fun at the Ciclón’s failure to ever win the Libertadores. San Lorenzo’s coach said the game against Vélez wasn’t a clásico. Vélez fans agreed that playing San Lorenzo wasn’t a clásico for them either…

The match itself was as far from a classic as is possible. The only reason it made any headlines was when rocks and seats started flying towards the end of the game, and then when tear gas and rubber bullets also started flying.

Ever since 2008, when Vélez supporter Emanuel Alvarez was shot at by a San Lorenzo ‘fan,’ fixtures between the two have been high risk. Alvarez was victim number 231 in football-related deaths in Argentina.

The number now stands at 250.

It’s here where the issue moves from verbally abusing opposition players and causing disruption at games, into the realms of organised crime and violence.

Violence in and around football in Argentina is a totally different phenomenon to hooliganism. The only way to eradicate it from is with political will – from the national government, from AFA, and of course from the club directors.

Just in the past month there have been major incidents at Newell’s, Quilmes, Estudiantes, and now Vélez and San Lorenzo. River Plate are on alert for possible incidents amongst their ‘fans’.
Argentine football has its demons that it refuses to face. Diego Buonanotte has no choice but to face his.

Fixtures matchday 7

Gimnasia – Huracán
Racing – Lanús
San Lorenzo – Olimpo
Godoy Cruz – Tigre
Quilmes – Argentinos
Arsenal – Vélez
All Boys – Estudiantes
Newell’s – River
Banfield – Independiente
Boca – Colón

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Godoy Cruz win battle of 'The Others'

2010-09-14T14:55:00Z

Far, far away from River Plate, Boca Juniors, Diego Maradona and Leo Messi, there are other teams, other legends, and other players in Argentina.

This little known fact is often ignored by those in the know, making it difficult for those not in the know to find out. Argentine football’s national and international audience tends treat these other supporting-role characters much like The Others in Lost.

Not so on this blog - well, not always...

There are two glorious idiosyncrasies of Argentina football which prove how The Others can have their day. It doesn’t matter if most coverage of remarkable achievements is given a patronising 15-minute pat on the head, well done and now-go-back-to-where-you-came-from-and-let-the-adults-get-on-with-things. The point is they can have their day.

First up is the law of averages. The extent to which everybody prefers to talk about River or Boca, or even The Big Five, is irrelevant. It all averages out. The three-year league table – the one that decides who goes down - also serves us up with a clear idea of who the best team over the past three years has been.

Boca? River? Please. Racing, Independiente, San Lorenzo? Come on. Estudiantes? Vélez? Close, but no. Step forward Lanús.

Back in 2007, Lanús won the Apertura – the first league title in the club’s history. Banfield’s local rival may struggle to bring in crowds in excess of 20,000, but are one of the best-organised clubs in the country.

They don’t sack coaches every three months, they have a productive youth system and then sell well. Since the 2007 title triumph, the club may not have won any silverware but it has been the most consistent side in the country, putting them top of the three-year table.

As well as three-year averages, there is another particularity to the Argentine league. There’s no Big Four, or Barcelona-Real Madrid-Hércules title race here. The last eight championships have produced eight different title-winners.

Current champions Argentinos Juniors are not having the best time of it this term, but they were pushed right to the final whistle by Godoy Cruz of Mendoza en route to their title win.

It is difficult to overstate the scale of Godoy Cruz’ achievement. The club only made it into top flight in 2005. Consolidating a place in the first division is difficult – all three of the sides promoted this season are all in the relegation-bound bottom-four. Although they went down again, the club bounced back up immediately.

At the beginning of last season, the side was battling against relegation, once again, and risked their fate by appointing a debutant coach – Omar Asad. Despite only having coached youth teams at Vélez, despite the pressure and despite the limited transfer budget, Asad took the team to third.

And so, last season’s success story took on the three-year champions this weekend.

Lanús hit the woodwork twice with the game at 1-1, but the Tomba proceeded to brush past their hosts. David Ramírez had hit the first, taking his season tally to four and putting him alongside Vélez’ Santiago Silva, Boca’s Lucas Viatri and River’s Gabriel Funes Mori as the league’s top scorer.

Former Colombian international Jairo Castillo added the third after a rocket from Ariel Rojas, Diego Villar added the final flourish with ten minutes to go, making the final score 4-1.

The win put Godoy Cruz within two points of the top of the table – if they maintain this form and challenge for honours once again it will be an extraordinary achievement. Lanús, meanwhile, will no doubt pick themselves up from this blip – their first defeat of the season. Just don’t expect to hear too much about either side.

Matchday 6 Results
Tigre 2-0 Gimnasia
Colón 1-1 All Boys
Huracán 2-2 Banfield
San Lorenzo 0-0 Vélez
Lanús 1-4 Godoy Gruz
Estudiantes 2-0 Racing
Argentinos 1-2 Newell’s
River 1-0 Arsenal
Independiente 0-0 Quilmes
Olimpo 1-3 Boca

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Highs and lows put Albiceleste in shade

2010-09-10T15:19:00Z

Yesterday’s results in world cups permitted Argentines to indulge themselves in an emotional outpouring that satisfied two opposite extremes of the national character. ‘We are the best’ was swiftly followed by ‘we are the worst'.

They are the best because the women’s hockey team marched triumphantly to the final of the World Cup, breezing past Germany 2-1. They are the worst because the basketball side was utterly destroyed by Lithuania 104-85 in the world championship in Turkey.

These two results led to a situation which probably stands proudly unique in media history - you have to read the entire first half of the Argentine sports daily before you can find anything about football. Usually, the complete reverse is true, and the paper is in fact a football daily with a couple of token 100-word articles about handgliding.

Despite the highs and lows that other sports have offered the Argentine sports enthusiast this week, the reverberations from the midweek 4-1 win over Spain are still being felt. Most believed that the interim coach Sergio Batista had passed his audition and could start to sit comfortably in his new office from where he would direct proceedings with the national team for the next four years.

Doctor Carlos Bilardo put this wishful and rational thinking to rest by announcing that there were still three young candidates that he will propose to the board at AFA, and if they didn’t choose the right one – the correct one according to him - then he’d quit.

He also said that the contract on offer would only be until next year’s Copa America, but his boss, AFA president Julio Grondona, pointed out that this wasn’t 100% accurate, and that in fact any contract would be until the 2014 World Cup.

If not even beating the world champions 4-1 can calm things down, nothing will.

Away from the sky-blue-and-white of the various national teams, it’s back to club colours this weekend.

There’s a top of the table clash between San Lorenzo and Vélez, which the sanloré coach Ramón Díaz both played down also played up, saying he ‘wouldn’t call it a clásico.’ As we all know, any meeting between the Big Five is a clásico, but Vélez are the fifth Beatle of Argentine football as the unofficial sixth grande, and will not appreciate Ramón’s comments.

River Plate against Arsenal is a curious fixture because it is, at the same, a top of the table clash, but also a relegation battle. Argentine football operates on a parallel universe system, so while Arsenal are top of the table and River are just two points behind them, in the other world, the world of relegation table and three yearly averages, both would prefer not to look.

Estudiantes lost the South American Supercup midweek but can now focus on domestic commitments, this weekend against Racing. If the rumour mill is to be believed, which is a bad idea judging by the rumour mill’s form, Alejandro Sabella may have reached the end of his welcome in La Plata. So he’ll probably still be there in 2037.

And finally of the games to watch out for, Boca travel to Olimpo. ‘Watching out for’ is a relative term, however. Perhaps just look for the result. Boca have promised to pump the ball up to its two giant centre forwards all game. It won’t be one for the purist, but with four points to show from five games, the boys from the Bombonera can ill-afford to lose.

Fixtures
Tigre – Gimnasia
Colón – All Boys
Huracán – Banfield
San Lorenzo – Vélez
Lanús – Godoy Cruz
Estudiantes – Racing
Argentinos – Newell’s
River – Arsenal
Independiente – Quilmes
Olimpo – Boca

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More than a friendly for Sergio Batista

2010-09-07T14:14:00Z

Argentina are now the proud scorers of the best goal in World Cup history – for two sports.

Maradona’s slalom through the procrastinating English defence in 1986 is rightly considered the greatest goal in the history of the tournament.

What many people outside Argentina probably don’t know is that even though Diego is very much alive and kicking, Diego has a double – as long as we are strictly speaking about talent, that is. She is called Luciana Aymar.

She was the first player to ever win Player of the Year three times, and then just decided to carry on and won it another three times.

She is now captaining the Argentina women’s hockey side at the World Cup currently being held in Rosario, a few hours north of Buenos Aires. Then, yesterday she and The Lionesses beat England to book their place in the semi final.

But the cherry atop the cake which ensured the El Diego comparisons weren’t unjustified, came at the weekend. Aymar zig-zagged her way through the Chinese defence, beating three en route before scoring a quite brilliant goal. All that was missing was the legendary commentary of ‘barrilete cosmico, de qué planeta viniste?!’, which the local TV stations soon obliged with as they showed endless repetitions of the goal, and voila! Maradona’s goal was the best at World Cups, so too is Aymar’s!

While Argentina plan which sport they should produce the next moment of individual genius in, however, there are more pressing matters at hand. Tonight they take on the World Cup winners Spain.

Of course it is only a friendly, but even with the Spanish, there is no such thing as a friendly. Of course they have just been crowned world champions, but show no sign of a Franck Leboeuf “I’ve won the World Cup” about them. Of course they’ve just been awarded the Prince of Asturias award for their achievement. Of course they all tweet photos of them on the pitch at the Bombonera and Monumental and then joke about how they’ll be demanding money from the papers who print them under the copyright laws. Of course there are no lurid tabloid stories about them. And sure, it is with most of the current Spain squad which whom Leo Messi produces his best club football.

But despite this love-in for Spain’s brilliance, Argentina still have to resolve a fairly major issue, which they will only do by winning (or indeed losing, although that will make things considerably more messy in the short term).

While the home side limber up for the match amidst complaints that Zanetti had been called up again, that Pastore isn’t in the squad, that Heinze is still allowed in the country, that Cambiasso is also back, that there is no Bolatti, most of these complaints miss the mark because they are usually then followed by one word and one date. Brazil. 2014.

A friendly just a few months after one World Cup doesn’t decide who goes to the next one, but it could decide who is in charge, should Argentina qualify.
In under a year’s time Argentina host the Copa America, but they still have yet to name Maradona’s successor. For now it is Sergio Batista, the under-20s coach who is filling in and, after beating Ireland last time out, if he manages a win against the newly crowned world champs he will be in pole position to take the job full time.

He’s announced his side – Romero in goal; a back four of Zanetti, Demichelis, Gabriel Milito, Heinze; a midfield three of Mascherano, Banega and Cambiasso; and up front Messi, Higuaín and Tevez.

According to Leo Messi the side play a similar style to Barcelona under Batista, but the coach quickly backed down from any comparisons. ‘It is six years of work against six days,’ he said.

That may well be the case, but it could be four years more work ahead of him if Batista can produce a result against Spain. But first things first, like every team that plays the Roja, first they need to get the ball. Then they need to hope some Maradona/Aymar magic appears.

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My Perfect 10: Juan Román Riquelme

2010-09-03T15:28:00Z

We round off Playmakers Week with FourFourTwo.com's Argentine football expert Joel Richards' tribute to a player who has a habit of falling out with the wrong people...

Word was out about a prodigy emerging from the youth ranks at Argentinos Juniors in the early 1990s, when a local newspaper went along to find out what all the fuss was about.

The coaches were convinced they had found the next great talent at the club. Scouts were beside themselves.

The photographer sent that day to bring back the shot of the youngster later said she felt she had been in the presence of a child monarch – never has she seen such a self-assured boy of his age, so aware of the hype that was created around him, and so convinced he was taking the first steps of his predestined path towards greatness.

Hailing from the club where Diego Maradona first made his name, Juan Román Riquelme’s career would also go on to take more symmetry and comparisons with the 1986 World Cup winning captain.

Under the advice of Carlos Bilardo, Boca Juniors bought up a number of promising players from Argentinos Juniors in 1996. Fabricio Coloccini was one. Carlos Marinelli, once of Middlesborough, was another. Riquelme was also in the list.

As Maradona’s career wound down, so Riquelme’s started gathering pace. When Boca travelled to River for the superclásico in the Apertura ‘97, the stage was set for succession to the throne.

Maradona was playing his final competitive match of his career, and left the pitch at the Monumental with Boca trailing. 19 year old Riquleme replaced him, Boca turned the game around thanks to the substitute and won 2-1. The legend was born.

Maradona rightly battles it out with Pelé for the accepted best player of all time debate, but the Maradonian Church commandments declare that Diego belongs to the people, no one club can claim him as their own. Riquelme is unashamedly Boca’s number 10.

He was the central figure in the legendary Boca team of the 2000s that won five domestic league titles, four Libertadores trophies, two Copa Sudamericanas, three Recopa Sudamericanas and two Intercontinental trophies.

Riquelme did not win all of these with Boca. He had his famously ill-fated time at Barcelona under Van Gaal, and he took a tiny club from the south east of Spain to the semi-final of the Champions League in the meantime, before deciding that he preferred not to train at Villarreal, and in fact he wanted to return to Argentina.

Yet the role he played in the first phase of Boca’s success is what earned him his status at the club, and also announced Boca on the world stage.

Boasting a repertoire of stunning freekicks, surging runs from midfield, holding off three players at a time and revelling in his role as the team’s metronome, one of the highlights of his career is defeating Real Madrid in the 2000 Intercontinental Cup. Neither Geremi, Makelele nor Helguera could win the ball off him - even when all three tried at the same time.

The Intercontinental Cup has to be understood culturally – for sides from South America it is their one chance to prove they are as good, if not better than the European sides.

Few players have single-handedly embarrassed European opposition like Riquelme did that night in Tokyo.

After his spell in Europe, and after infamously missing the penalty against Arsenal to take Villarreal to the final of the Champions League, he fell out with Manuel Pellegrini, and returned to Boca. Initially he was just on loan, but he was also just in time for Boca’s 2007 Libertadores campaign.

Fresh from European experience, still just 28, Riquleme was the driving force behind the club’s run that ended with a 5-0 aggregate win in the final against Gremio. Riquelme scored eight goals along the way. It was his third Libertadores win.

The only debt is still with the national team. Although he was the axis of the 2006 side, José Pekerman still chose to take Riquelme off in the quarter final against Germany just when Argentina needed to keep the ball even more, having taken the lead.

Marcelo Bielsa chose not to take the young playmaker to the 2002 tournament, while this year’s World Cup missed out on Riquelme after another side of his character took centre-stage.

Now coach of the national side, Maradona claimed Riquelme was ‘no good to me if he can’t beat a player’ shortly after taking over as coach. Riquelme wasn’t playing his best football with Boca, but was still vital to the side.

Riquelme said Maradona had no ‘code’, and retired from the national team as long as Maradona was in charge. It was the second time he retired from international football.

Falling out with Maradona was far from a one-off. Pellegrini sent him packing after Riquelme refused to train. Martin Palermo, the Boca striker, is also said to have a far-from fluid relationship with the playmaker, while he is said to have scolded Messi at the 2007 Copa America for trying to join in a conversation. “Get out kid, the adults are talking” goes the story.

The 2007 Copa America is in fact where Riquelme’s career at international level should have changed. All that is remembered from that tournament now is Brazil’s 3-0 hammering of Argentina in the final. But Argentina played the best football in Venezuela, Riquleme was the best player of that tournament and with the final at 1-0 to Brazil, Riquelme hit the post from 20 yards out.

Had it gone in, perhaps the story would have been different.

But so it is that Juan Román Riquelme is an idol at Boca; an enigma, controversial and moody, outrageously gifted, author of the two best nutmegs in the last 20 years in Argentine football. And he’s just signed a new four year contract at Boca.

He is, as he knew he would be from a young age, King of the Castle.

My Perfect 10: Paul Simpson on Vladimir Petrovic
My Perfect 10: Riccardo Rossi on Roberto Baggio
My Perfect 10: Steve Morgan on Robert Prosinecki
My Perfect 10: Andy Mitten on Eric Cantona
My Perfect 10: Michael Cox on Rui Costa
My Perfect 10: Hugh Sleight on Zico
My Perfect 10: James Horncastle on Francesco Totti
My Perfect 10: David Hall on Zinedine Zidane
My Perfect 10: Sefa Atay on Gheorghe Hagi
My Perfect 10: Jamie Bowman on Michael Laudrup

Videos: Football's finest playmakers in full flow

The 'Playmakers Special' issue of FourFourTwo is in stories throughout September 2010.

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Red cards and poor time keeping

2010-09-01T11:06:00Z

Boca, who went into the weekend second bottom in the table, beat top-of-the-table Vélez. Second placed River played their worst game of the tournament, failed to score, but still went top.

At the same time, the Millionaires are in the relegation playoff zone. Lanús had four, or maybe five, chances to score in the space of just over 10 seconds but failed. Tigre hadn’t won in three, but then scored three to take three points. Choy Gonzalez juggled the ball 3 times to get around poor Leonel Galeano to score the goal of the weekend.

Arsenal, who really couldn’t be much further removed from their cockney namesakes, are second in the table. Godoy Cruz, meanwhile, are the second-best placed team to qualify for next year’s Libertadores competition.

In and amongst these anecdotes, curiosities, symmetries and golazos from the weekend, however, the dark side of Argentine football was on show. Indiscipline.

There were eight red cards, and only nine games were played. The La Plata derby between Estudiantes and Gimnasia was postponed - few games are guaranteed to add to the tally of bookings and expulsions, even if – bizarrely – the infamous bad boys of Argentine football, Estudiantes, are in fact the cleanest side in Argentine top flight right now with a clean-kneed two yellow cards in the league.

Racing had two sent off. So did All Boys. So too did Colón. Boca and Vélez somehow failed to produce a red card despite the growling and stern looks, but Godoy Cruz kept the tally up with a single red card. Lanús, meanwhile, had a man sent off, but ended the game with 11 on the pitch.

¡¿Cómo?!

A fresh, yet pervasive, evil has been identified in the game. Under new AFA rules, punctuality is a top priority - so much so, that this new rule about punctuality came into effect on Matchday 4.

The regulation states that if teams are not out to start the second half 15 minutes after the end of the first, the coach – who is ultimately in charge of the team – will be sent off.

If said coach displays recidivist tendencies, he will be handed a lengthy ban.

So it is that in the second match of the weekend, the high-pressure derby of the south, Lanús against Banfield, the home side came out late. Approximately 90 seconds late.

Luis Zubeldía, the 29 year old granate coach, was duly sent off.

‘At last!’ exclaimed the Twitterati. ‘A rule that is enforced!’

Half times have become something of an issue in the Fútbol Para Todos era, with the public broadcaster putting a timer up in the corner of our screens the second the first period of play is up.

In the old days, under the former broadcaster, there were insidious suggestions and allegations that the breaks lasted longer than they should to allow extra advertising seconds.

Under the new contract, with the government broadcasting all top flight games free on public television, that scourge would be consigned to history.

The only problem is that it wasn’t. The timer in the top corner simply gave us all a more accurate idea of just how long we were waiting for play to recommence – hitting the 20-21 minute mark was very common.

Efforts to improve aspects of the game are perfect, and we should applaud them, which we do. Time-keeping was pathetically poor. This issue, however, seems to be low down on most fans’ wish list of improvement to the game.

Diving, time-wasting and two-footed tackles are a fair bit higher.

Either way, rules are there to be broken, and time-keeping being what it is in this country, Luis Zubeldía will do doubt be joined by other coaches in the forthcoming weeks. They can’t say they weren’t warned.

Results
Huracán 1-1 Newell’s
Lanús 0-0 Banfield
Tigre 3-0 Quilmes
Colón 1-3 Godoy Cruz
San Lorenzo 3-1 All Boys
Independiente 1-2 Arsenal
Argentinos 0-0 River
Boca 2-1 Vélez
Olimpo 1-0 Racing
Estudiantes v Gimnasia (to be played 29/09/10)

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The lucky to be alive weekend preview

2010-08-27T15:34:00Z

With a new census just around the corner, exact population figures are unavailable for Argentina. The last time they did a head count was in 2001, but clever people in offices crunched numbers and believe the current figure to be about 40,130,000.

Throw in a few hundred thousand gringos and foreigners passing through, we’re probably at the 40,500,000 mark in total.

This, then, is roughly the number of people who ought to wake up every single day and thank their chosen person or object of worship - just for being alive. In Argentina, apparently, ‘you have to be grateful they don’t kill you.’

So says Vélez right-back Fabián Cubero, whose agent was relieved of 658,000 pesos (£107,000) as he left a bank earlier this week. The money was destined for Cubero, as part of a bonus from his club.

Now, Cubero is something of a mix of Alan Ball and David Beckham - the former on the basis of the pitch of his voice rather than hair colour, the latter on the basis of his partner, but that shouldn’t make him a target for thieves. Only it does.

Cubero’s wife, Nicole Neumann, is in the upper echelons of the WAG league table, as a TV presenter, model and general tabloid fodder. But much like her husband’s accountant, Miss Neumann was the centre of a similar incident in April. Allegedly stopped at gunpoint (we’re not alleging because we might be sued, but because several accounts suggest Nicole was telling porkies), a startled Neumann then said ‘they kill you for anything,’ and suggested she’d have to leave the country just to be able to go out for a stroll with her kids.

The curious thing about both Cubero and Neumann’s stories is that, evidently, they are around to tell the tale, and so is the accountant. But only just - they escaped. So with a fist full of paranoia and carpe diem, we should all thank our lucky stars to be breathing and watch as much fútbol para todos as is humanly possible, because in Argentina you never knowing when you are likely to be brutally executed coming out of a bank while carrying thousands of pesos.

Given the recent spat of traffic accidents, you are actually more likely to be run over by a bus, but it doesn’t generate quite the same headlines.

So, if you brave the outside world, in and amongst the various clashes this weekend, are two stand-out games. First up is on Saturday where the ‘battle of the barrio’ is on – Lanús against Banfield - where local bragging rights are settled between two sides who traditionally failed to make much of a mark on Argentine football, but have both won the league title in the past three years, and both look like decent outside bets for challenging again this year.

Then on Sunday afternoon, or by Sunday night, we should have more of an idea of the state of the mess in Boca. Apart from their performance, they could be looking for a new coach. Boca host league leaders Vélez, and a defeat will signal the end of Claudio Borghi’s reign - we know this because after just three games Borghi himself said he’d quit if he lost to Vélez.

Whether or not the back three of Cellay, Insaurralde and Caruzzo finally click, or whether the front two of Viatri and Palermo gel remains to be seen. Vélez, albeit at home, is not the game you would risk your future employment on.

That said, according to some people, just leaving your house is a risk not worth taking, as ‘they’ might kill you. Better stay at home at watch it on the telly...

Fixtures

Huracán v Newell’s
Lanús v Banfield
Tigre v Quilmes
Colón v Godoy Cruz
San Lorenzo v All Boys
Independiente v Arsenal
Argentinos v River
Boca v Vélez
Olimpo v Racing

(Estudiantes v Gimnasia postponed till 29/September after midweek Recopa ‘action’)

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River turn tables on Boca - sort of...

2010-08-25T13:30:00Z

A little over a year and a half ago, Boca brushed off the challenge of San Lorenzo and Tigre to win the Apertura 2008.

The title win was historic for two reasons: first, because they won a historic three-way playoff to win the championship, and second, because down at the other end of the table were River Plate. For the first time ever, Boca were first, while River were 20th.

After matchday three of the Apertura ’10, the tables have turned.

Pedants will choose to point out that River are not actually top of the table, and Boca are not actually bottom, but the point remains. River are second to Vélez having conceded one more goal, while Boca are joint second-bottom. Unlike Tigre, they have one point.

Neither league position tells the whole story, but in the case of Boca, the excrement is well within touching distance of the fan. And rather than pesky foreign bloggers, or even the excitable local journalists suggesting the coach should get the sack, it was the coach himself who, on Sunday, declared that next weekend’s match is make or break.

Claudio Borghi - feeling the pressure...

‘The game against Vélez will determine it,’ said Claudio Borghi about whether he will stay on, after seeing his side lose to All Boys.
Just four matches in, Boca could be looking for a new coach.

It’s true that at the weekend they lost to a newly promoted team who, on paper, had home advantage but in fact were not even playing at their own ground. It’s also true that Boca showed little, or no sign whatsoever of turning around the two-goal deficit that All Boys took into the break. It was also the second consecutive defeat. And the three-at-the-back doesn’t seem to be working too well yet. But it is still far too early to walk out.

All the same, Borghi says he’ll leave if the side does not win next weekend. As opponents go, facing Vélez right now is as hard a game as you can get in Argentina. It is certainly not the game to place your future employment on if you want to keep your job.

The board insist they are not looking for replacements, ‘but we are worried because we spent a lot on signings,’ said Boca’s vice president, José Beraldi.

Borghi spent $10 million on new signings – a fortune for broke Argentine clubs, even Boca – yet all of those players brought in looked like good signings. And Borghi joined Boca over the close-season as the title-winning coach, having lead Argentinos Juniors to win the Clausura. There are promising youngsters ready for a taste of top flight football. Boca were not meant to have taken one point from nine.

Riquelme said he hopes Borghi is still in charge when he returns to action. Palermo also backed Borghi, but admitted that Boca ‘have lost the respect of other teams.’
If Borghi does decide to walk next weekend, he will be the shortest-serving coach at Boca in 30 years.

Old mates Palermo and Riquelme have both backed Borghi

Across town, Angel Cappa has managed something that no man has managed since the current president, Daniel Passarella, last managed the team. River have won three consecutive matches.

Those nine points don’t mean that River are out of trouble, because as things stand the millionaires are still primed to fight out the relegation playoff. But the three wins have calmed nerves, and while some are getting carried away talking about winning the title, the club should avoid the drop.

All the more remarkable about the weekend’s 3-2 win over Independiente was that none of River’s attacking players were above the age of 22. Diego Buonanotte was the veteran. 17-year-old Manuel Lanzini replaced the suspended Ariel Ortega confidently, while 19 year old Gabriel Funes Mori grabbed his second, and third goal of the season. Sure, the second one came of his shin and then onto his foot, plus he was offside, but nobody at River is complaining.

By the same token, nobody is kidding themselves. The relegation table is still ominously looming over them. River, much like against Huracán last week, didn’t play a convincing full 90 minutes against the Rojo – but they did manage to capitalise when they were in control, and became the Argentine side this season to score three goals in one game.

River did it in 16 minutes. Cappa still needs to get River performing for a full 90 minutes to start talking about winning the title, but if they need an extra motivation, a quick look down the table might help.

Results

Banfield 0-0 Estudiantes
Newell’s 2-0 Tigre
Quilmes 1-1 Lanús
Vélez 2-0 Argentinos
Godoy Cruz 1-0 Olimpo
Racing 1-2 San Lorenzo
Gimnasia 0-0 Colón
River 3-2 Independiente
Arsenal 2-0 Huracán
All Boys 2-0 Boca

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Ortega ‘form’ makes bad news

2010-08-20T16:21:00Z

You’ve just picked up the 14th red card of your career, so you are suspended for the next game. At the ripe old age of 36, it’s basically up to you to make sure the side score goals and win games so that your club, one of the biggest in the continent, isn’t relegated. The doctors say you are injured.

The pressure is on, the body is slowing down, so with this in mind, it would fair enough to give Ariel Ortega the day off this week. He can’t play against Independiente at the weekend, he can’t train because of his ankle, so there’s no need for him to come in, right?

Various local opinionistas think not. Ortega’s ‘form’ makes bad news – a suspension, for example – ‘a potential time bomb.’ It would detonate another relapse. It would the perfect excuse for a bender.

Ortega not showing up for one single day this week meant that the papers were full of speculation that, much like in various well-documented acts of poor balance, he had fallen off the wagon.

Unlike previous episodes, however, there was no 6 am car crash. There were no mobile phone photos taken in the small hours in a dark corner of a bar. There nothing but hot air.

Whether or not Ortega turned to the bottle for comfort this week, life at River must go on. Amidst the rumours, the good news is that Ortega’s ban is just one game. But in the mean time, the man replacing the 36 year old is, in fact, a boy. A 17 year old one. Manuel Lanzini will take on creative responsibility for the Millionaires this weekend. No pressure there, then.

While River aim to make it three wins out of three, Independiente are still in search of their first win.

The Rojo have one goal and one point to their name so far this season. In only his second job in management, former club idol Daniel Garnero hasn’t had to hang about to see the size of the task at hand. And if taking on one of the Big Five wasn’t enough pressure, his predecessor has spiced things up.

Tolo Gallego came out and – as is his wont – spoke his mind this week. ‘I was given an ovation in my last game,’ said Tolo, ‘the doors at Independiente are always open for me.’

The problem is that’s not quite true - at least not at the moment, and certainly not after what he also said this week.

‘Me leaving was down to Menotti.’ The club president had said it was either him, or Menotti, claimed Tolo.

After Tolo’s outburst, the Flaco was quick to answer back. ‘Tolo is a liar, and I can’t stand that,’ he said, before stating that he merely gives his opinion at Independiente – where he is the general manager - and the board then do what they want with that opinion. He said it wasn’t him who chose not to keep Tolo on, which - reading between the lines - is saying is that it is not him who took the decision. He may have recommended it, though.

The discontent does not stop there. Maxi Velazquez left Lanús, where he was captain and much loved, to move to Independiente over the close season. He joined on the understanding that he would be first choice. The problem is that Lucas Mareque is still in Avallaneda, so is still the side’s number 3. ‘I’m not going to sit about doing nothing for six months,’ warned Velazquez.

Velazquez should count himself lucky to be able to think so far ahead. Some people, like Ortega, can’t even sit about for a single day and be left alone.

Fixture
Banfield – Estudiantes
Newell’s – Tigre
Quilmes – Lanús
Vélez – Argentinos
Godoy Cruz – Olimpo
Racing – San Lorenzo
Gimnasia – Colón
River – Independiente
Arsenal – Huracán
All Boys - Boca

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Equality or mediocrity?

2010-08-17T16:03:00Z

Much like Independiente’s stadium, the grandly named Libertadores of America, the Argentine league is far from ready. Although everyone was desperate to get back to club football after the World Cup and get on with fútbol para todos, very few of the teams are actually ready for battle.
Together with Argentinos Juniors, the champions, the Rojo finished off round two of the Apertura on Monday night.

Three months ago, these two met and produced a rip-roaring 4-3, a match that had everything and strode boldly to the front of the Best Game of the Season queue. Last night, however, things were very different. They played out a below-par draw, littered with mistakes, devoid of ideas, tension and excitement.

The last time the two faced each other, Independiente had an outside chance of challenging for the title, while by winning, Argentinos took a giant step towards being crowned champions.

While there may be nothing at stake just now, the final match of week two, the 20th game of the campaign, added to the growing trend this season. Only one game has been decided by a difference of two goals. Nobody has scored more than two goals in a game. It’s all square.

To explain this neck-and-neck start to the season, the pessimists that surround us point to the wider problems plaguing Argentine football. Mediocrity on the pitch; poor planning in the boardroom; racist taunts from the stands (stands that are crumbling or not yet ready); half-hour long blackouts during games – as happened during Olimpo’s first home game of the season; 20-minute half-times; battling barra bravas, and so on. It’s rotten to the core - they’re all as bad as each other, they say.

The only way to stay optimistic in the face of some of these frankly undisputable criticisms is to simply to put to one side, for the time being, the institutional problems of Argentine football.

Sticking to the action on the pitch, the league is one of the most open and democratic leagues around. You don’t need money, because nobody really has any. Everyone is struggling to keep the same squad of players for more than six months. The traditional hierarchy of Argentine football is no more. A myriad of problems have levelled the playing field, so to speak, making the league impossible to predict. It is more about who can improvise the best.

The only certainty for this season was that Vélez and Estudiantes would be strong, and so it is proving to be as they both beat newly-promoted sides at the weekend to take their second win of the season.

All the other clubs are completely unknown quantities. All Boys are considerably better than their zero-point tally would suggest. While River and Boca both bought well over the close-season, it's only River who have won all six available points – Boca have just one point. The only grande that made any impact on the title race last season, Independiente, sacked their coach, and like Boca have just one point from their first two games.

It's too early to start drawing conclusions, but some coaches will be very aware of two things. First, that their side is still far from being the finished product, meaning that playing attractive and attacking football isn’t at the top of their priorities, leading to games like Independiente versus Argentinos. And second, that we're already just around the corner from starting the other competition that runs in parallel with the league – the sack race.

Results
Colón 0-1 Banfield
Boca 1-2 Racing
Lanús 1-1 Newell’s
Tigre 1-2 Arsenal
San Lorenzo 2-2 Godoy Cruz
Huracán 0-1 River
All Boys 1-2 Vélez
Estudiantes 2-0 Quilmes
Olimpo 1-0 Gimnasia
Independiente 1-1 Argentinos

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The tax-evading weekend preview

2010-08-13T12:18:00Z

“I’ve missed you all,” said Riquelme as he sat down in front of the press, shortly after finally signing his four-year contract extension at Boca. If only you knew, Román, if only you knew. It’s us who missed you.

The thing is, Román does know. He is, as the journalist Angela Lerena pointed out moments after the press conference, even more gifted with a microphone than he is with a ball.

Román’s brilliance in front of an audience of baying journalists was the perfect tonic to the acrimonious past three months at Boca. "It would have been better if it had all been resolved at the first meeting," he said. Yes, indeed it would.

While it’s all smiles down in La Boca now that he has put pen to paper on a deal that keeps him at the Bombonera till 2014, the issue of Riquelme’s contract hasn’t been so straightforward.

When it came down to the crunch – when it came down to approving the $5m contract over four years – eight in the boardroom said sí. Eight said nooooooo. One looked for the nearest fence and said sin comentario. One of those voting, Raúl Ríos, thought it so important to vote that even while three people lay dead under a recently collapsed building, and even though he heads the department that oversees construction in Buenos Aires, he still went to vote.

It took Boca president Señor Jorge Amor Ameal to cast the deciding vote and swing it in favour of Riquelme. Forget your telenovela, forget your Sunday omnibus and forget your DVD series. Riquelme’s contract extension was this close-season’s real soap opera.

JRR gets the popular mandate

The most recent stumbling block was the tax. Riquelme didn’t really fancy forking out his part. Boca didn’t really fancy paying it either. In the end, they’ve gone halves (the club treasurer quit over this particular point).

Going back through the episodes, though, it was a classic will-he-won’t-he. First of all we had the whole of last year and the weeks leading up to his contract expiring full of speculation. Then it all went quiet. Then the coach announced it was a done deal. The star didn’t like that.

In the meantime, one former president, still mightily influential in proceedings at the club, wasn’t happy with it all and tried to extend that influence to make sure there was no contract extension.

Then the arch-rival in the dressing room extended his deal at the club first, upping the ante. Generous offers were then ‘laughed at’ by the star. During one showdown meeting, scores of fans met outside the hotel to wave flags, burn flags of the evil baddy in all this, sing songs and just let off some steam.

In the meantime, Cesar Menotti suggested the door was open at Independiente, Miguel Ángel Russo said forget them and come to Racing, while Juan Sebastián Verón dreamed of playing alongside Román at Estudiantes. Riquelme thanked all three yesterday, but promised he’d try to win another Copa Libertadores for Boca, the club he supports.

Right now he is injured. And unlike last season, he’ll wait till he’s 100% to come back. He’s still a few weeks from returning to the pitch, but at least the drama is over, the speculation, the off-the-record comments and the nastiness can all end. Riquelme has signed. Viva Riquelme.

Now we all get on with the season. Amen.

Friday
Colon-Banfield
Saturday
Boca-Racing
Lanús-Newell’s
Tigre-Arsenal
San Lorenzo-Godoy Cruz
Sunday
Huracán-River
All Boys-Vélez
Estudiantes-Quilmes
Olimpo-Gimnasia
Monday
Independiente-Argentinos Juniors

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Friendly advice from Leo to AFA

2010-08-12T17:27:00Z

It still feels far too early to be playing international friendlies. Apart from the Spanish, we should all be in mourning after the World Cup. We should be allowing the 24-hour sports channels to be drum us up into a frenzy of excitement about club football. We should allow those who lost their jobs after South Africa time to forgive and forget. Those shattered dreams should be given time to fade away.

The week’s internationals meant that this was impossible.

In the case of Argentina, you may have heard that Diego Maradona is no longer the coach. AFA are now looking for a new coach, but despite this week's friendly with Ireland, and despite playing Spain and Brazil soon, there’s no sense of urgency from Argentine football’s decision makers. There’ll be an announcement late October, maybe early November, they say.

While they mull over the 12 candidates they claim to be mulling over, for now U-20 coach Sergio Checho Batista is in charge and oversaw the 1-0 defeat of Ireland.

Given that Batista is only temporarily the coach, and given that it is barely a month since the World Cup, it's impossible to take too much from the game. But despite only winning by a solitary goal from Di María – marginally offside, while we’re at it – Argentina were comfortable winners. Of course, having the ball all to themselves for the entire game didn’t stop Heinze feeling the need to argue every decision, or Samuel shoulder-barging McShane after conceding a throw-in.

But with Gago and Banega replacing Maxi Rodriguez and Carlitos Tevez from the Maradona line-up in midfield and up front, Argentina put on a show of keep-ball. It may not have created many chances, and the trio of Mascherano-Gago-Banega lacks a more direct influence in midfield, but it was a marked improvement on 39 days ago, when Argentina were losing 4-0 to Germany. "We played like Barcelona," said Leo Messi afterwards, before adding "Checho asks the same of me as Guardiola does."

When it comes to appointing the next Argentina coach, the key will be choosing somebody who is capable of bringing the best out of Leo Messi. Messi, for one, says Batista is the man for the job. As well as dropping not-so-subtle hints about the way Argentina played under Batista, appealing to the boardroom as much to the fans, he decided to speak for the group when he said "We take him as the coach, not the caretaker coach."

For some of the squad, however, the past is not yet the past. "All the players heard what Mr. Grondona said to Maradona [after the Germany game]," blurted out Carlitos Tevez when he arrived in Dublin for the friendly. "I’m with Diego: Grondona didn’t keep his word."

Very few people publicly criticise AFA president Julio Grondona, the man who has ruled Argentine football for over 30 years. Beyond the bravado of Tevez questioning Don Julio, though, and saying what many of the players (privately) think, the bigger question remains: Who can bring out the best of Argentina? "We played too much with our heart against Germany," admitted Heinze in the build-up to the Ireland friendly, "and not enough with our head."

AFA still have two months to decide who should take over on a permanent basis, and the forthcoming friendlies with Spain and Brazil could shape that decision. But if they really want to ensure they see the best of Messi in a blue and white shirt, perhaps they should listen to the player himself. And if AFA does ask Messi, we all know what the answer will be.

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Business as usual as Apertura kicks off

2010-08-09T16:05:00Z

We may be just one round into the Apertura 2010, but there is a heart-warming familiarity to proceedings in Argentina. With over 150 players turning out for new employers – whether they were on the pitch, on the bench or just there in spirit – this was reassuring.

We had the Small Club’s coach moaning about the Big Club being favoured by the referees. We had the referees making shocking - truly shocking - decisions. We had some other decisions that may be categorized as merely ‘debateable’.

We had commentators discussing a replay while, in the real world and in real time, one side was busy finishing off a swift counter-attack down the other end. We had journalists refusing to take part in poking fun at one of the more bizarre inclusions in Argentina’s World Cup squad, because 'he’s my friend.’

We had penalties, red cards, flashes of brilliance, blatant hacks, handballs, and a couple of decent goals. We had 17 year olds making their debut, while 36 year olds won all three points. We had a group of barra brava/hooligans found carrying knives, marihuana, cocaine and LSD on the way to a game, but no arrests were made.

It was business as usual.

Despite this recognised framework of things we tend to see in Argentine football, the first week offered few clues as to what we can expect over the coming months.

The newly-promoted three took just one point between them, but should be satisfied with their first outing. None were on the receiving end of a thrashing. Olimpo took just 19 seconds to take the lead against Banfield, only to ultimately lose 2-1 to The Drill. Quilmes were one minute from losing to Colón but managed to grab a late equaliser, while All Boys were not necessarily the worst side on the pitch in the 1-0 defeat to Racing.

Last year’s champions Argentinos Juniors took just two minutes to throw away their first half lead against Huracán. Estudiantes beat Newell’s thanks to a Juan Sebastián Verón penalty, while Rolando Schiavi was, remarkably, not amongst the weekend’s three red cards after his enthusiastic shoulder charge.

The Big Five managed just three goals between them. Boca had to claw their way back from an early deficit, River scored their winner in time added on, and Racing needed a deflected freekick to fall to one of their defenders to take their three points.

San Lorenzo showed they are far from impressing in Ramón Díaz’ debut in the Ciclón dugout while Independiente, predictably, fell to Vélez. The reason this defeat was expected has little to do with the Rojo’s part in all this, but rather it is the merit of their victors.

Vélez have, like all the other clubs, said farewell to a number of last year’s squad. But unlike their 19 contemporaries in Argentine top flight, they kept the same core of the team. Barring the odd change here and there, the Fortress have the same side as last year. Santiago Silva, whose goal – an ‘English goal’ according to one journalist, by virtue of it being a header from a cross – gave Vélez the three points, said “sometimes it’s better not to bring in lots of new players and build the side with players who know each other.”

When you are Vélez and have the quality of players that they do, it is easy. When you are most of the other teams in Argentina - fighting relegation, fan’s expectations, bankruptcy, or all three together - it is not so straight-forward. The next 18 rounds will show which formula is right.

Results
Arsenal 1-2 Lanús
Quilmes 1-1 Colón
Argentinos 1-2 Huracán
Newell’s 0-1 Estudiantes
Racing 1-0 All Boys
Banfield 2-1 Olimpo
River 1-0 Tigre
Gimnasia 0-0 San Lorenzo
Vélez 1-0 Independiente
Godoy Cruz 1-1 Boca

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The ego-pleasing Apertura preview

2010-08-03T13:37:00Z

Just for a minute, it is time to forget the magical surrealism of the Argentina national team.

Forget the national coach being sacked, then promptly slamming his former employees, who then say they haven’t actually thought about his replacement so said coach (who claims to have been lied to and betrayed) could return to his job;

Forget the FA’s president suggesting that one former World Cup winner might get a bullet in his legs if he carries on mouthing off about this whole situation; the government closely watching events unfold as they’d actually quite like the coach to have stayed on and also happen to be paying AFA quite a bit of cash for TV rights; and the fact anything, literally anything, can still happen.

As much as Maradona, Bilardo, Grondona and Ruggeri may all fight it out in board rooms, in the corridors, on radio, on TV and in the press, there are other matters at hand. The league is back.

Later this week will be the time for this blog to take a look at the new boys, at the title candidates and at the big transfers, but for now we have to please egos. Away from the selección, there are also a couple of Grandes who are used to taking centre-stage. Step forward Club Atlético Boca Juniors, and Club Atlético River Plate.

The Apertura 2010 kicks off on Friday, and the two are planning for the new season by making sure the other doesn’t do something they haven’t already done, or vice versa.

Both unveiled new shirts this week, both have new(ish) coaches, both have a new keeper, both have a new back line, both have a promising youngster who will be this season’s ‘Next Big Thing‘, both still have a couple of veterans to pass on their wisdom, and both really, really, really, really need a good season.

First, the new strip. Boca have gone for a lighter blue than last year’s shirt, supposedly harking back to the 2000s design and the colour in which, under Carlos Bianchi, they won everything in sight. Bizarrely, one of its key features is that it is also an eco-friendly shirt, having been made by recycled plastic bottles.

River, meanwhile, have gone retro, which quite a feat given that, were it not for wi-fi and foreign hair dressers, Argentina would still feel like the 70s. With this in mind, retro in Argentina is actually more 1980s and even 1990s than 1970s, so in copying that strip, it harks back to times when the Millionaires felt, played and won like Argentina’s true aristocracy.

Claudio ‘Bichi’ Borghi moved to Boca more or less hours after lifting the title with Argentinos Juniors at the end of last season, while Ángel Cappa is starting his first full season with River Plate, having taken charge in the final stretch of last term.

They both identified similar problems at their clubs.

So it is that the penalty-taking keeper Christian Luccheti has swapped Banfield for the Bombonera, while Juan Pablo Carrizo, he who was described by one observer as having ‘a good game’ in Argentina’s infamous 6-1 mauling in Bolivia, has returned after a miserable time at Lazio and Zaragoza.

In front of these two new number ones will be almost a completely new backline. In Matías Caruzzo, Christian Cellay and Juan Manuel Insaurralde, Boca have a championship winning captain, a Libertadores winning centre back and one of Maradona’s 108. Clemente Rodriguez, meanwhile, realised just what he was missing and has returned for a third spell at the club.

River have brought in central defender Jonathan Maidana, who will have to forget his Boca upbringing, Carlos Arano from Huracán, who will hope to shine once again with Cappa, and Adalberto Román, who will have to live up to his price tag.

Down in the south of Buenos Aires, Boca are lavishing praise on 20 year old playmaker Marcelo Cañete, while up in the north, River are doing the same about 17 year old playmaker Manuel Lanzini.

Both will be able to look up to club legends - Martin Palermo and Juan Román Riquelme both signed extended deals at Boca, while Matías Almeyda and Ariel Ortega are set to be first choice for River.

Beyond blatant plagiarism, there is a reason as to why both are planning this campaign much the same way.

Both had shocking seasons last time round, and need that to change.

River Plate start the season with serious worries about three-year relegation averages, and although Boca don’t share those concerns, they also need to win the title to return to their rightful place – fighting it out for the next year’s Libertadores.

They both debut in the Apertura 2010 this Sunday.

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Chau, Diego: the end for El Diez

2010-07-28T10:01:00Z

He claimed the Argentina national team was a Rolls Royce in need of a service. He told journalists to suck it and keep sucking it. He said that if Obama was allowed to choose his backroom staff then so should he. He called up 108 players. He lost 6-1 to Bolivia. He told Pele to go back to the museum. He said that Pele ‘made his debut’ with a boy.

He took Ariel Garcé and Martín Palermo to the World Cup. He said the first three names on his teamsheet were Mascherano, Messi and Jonás Guttierez. He refused to train in the morning. He brought about the second international retirement of Juan Román Riquelme. He wound up FIFA, his bosses, the media, ex- and not-so-ex-players...

Say what you will about Maradona – and everybody is saying lots – but beyond it being utter mayhem from start to finish, there is one simple inescapable fact: neither Basile, nor Passarella, nor Bielsa, nor Pekerman performed better at a World Cup. None went further than the quarter-finals. Perhaps the problem with Argentine football is not just to do with the coaches...

Maradona opened himself up for criticism, he created several previously non-existent battles and his eccentric decisions were laughed at outside Argentina, making the blood-letting - now that AFA have chosen not to renew his contract as Argentina coach - all the easier.

NEWS Maradona dropped as Argentina coach

The initial rumours seemed to suggest that Maradona would stay on despite the embarrassing result with Germany in South Africa, but in Argentine football realpolitik it was just another manoeuvre.

It's convenient and easy to say with absolute certainty that with a more experienced coach Argentina would have reached, at least, the final four in South Africa. That may well be, but it gives whoever replaces Maradona the job of proving all those Diego critics right. The core of Maradona’s side is young enough to remain for a number of years to come.

For now the two front-runners - according to the decision-makers at the AFA - are Estudiantes coach Alejandro Sabella and Racing coach Miguel Angel Russo.

Amongst fans, the Boca contingent still want the Viceroy, Carlos Bianchi, to be given a chance. Ramón Díaz features high up in the surveys, thanks to his success at River. Diego Simeone’s name has also been mentioned, perhaps more by virtue of being unemployed right now, and then come the rest.

Whoever comes in could follow a similar route paved by Mano Menezes this week. The new Brazil boss axed all but four players from the South Africa group in his first squad. Such wholesale change perhaps isn’t needed for Argentina. The likes of Sergio Romero, Nicolás Otamendi (the Germany result wasn't his fault), Mascherano, Di María, Pastore, Tevez, Higuaín, Agüero and Messi will all be key players for the coming years.

NEWS Menezes makes big changes for first game

With the immediate task being winning next year’s Copa America on home turf, and then mounting a serious challenge for the 2014 World Cup next door in Brazil, whoever comes in should invest confidence in a new crop of players that will be of age in four years time.

For Argentina’s next outing, against Ireland in Dublin on August 11, we’ll have a side chosen by Maradona – naming the squad was his last act in charge – and coached by Under-20 boss Sergio Batista.

It’s only after that when perhaps we will start to see the new-look Argentina. Perhaps it will be more competitive. Perhaps it will play better football. Perhaps it will play worse. Perhaps they will challenge for honours. Perhaps they will end up returning home after the first phase of the 2014 World Cup. Perhaps they will return with the trophy.

Whatever happens over the coming weeks and months, it won’t be the same round here anymore. Chau Diego.

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Riquelme not feeling the Amor

2010-07-26T15:03:00Z

The fans who love Boca, love Riquelme. Riquelme loves Boca. Riquelme loves the fans. Boca’s president loves Boca and, presumably, the fans.

Given the amount of love being thrown about in this cosy threesome, renewing the contract for, arguably the club’s greatest player of all time, should pose no problems whatsoever.

Only, there is a problem. A big one. Boca’s appropriately named president Jorge Amor Ameal isn’t showing any amor for Juan Román Riquelme. Or so says Riquelme.

Riquelme’s contract with Boca ran out in June. The playmaker, who his critics argue hasn’t been making as much play as he could have been over the past couple of seasons, wants a four year deal.

Boca made a first offer but, taking a leaf out of the Ashley Cole book of humility, Riquelme said that it just ‘made him laugh.’

Boca then emailed a new deal, said to be worth $5 million (£3.2m) over the four years, which for Argentina is a fortune. The means with which the club contacted the player is actually important here, because Riquelme then said that he was going to ask for a hard copy because ‘he didn’t understand’ the offer.

Riquelme claims the problems over his deal are not about money. Yet he still hasn’t tired of telling everyone who will put a microphone in front of him that he played last year ‘for free.’ Under his previous deal Boca paid him a lump sum – a two year deal – to play for three years.

So basically he took a pay cut over the three years, but Román preferred to put it that he was paid in full for two years and played for free the final year. Shades of grey.

Anyway, the current problems are based on certain minutiae, which do actually have everything to do with money i.e. bonuses, the rate of the dollar to the peso (seriously) and the like. Oh, and Boca want to buy out Riquelme’s transfer rights, which Riquelme himself pointed out would bankrupt the club if they bought the rights and paid him his wages.

Boca’s new coach, Claudio Bichi Borghi, recently said that he ‘could imagine a side without Riquelme,’ but in no way was he saying he wanted a side without the number 10. It is hard, though, to imagine Boca without Riquelme.

Regardless of his recent form, he is still the best player in Argentina. Boca need his quality to challenge for the title. And on a more pragmatic level, Jorge Amor Ameal cannot afford, in a political and historical sense, to be the man who allowed Riquelme to leave Boca. Most bosteros put Riquelme above Maradona as their club idols.

Riquelme in the meantime happily tells interviewers that he is indeed happy, because he has offers from other Argentine clubs, from Brazilian side Flamengo and that his former coach, Carlos Ischia, is ‘breaking his balls’ to go to Mexico.

Yet for all the interest and his talent, Riquelme is 32. His famously languid work rate will no doubt dip as he nears his mid-30s and retirement. He has also just had knee surgery.

Oh, and the man he spent all last year in a cold war with, Martin Palermo, also has renewed for another year at the club.

It won’t be plain sailing, but Boca can ill-afford not to show Riquelme some love, or amor.

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Four more years for sharp suited Diego?

2010-07-15T10:22:00Z

Four years ago, Jose Mourinho was in charge at Chelsea, Tony Blair was British Prime Minister, Esteban Cambiasso had hair, Leo Messi was an unused substitute and Carlos Tevez was playing his club football in Brazil.

A vuvuzela, meanwhile, sounded like a rare species of antelope only seen with David Attenborough’s accompanying whispery voice.

By the time the next World Cup swings around in four years time, there will have been just as many seismic managerial and political changes, players will have changed their look, made a name for themselves and changed club allegiances several times over. And of course, there will be a fresh set of annoying plastic gimmicks to prize money from punters’ pockets.

But also come Brazil 2014, in normal circumstances we should be reminiscing about that grey suit, that greying beard, those taps on the bum, the pre-match kisses and the Pelé-baiting with nostalgia.

The Diego Maradona era as Argentina coach should be a sepia-tinged memory.

These are not normal circumstances, however, for the simple reason that AFA and Diego Maradona are involved.

Leading a chaotic, controversial and almost disastrous qualifying campaign wasn’t enough. He had time to prove everyone wrong. An eccentric squad selection, last-minute tactical dabbling and whimsical demands for creature comforts wasn’t even enough. The critics waited for the fall, which under Maradona, duly came in the form of a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Germany.

Yet despite that defeat, the fingers are not pointing at Diego. And rather than someone else taking the blame, there are simply no fingers pointing, and Maradona retains his position centre stage.

In the aftermath of the World Cup exit, first came the brazen idea of one Argentine politician, who is more often associated with human- and workers’- rights campaigning than meddling in sporting matters, to suggest that now, just weeks after the World Cup exit, was the time for a statue of Maradona.

In some years time there will, rightly and deservedly, be a bronze effigy of Diego Armando Maradona in Argentina. But after a humiliating exit from football‘s biggest stage, which doctors have had to deny has sent the coach back to the drugs, hardly seems an appropriate moment.

Next up came Julio Grondona, AFA president, who via his spokesman announced that there is a four-year contract offer on the table for Maradona. Sure, Diego will have to explain what happened in South Africa and come up with a plan for the next few years, but the offer is there to take.

Leo Messi, Sergio Romero, Martín Palermo and Gabriel Heinze all want Maradona to stay (although in the case of the last two its fairly obvious that a change in coach would signal an end to their time in blue and). Angel Di Maria was one player who admitted he didn’t feel comfortable in the role Maradona played him in at the World Cup, and Veron Snr blamed Maradona for Veron Jr failing to perform in South Africa.

While opinion is divided on whether Maradona should carry on, there will be no developments till next week. The meeting between Maradona and Grondona will happen ‘not after Wednesday and not before Tuesday’ in the strangely-chosen words of AFA.

With commitments – i.e. dollar-generating friendlies – just on the horizon, however, a deal should be brokered soon. Maradona will make fresh demands regarding the make up of his back room staff, meaning Grondona may finally have to budge over the addition of Oscar Ruggeri to the set up.

While the prospect of Maradona coaching Argentina at a World Cup in Brazil is just too tempting for the polemicists and marketing people out there, it still doesn’t address the real issues.

Germany highlighted the deficiencies in Argentine football – from the physical and tactical, to the technical.

Changing coach will change relatively little. Argentine football requires a revolution in terms of organisation, in terms of priorities, in terms of coaching and in terms of its philosophy to avoid a repeat of the 2010 World Cup performance.

Maradona is not the sole reason for the embarrassing performances in South Africa, even if he didn’t exactly help things. Maradona is, however, the perfect fall guy to deflect criticism away from AFA.

Failure at next years Copa America would be a bridge too far for him to stay on, but avoiding that, don’t be surprised to see Maradona in a sharp suit at Brazil 2014.

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Sex please, we're Argentinian

2010-05-27T11:00:00Z

One is the classic squad photo. Sparkling ironed kits, all smiles, the coach on the front row flanked by his main men – Messi and Tévez in this case – and the trio of keepers stood in the middle. All good.

The other looks like a group of extras from a Guy Ritchie film. Sharp suits, gelled hair, a wide boy demeanour… Given the recent debate that’s got people talking in Argentina, perhaps the cinematic reference should be Sexy Beast.

As the World Cup nears, Argentina had two squad photos taken and, like other countries, took the opportunity to lay down a few ground rules for the coming weeks.

No jacket required - well not in this picture anyway...

Now, looking at what other countries are up to, Spain have decided that social networking is strictly off limits. ‘We’re not allowed to go online till we get back from the world cup,’ tweeted @Carles5puyol. ‘I’ll tell you about it when I’m back!’ @andresiniesta8 was typically composed and monotone. ‘We’ve been asked not to use Facebook or Twitter until the World Cup is over.’

Capello has taken the same route with the England players, but Brazil have allowed the likes of @RealKaka and @luis_fabuloso to air their thoughts… for now.

Rather than worrying what @OfficialMessi, @HiguainPipita and company are putting into 140 characters, however, Diego Maradona might be worrying what @aguerosergiokun is up to in his free time.

‘Sex is part of everyone’s social life,’ said team doctor Donato Villani yesterday on local radio. ‘The problem (for finely-tuned machines such as footballer) is not sex in itself. The problem is sex at two in the morning with a bottle of champagne, with someone who isn’t the steady partner.

After that glimpse into the lives of the young millionaires who will represent Argentina in South Africa, Villani confirmed that Argentine players will be allowed to see their girlfriends and wives during the competition, with benefits.

Carlos Bilardo (absent from the team photo as conspiracy theorists pointed out) will no doubt chip in with his opinion on the situation. He allowed his players some R&R with their señoritas in 1986 and 1990, under the strict condition that ‘the woman does the work,’ and the player doesn’t tire his legs.

Along with allowing the players moments of intimacy with their loved ones, Argentina are trying to maintain some semblance of normality during the World Cup. ‘You can’t deny the players an asado, a glass of wine or a bit of dulce de leche for a whole month,’ believes Villani.

Diego advises Aguero to ignore Doctor's orders...

There are, of course, different ways of unwinding. Fernado Signorini, the squad’s fitness coach admits ‘I like good books just as much as beautiful women.’ Signorini, who has accompanied Maradona since the 1980s, is something of a philosopher. He once argued his atheist beliefs with Heinze and Mascherano till the small hours of the morning, and then gave them both Bertrand Russel’s Why I Am Not a Christian. He regularly hands over suggested reading matter to the players.

Whether Argentina’s players use the down time during the World Cup to read the classics is, despite Signorini’s attempts, unlikely.

If Argentina crash and burn, the botineras – WAGS – will have some serious questions to answer.

But if all this pays off, then be warned. Maradona says he will run around Buenos Aires’s phallic centre piece, the Obelisk, in his birthday suit. Perhaps those team photo suits weren’t so bad after all.

More World Cup 2010 news

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Brad Pitt, AC/DC and Peruvian porn stars - quotes of the season from Argentina

2010-05-25T07:45:00Z

As Argentina celebrates its 200th birthday, the season has finally ground to halt.

The relegation playoffs were settled yesterday: Gimnasia ensured there’ll be a La Plata clásico by beating Atlético Rafaela for the second consecutive year. There was no such luck for Rosario Central, though, who lost to a side who sound more like the support act for Village People. All Boys are back in the big time...

All Argentine participation in the Libertadores ended at the quarter final stage last Thursday when Estudiantes went out of the competition in predictably acrimonious and aggressive fashion, and the league champions – Argentinos Juniors – have already lost their coach to Boca.

Before the World Cup occupies all attention, here’s a look back at some of the more telling quotes from the 2010 Clausura.

Under pressure

“We are aiming for a top five finish”
Ex-River Plate coach Leo Astrada in the preseason. He was left the millionaires 16th. The club ended the season 13th.

“I never wanted to go, nor did I quit”
Alfio Basile broke a four month silence by speaking to the press in early January. By late January he was gone.

“My dream is to win a league title with Boca”
Abel Alves takes over from Basile. His record included two wins in 13, before being shown the door.

“When the sh*t comes hard, you have to grab it with your mouth”
Then-San Lorenzo coach Diego Simeone explains his philosphy after losing the clásico to Racing

“There are rules that need to be followed, or else this will turn into a Roman Circus”
Vélez coach Ricardo Gareca fights a lone crusade for consistency amongst referees

“Fatty. Gay. Druggy.”
Ricardo Caruso Lombardi slings some mud at Omar Asad while his Tigre side are thrashed by Godoy Cruz.

“It’s like I’ve got an ‘available’ sign on me. Tigre called me, Godoy Cruz called me. I want a rest”
In-demand Leonardo Madelón was unable to say no the third time of asking, but still couldn’t save Rosario Central.

The Big Two’s big two

“I feel ashamed of how Boca is playing”
Juan Román Riquelme on the situation at Boca

“It’s as if I’m a disaster, and all the other players are legends”
Ariel Ortega suggests his 6 am car-crashing antics aren’t the only reason River Plate are in dire straits.

“I wanted to ask Palermo to swap shirts but I was too shy.”
Tigre’s Carlos Luna after his hattrick against Boca - so shy that he then framed his own shirt and hung it up on his living room wall.

“God is a Palermo fan. If someone else had scored the goal against Peru, it would have been given offside, but God looked the other way”
Hugo ‘El Loco’ Gatti on the real reason Argentina qualified for the World Cup

The Lucky Tolo Gallego

“When your a-hole opens up there’s nothing big enough to give it to you with”
Eduardo Coudet implies Tolo Gallego is lucky, adding VAT onto a local expression. Ironically, Coudet plays for Colón.

“The luck’s over, so don’t bust my balls about it anymore.”
Tolo Gallego, The Lucky One according to the press, had so much fortune he lost three key players to injury, saw his side Independiente crash out of a title race and then found himself out of a job at the end of the season.

Defend the indefensible

“Its not like I should go to jail for it”
Breyner Bonilla claims his tackle on Facundo Bertoglio wasn’t that bad after all.

Riquelme versus Palermo

“The only thing we have in common is the shirt we wear”
Palermo on Riquelme

“This isn’t set up. This is totally and completely set up”
Juan Román Riquelme suggests there is more that meets the eye to negative stories in the press.

“I didn’t feel like celebrating the goal in front of that stand”
Riquelme explains why he didn’t congratulate Palermo for his record-breaking goal in front of La Doce

Highway to hell

“I want San Lorenzo to be like an AC/DC song: hard rock”
Fill-in boss Sebastian Mendez before losing 2-0 to Boca, just one of the various low points for the Ciclón this season.

Motherly Love

“I like football, apart from when Quilmes play. If Quilmes play my mum, I want Quilmes to win.”
The mustachioed Aníbal Fernández, Cabinet Chief, and one of the architects of Fútbol Para Todos

And finally, let’s talk about sex

“Since I took over Racing I’ve been like Brad Pitt”
Tigre coach Ricardo Caruso Lombardi claims his stint in Avellaneda has helped his chances with the opposite sex.

“Playing good football doesn’t mean that you’ll win anything. The best looking girl maybe won’t be that good in the sack…”
Argentinos Juniors coach Bichi Borghi’s own analogy on whether attractive football equals good results.

“I’m the same in bed as I am on the pitch – I like to attack.”
San Lorenzo and former West Brom loanee Juan Carlos Menseguez spells out his approach.

“There’s no way I’m a 10 in bed”
Banfield’s Seba Fernández admits to a few shortcomings

“A friend’s daughter told me I look like a Peruvian porn star”
More from the legendary Bichi Borghi

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'Leg squasher' Diego takes big risks in naming his final 23

2010-05-21T11:47:00Z

Flights? Check. Hotel? Check. Match tickets? Check. Bring it on.

Ariel had his World Cup all organised, booked and paid for. Along with a couple of friends, 30 year old Ariel was going to travel to South Africa for the experience of a lifetime. He’d follow the fortunes of his country.

After games he could tell stories about the time Marcelo Bielsa tried him out in defence for the Albiceleste back in 2003. He could tell strangers at the bar about the time Maradona called him up to play a friendly against Haiti.

He could forget how he had spent all season trying to convince his club coach not to play him at right-back because he didn’t really like it. He could forget about his club’s largely disappointing campaign in the league, enjoy the World Cup, head home for the forthcoming season, and look forward to adding to his 230 games in top flight in Argentina.

But that has all changed. Ariel will have to cancel the flights and hotel, and pass on his tickets to a lucky amigo, because Ariel is Ariel Garcé, the shock call up for the Argentina World Cup squad.

Having squashed one poorly positioned cameraman’s leg on his way in to the predictably chaotic press conference, Diego Maradona announced the players he was taking to South Africa.

Relief spread when there was no sign of the surname Coloccini. Surprise news came when there was no Ezequiel Lavezzi. Other casualities – Sosa, Mercier, Blanco, Insaurralde and Jesús Dátolo – will probably not have been shocked by their omission.

By the time Maradona named his final list, the impious axe-wielding had been done. Zanetti, Cambiasso, Aimar, Lucho González, Lisandro López, Gago, Banega, Gabi Milito… all these players had been totally left out in the cold. They didn’t even make the 30-man provisional squad.

Ariel Garcé did make the 30, and even more surprisingly (‘at least let me enjoy it for a week’ he said, believing his chances of making the final squad to be somewhere between minimal and non-existent), he made the final cut.

So it is that Argentina’s final preparations for South Africa begin. Having tried out a total of 108 players, Maradona has his 23.

He takes three keepers – with less than ten caps between them; seven defenders, with one out-and-out fullback between them; seven midfielders, with 20 year old once-capped Javier Pastore as the only replacement 36 year old Juan Sebastián Verón in the creative role; and he takes six strikers for two places up front, who between them have hit 133 league goals this season.

What can we expect from Argentina? Perhaps one pointer is Maradona’s record as coach. Played 19, drawn 0. When Diego told journalists in Uruguay to keep sucking it he said ‘that’s me, I’m black or white, never grey.’ They’ll have to perform spectacularly badly not to make it through their group of Nigeria, South Korea and Greece, but what happens next is anyone’s guess. They could crash out in the second round, or go all the way.

As always with Maradona, it’s guaranteed to be fun - unless you are a poorly positioned cameraman.

Argentina's final 23-man squad

Keepers
Sergio Romera (AZ Zlkmaar)
Mariano Andújar (Catania)
Diego Pozo (Colón)

Defenders
Nicolás Otamendi (Vélez)
Walter Samuel (Inter)
Martín Demichelis (Bayern)
Gabriel Heinze (Marseille)
Nicolás Burdisso (Roma)
Ariel Garcé (Colón)
Clemente Rodriguez (Estudiantes)

Midfielders
Jonás Gutiérrez (Newcastle)
Javier Mascherano (Liverpool)
Juan S. Verón (Estudiantes)
Ángel Di María (Benfica)
Javier Pastore (Palermo)
Maxi Rodriguez (Liverpool)
Mario Bolatti (Fiorentina)

Strikers
Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Gonzalo Higuaín (Real Madrid)
Diego Milito (Inter)
Sergio Agüero (Atlético Madrid)
Carlos Tévez (Manchester City)
Martín Palermo (Boca Juniors)

Borghi's gang of loanees, free transfers and old boys do the unthinkable

2010-05-17T15:43:00Z

“When I arrived we were fighting relegation, but now we are champions,” beamed Claudio ‘Bichi’ Borghi on Sunday night in the kind of self-congratulatory manner which would leave even Harry Redknapp blushing.

While riot police clashed with Huracan fans at one end of the pitch at the final whistle of the Clausura 2010, at the other end the 10,000 Argentinos Juniors fans were euphoric.

Twenty-five years since the last title, the club that saw Maradona, Redondo, Riquelme, Cambiasso and company all start out were Argentine champions once again.

Between them, Godoy Cruz, Independiente and Estudiantes had all taken turns in leading the table this season. But after a slow start, Argentinos quietly went about putting together a 12-match unbeaten run. An epic 4-3 win over Independiente that put them in pole position for the final day of the season, which ended with their third league title in the club’s history.

Twleve months ago, these celebrations were completely unthinkable.

When Borghi was brought in just over a year ago, Argentinos finished the season twentieth, rock bottom of the table, owing to the groundwork laid by previous coach Claudio Vivas.

Borghi wasn’t exactly dealt the best hand when he took over. Morale was low. There was no cash. The club sold star striker Gabriel Hauche to Racing. The man the fans say is the side’s best player is carrying a few too many kilos and looks like a cross between Gladstone Small and a hedgehog.

The man Borghi said was the player of the year – Jose Luis Calderon - is five months shy of his 40th birthday. The team was built up on players that Velez, Independiente and Estudiantes no longer wanted, all brought in on loan, an a free, or in the case of Calderon, out of retirement.

And even after a reasonable Apertura, finishing sixth, Argentinos started this term poorly. With just one win in the first five games of the Clausura, the ‘Bicho’ faced Estudiantes - the side who they would fight for the league title on the final weekend of the season.

The man who had quit the game after being pushed out of Estudiantes, and who Borghi convinced to return for one more season, Jose Luis Calderon, scored the winner.

After that game, Argentinos won 11 and drew three. They lost none.

The loanees and freebees brought in to make up the squad started to shine. In midfield, the Juan Mercier and Nestor Ortigoza duo provided the constructive and destructive engine for the side.

Mercier, who scored the first on Sunday, is now looking at the chance of going to South Africa as Javier Mascherano’s deputy after his performances. His midfield partner, Nestor Ortigoza (the hedgehog), may go with Paraguay.
The pair recently admitted why they had built up a strong partnership in midfield. “We’ve played alongside each other for three years - it’s a long time.”

It’s hardly Scholes, Giggs and Neville longevity, but in Argentine football three years is an eternity. Eight clubs have been champions in that time. And rather than building on the success, clubs are used to having to move on and change both their coaching and playing staff.

Since 2006, Estudiantes, Lanus, San Lorenzo, River, Boca, Banfield, Velez and now Argentinos have all won the league title.

And like many of those teams that won championships, Argentinos are just as likely to be dismantled from top to bottom.

Agents will already be on the phone, touting their players new and improved CV which includes Clausura 2010 champion in bold type at the top.

And despite starting out at the club at the age of 10, despite having won league titles, a Libertadores Cup and almost beaten Platini’s Juventus in the Intercontinental, despite now winning the title as coach, and despite only becoming president left on the to-do list, Borghi may also be leaving.

“If we win the title,” he said a few weeks back, “I will leave.” Boca are interested in his services, even if he himself claims he doesn’t have the experience for his job. He may return to Chile, where his family - and that of his backroom staff – live.

The fans want him to stay, to lead the side in the Sudamericana and then in the Libertadores. But while hangovers wear off, while the club’s website is updated, while murals are planned and repainted, everyone knows, or expects, this to be a fleeting success - all the more reason to enjoy it.

The original 'Next Maradona' nears history as Palermo's ex calls in the lawyers

2010-05-14T15:27:00Z

Impressed by La Liga Loca’s Beginer’s Guide to La Liga’s Last Day, there seemed no reason, in much the same way as Argie Bargy’s adopted country copied the language, not to copy the idea from the motherland.

Here are the weekend’s talking points…

Title race

He of the rabona (the Joe Cole wrap-around to you and me), he who was the original 'Next Maradona', he who compared winning the title but not being the best team in the league to the best looking girl not being up to much in the sack, could become He of the Clasura ’10 champions.

Argentinos Juniors travel to Huracán on Sunday. A win, and perhaps a draw, will see the club win their first title since 1985, and add another chapter to the legend of Claudio ‘Bichi’ Borghi, the Argentinos coach.
Libertadores

Keeping an eye on how things pan out for Argentinos will be Estudiantes, still in with a shout of winning the title. A single one goal has all but dashed hopes of the double. 0-0 last Sunday with Central means they need Argentinos to lose to have a chance of winning the league.

On Thursday, they lost – undeservedly - to Internacional in the Libertadores to a late header. The result isn’t beyond reach for next week’s return leg, but it is the proverbial montaña that they have to climb.

Sudamericana watch

Everyone may see it as a rubbish Europa League, which is really saying something, and it may be concocted to attract TV money and simply fill in the non-Libertadores Cup half of the year, but the Sudamericana is in fact a fair reflection of the season’s best teams.

The traditional European season, as you all know, is broken down into the Apertura and Clausura in Argentina, allowing two champions. Together, they make up the ‘normal’ season and it is the top six from this table that provides Argentina’s entries to the competition.

So far Argentinos, Banfield, Newell’s, Estudiantes and Independiente have all qualified. Vélez and Lanús both need to win, and the other not to, to grab the final spot.

Relegation watch

Tigre fans conducted a peaceful, amicable, and in-no-way-violence-inciting pretend funeral up in the stands for their hated rivals Chacarita last weekend. The Undertakers, together with Atlético Tucumán have hogged the first two relegations spots all to themselves. Central and Gimnasia will play the relegation playoff, against sides from the second division yet to be decided.

River/Boca watch

After three spells at the club, six league titles, one Libertadores, one Supercopa, over 300 games and nearly 70 goals, Marcelo Gallardo is leaving River Plate. Wiping away the tears, the playmaker – affectionately known as ‘Chucky’ (from Child’s Play, for his looks) told the press that it was best for him to leave.

He wants to carry on playing, but with a injury record that makes Arjen Robben look like Bruce Willis in Unbreakable, we may not be seeing much more of Gallardo.

Mauro Camoranesi won’t be replacing him. Offered half of what River’s top earner takes to the bank, the Juve player’s agent walked out of the meeting after four (4) minutes. Second choice Argie Bargy also scoffed at the $400,000 offer. River clearly don’t know what journalism pays…

Riquelme, meanwhile, is injured and needs surgery. The debate about him not going to the World Cup is now officially null and void, because it doesn’t matter that he is a genius but also refers to himself as Riquleme, and that he fell out with Maradona. The debate is over. He wouldn’t have made it.

World Cup squad watch

Ariel Garcé is going to South Africa, yes or yes (as the Argentines would say it). “I booked the flights with my mates months ago,” said the defender. He, like most of us, clearly wasn’t expecting Diego to offer him the chance to play while he was there.

Martín Palermo, meanwhile, may have his chances of making the final 23 scuppered by his ex-wife, Lorena Barrichi. Lorena has filed a lawsuit against Palermo, citing tax evasion and money laundering. No hard feelings after the split, then.

Final Day Fixtures
Arsenal-Godoy Cruz
San Lorenzo-Newell’s
Banfield-Boca
Chacarita/Palermo Dead-Racing
Gimnasia – Atlético Tucumán
River-Tigre
Independiente-Lanús
Central – Vélez
Huracán – Argentinos
Colón - Estudiantes

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Diego keeps the world waiting before unleashing axe on Cambiasso and Zanetti

2010-05-12T09:26:00Z

‘In minutes,’ announced the homepage of the crashed AFA website, ‘the list of the 30 Argentine players will be available.’

The statement was like one of those building site billboards that informs you that the work will be completed in 22 months, but doesn’t tell you when they started. It was there for hours.

One tweeter announced the list would be up in seconds, but their optimism was misguided - the small print below read ‘about an hour ago via web.’

Tuesday was a marathon of gossip and rumour-mongering about who would and who wouldn’t make the list.

Due out at 3pm, it wasn’t till gone 7 pm that the world finally discovered that messrs Zanetti, Cambiasso, Lucho González, Lisandro López, Gago, Gabi Milito and Pablo Aimar would not be going to the World Cup.

NEWS: Zanetti out of Argentina squad

Instead, names such as Garcé, Insuarralde, Mercier and Blanco were included. For now, it isn’t worth delving too deep into an evaluation of the squad - at least not until the final cut to 23 is made – as the four mentioned above are all strong candidates to not make the final draft.

And despite headline-grabbing big names missing out, the starting XI to face Nigeria in Argentina’s first World Cup game hasn’t changed at all with this squad selection.
But as usual, nothing was simple. In fact, it was chaos.

Journalists complained about the mosquitoes at the national team training camp as they stood around waiting for news. Excited bloggers from around the world complained about various duties such as sleep, food and exams that they were putting off to find out the last 30.

Maradona drove past the hordes of journalists when he arrived at the national team HQ, only to wind down his window to breezily announce that it was all sorted, no worries! AFA then took four hours longer than expected to let us all know.

It was hard not to compare how Brazil did their business just hours before – a no-nonsense final 23-man squad was named, followed by a sincere press conference from Dunga who defended his selection.

While the build up to the announcement in Brazil saw the president, priests, World Cup winning legends and current team mates all trying to convince the Brazilian coach to call up the latest Santos wunderkid Neymar, or the errant striker Adriano, in Argentina the build up was slightly different.

"For the last time - yes, I know what I'm doing..."

Step forward Humbertito and Alfito. Little Humbert and Alfie.

The former is one of AFA president Don Julio Humberto Grondona’s sons. The latter, also named by his Dad after his Dad, is the son of Alfio Basile, Maradona’s predecessor as national team coach.

First up is Humbertito, who said that ‘if you attack my dad, I’ll stamp you out.’ Why the aggression? Maradona was upset at a friendly in Dubai being cancelled, the reasons for which verge into the predictably libellous arena of speculation and rumour, so we’ll leave it there.

Alfito, meanwhile, claimed that Maradona lead a plot to overthrow Alfio Basile as coach. ‘At the next World Cup, Argentina will be lead by a conspirator,’ tweeted Alfito. Various members of Basile’s backroom staff came out supporting Alfito’s accusations, stating they were ‘common knowledge in the football world’.

In an untypical response to Alfito, Maradona wrote a letter that was published in the local media, remembering the times he helped out Basile senior, and would never do anything like that to a man he respected. To Humbertito, much like the rest of the Argentine population, he paid little attention. ‘I only talk to the circus leader,’ said Diego.

In brushing off Humbertito’s threat, Maradona hit home with his description of the situation – a circus.

The only reason we are not talking about the serious allegations from Alfito Basile today, or the on-going feud with the Grondonas, is the farce that surrounded the naming of the provisional 30-man squad, and the big-name absentees.

Doubts around who would replace Mascherano or Verón – in particular – remain after naming the squad. But as Maradona happily explained in an interview aired after the squad was announced, he has a clear idea of how his team will play at the World Cup.

Like the troublesome qualifiers, if Argentina do well in South Africa none of this will matter and will all be forgotten. If they don’t, there’ll be plenty of people queuing up with their own take on what went wrong…

Provisional 30-man squad

Keepers: Sergio Romero (Az Alkmaar), Mariano Andújar (Catania), Diego Pozo (Colón)

Defenders: Nicolás Burdisso (Roma), Ariel Garcé (Colón), Fabricio Coloccini (Newcastle), Martín Demichelis (Bayern Munich), Gabriel Heinze (Olympique Marseille), Juan Manuel Insaurralde (Newell's), Nicolás Otamendi (Vélez), Clemente Rodríguez (Estudiantes), Walter Samuel (Inter).

Midfielders: Sebastián Blanco (Lanús), Mario Bolatti (Fiorentina), Jesús Dátolo (Nápoli), Angel Di María (Benfica), Jonás Gutiérrez (Newcastle), Javier Macherano (Liverpool), Juan Mercier (Argentinos Juniors), Javier Pastore (Huracán), Maxi Rodríguez (Liverpool), José Sosa (Estudiantes), Juan Sebastián Verón (Estudiantes).

Forwards: Gonzalo Higuaín (Real Madrid), Ezequiel Lavezzi (Nápoli), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Diego Milito (Inter), Martín Palermo (Boca), Carlos Tevez (Manchester City), Sergio Agüero (Atlético Madrid).

Argentinos' amazing comeback keeps title hopes alive

2010-05-10T15:28:00Z

“Muerde,” says the 40-something up in the stands at the Argentinos Juniors game on Sunday afternoon.

“Put him under” would be the rough translation of what he wanted his team’s player to do, but the literal translation would simply be ’bite.’

Two seats along, granddad could see that his granddaughter, sat in between him and his 40 something son, was a bit bored and not too happy. The abuelo leant over, and in her ear let go a quiet ’woof’.

She managed a smile. Things weren’t going to plan for Argentinos, and light-hearted jokes from the older generation - who have seen things not go to plan for over two decades - were needed.

Even though Argentinos had packed out their stadium, there was silence in the stands. No singing and no jumping, just some nail-biting. Opposite, several thousand Independiente supporters were basking in the sun and basking in their glory.

The Rojo were 3-1 up, ruining their opponent’s chances of winning the title and were still in with a chance of winning the championship themselves.

What happened next quickly surpassed by any of the other stories of the weekend. Not even River Plate’s Gabriel Funes Mori hitting his first goal of the season after not finding the net in 14 matches (and then hitting two more for a 23-minute hattrick) would steal the limelight.

Nor would Hernan Lopez hitting a 28-minute hattrick of headers against Chacarita, only to then find a fourth in the second half. Huracán beating Boca at the Bombonera for the first time in 30 years would also fail to take front page.

Not even Newell’s thrashing Gimnasia 6-0 - going top of the 2009/10 table on Saturday night – and becoming the best side in the land would be the weekend’s top story. Sunday’s events at Argentinos would trump them all.

Diego Maradona took his seat in the stands and was sat next to his son, who the Argentinos stadium is now named after. So while the two Diego’s watched on, Estudiantes were taking on Central. The title race had come down to a two-horse race between Argentinos and Estudiantes, and both played at the same time on Sunday.

Despite taking the lead, things soon looked grim for Argentinos.

Lionel Núñez took the corner for Independiente, and saw his cross swing all the way round and over substitute keeper Ojeda and into the top corner. Núñez appeared to be apologising for his fluke, but was in fact apologising for scoring against the club he started out at.

After a goal from Darío Gandín, Núñez then repeated his hands-together head-bowed gesture after hitting his second, which took Independiente to a 3-1 lead.

Estudiantes may have had Juan Sebastián Verón sent off and were struggling with a 0-0 draw, but the dream of the title seemed over for the Bicho. Up in the stands, a grandfather woofed.

Núñez was soon taken off as Independiente looked to tighten up at the back and win all three points. He trudged off with his now-familiar hands-together head-down apology to the home fans, which was lucky because if he had held his head high, the full bottle of water that hurtled towards him from the stands would probably have knocked him unconscious.

Núñez survived, but Independiente did not. Tolo Gallego’s plan to shut up shop and defend a 3-1 lead chronically back-fired.

Argentinos bombarded the Rojo’s area, and pulled back a goal. Independiente wasted two remarkable chances to kill the game off, but then, two minutes from time, amidst the rubble of fallen bodies in the 6-yard area, the ball fell for defender Juan Sabia to blast in the equaliser.

Argentinos would go into the final day of the season a point behind Estudiantes, who had ended their game with Central 0-0.

That was until the 93rd minute, when Independiente ridiculously tried to pass the ball out of defence, only to lose it and allow Argentinos to grab the winner via a deflected shot from captain Matías Caruzzo.

The pile-on that ensued included one of the photographers stood nearby, who missed his best photo opportunity in 25 years of covering Argentinos.

Maybe he, and the team, will keep their composure next weekend and get the shot of Argentinos lifting the league trophy.

RESULTS Vélez 4-1 Chacarita, Newell’s 6-0 Gimnasia, Racing 0-3 River Plate, Argentinos Juniors 4-3 Independiente, Estudiantes 0-0 Central, Tigre 1-2 Banfield, Boca Juniors 1-2 Huracán, Atlético Tucumán 1-1 Arsenal

'Bomb' in the face may help Palermo earn another crack of the whip

2010-05-06T12:49:00Z

It is hard to know exactly what Wednesday night’s friendly between Argentina and Haiti was for.

Most Argentines will tell you that it was so that AFA could drum up the money to pay Maradona’s contract. If we take this logic – that a national team plays friendlies to cover their coach’s wages – then England would have had to play 88 friendlies since Capello took over as coach, because the FA pay Don Fabio eight times as much as Don Diego receives from AFA.

Another reason was solidarity with the people of Haiti. After the devastating earthquake that, killed tens – if not hundreds – of thousands of Haitians, the game organisers promised to send part of the gate to the country.

For Maradona, it was another chance to kick up a storm, this time over a warm-up game ahead of the World Cup that has been cancelled last minute.

For most of the Haiti players, substitutes and coaches, and entourage, it was the opportunity of a lifetime to get a photo with Maradona.

It was also the final adios to Ariel Ortega in the national team.

The main reason was that come Monday, Maradona will have whittled the 108 players he has called up down to a provisional squad of 30. That group will be slimmed down to the official 23-man world cup squad just days later.

The idea of the Haiti friendly was to try out a few players based in Argentina. But if we cut to the chase, while most of us wondered just why on earth these two sides were playing, the real reason was to find another excuse to take Martin Palermo to the World Cup.

Sure enough, that excuse came. The match stats will suggest that the reason came in the 42nd minute, when Palermo scored (yes, it was a header). But the real reason came in the second minute. After the game Maradona called it a bomb. Palermo called it a banger.

Whatever it was, Boca’s barra brava, La Doce, threw an explosive device onto the pitch at the very beginning of the match, which landed a few steps from the striker cut Palermo’s face. Blood poured from his chin. Everyone nodded sagely about how lucky it was not to catch him in the eye. Everyone agreed how disgraceful it was that it happened. The TV commentators commendably criticised the idiots who threw it. But nobody will do anything about it.

The point is the banger/bomb added further drama to the Palermo story. It was another ingredient for the biography that has created an aura around the striker, and convinces vast sectors of the media and supporters that he is a charmed being, and therefore must go to the World Cup to help Argentina conquer the world.

No, nobody talks about those three penalties against Colombia anymore.

For all the goals that Palermo has scored for Boca, and for all the triumphs over adversity, it remains hard to look beyond a basic issue.

Palermo is going as the player to be thrown on with three minutes left when Argentina need a goal. With Milito, Tevez, Messi and Higuain, not to mention Di Maria, Pastore, Veron and so on, shouldn’t they be developing a system to simply score more than everyone at the World Cup?

Barring drastic last-minute changes, Palermo will be on the flight to South Africa. In all probability there will be no Lisandro Lopez. There will also be no Pablo Aimar. For other reasons there will be no Juan Roman Riquleme. But there will also be no Esteban Cambiasso. No Lucho Gonzalez. No Fernando Gago. No Gabi Milito. No Ever Banega. No Javier Zanetti!

Instead, the talk in Argentina is what a shame Rodrigo Brana is injured. Or that Juan Mercier could provide back up for Mascherano. If you haven’t heard of them, which is completely understandable, they are both excellent midfielders plying their trade in Argentina. But playing for Estudiantes or Argentinos Juniors is not the same as playing for Inter, Valencia, or Marseille.

The friendly with Haiti kept a debate going about certain home-based players deserving to go to the World Cup, which was, in normal situations, a non-starter from day one.

From Leo Messi to Cristian Villagra, Maradona has given a fair crack of the whip to Argentine footballers - 108 of them have had their chance to earn a place in the World Cup squad.

The problem is that some have been given a fairer, and longer, crack at it than others.

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The gutter-chucking, hose-tugging weekend round-up

2010-05-04T09:12:00Z

Much like rules and any window in the vicinity of a school playground, records are there to be broken, and round 17 of the Clausura saw two new records established.

First up were Boca and Independiente, who resumed play for the second half of their clásico a lazy 24 minutes after the first half had ended.

While this particular record can perhaps be blamed on absent-mindedness, the 20 (yes, twenty) minutes time added on in the Chacarita-Estudiantes clash – also another record - cannot.

And given the way in which it took place, it is not just another stat for the anoraks amongst us, but the weekend’s main talking point.

Everything else - from Racing’s fourth consecutive win to (almost) guarantee safety, to Martin Palermo’s impossible header, to Mouche’s ridiculous goal-and-red-card after coming on as a sub, to Banfield-Huracán kicking off at 11 on Sunday morning, to Pablo Migliore trying to break Ismael Sosa’s legs outside the box and then recriminating the striker for celebrating after scoring to keep Argentinos in the title race, to Central derailing Godoy Cruz’s title challenge in time added on – was by the bye.

Rather than extended bouts of time-wasting, feigning injury, prolonged substitutions and arguing with the ref, there was a different reason altogether that the second half between the Undertakers and the Students lasted over an hour.

That reason was a hose pipe.

Lisandro López (Chacarita’s 20 year old centre-back, not Lyon’s free-scoring striker) was given his marching orders on the half hour mark. Despite his best efforts to move his arm out of the ball’s way and watch Gastón ‘The Cat’ Fernández’s shot go wide, there was contact. The match referee awarded a penalty, ignoring the word ‘deliberate’ in Law 12, and sent López off to boot.

“It showed that Estudiantes had to win this game,” said the conspiratorially-minded defender afterwards.

López would soon be joined in his suspicions by Estudiantes old boy and legend José Luis Calderón. Just a few months shy of his 40th birthday, Calderón should be thinking about putting his feet up without a pair of boots in sight, but instead he is still doing the business up front for Argentinos Juniors – the side who happen to be the only team within spitting distance of Estudiantes in the title run in. ‘If they keep giving Estudiantes penalties,’ said Calderón, ‘they’ll be champions.’

Back to Sunday’s game, the penalty allowed the Students to draw level and ultimately take the win, but the spot kick unleashed the fury of the most furious set of fans around.

The first half stopped for eight minutes after ‘supporters’ threw various objects at hand onto the pitch. One such object looked suspiciously like a metre length of guttering.

These scenes, which usually provoke justified censure in the media, then veered from outright violence to comedy in the second half.

Somehow the Chacarita fans managed to get a hold of the fire brigade’s hose.

An almighty tug of war ensued – the ‘fans’ versus the firemen – but within seconds it was clear that it wasn’t going to be the men in yellow hats’ day. The hose ended up in the custody of the ‘supporters’.

Having had their cake, they then proceeded to eat it, opening the valve and spraying the police and the firemen in front of them. The hose, that at first had been pointed at the cheated and angry ‘fans’ to ‘cool down’ the atmosphere after the penalty decision, was now directed back at them.

By this stage, there were several red faces under the yellow hats.

The absurd situation and tug of war dominated the news from the weekend. This blog had hoped to analyse the merits of both camps in a battle that sprung up between Juan Sebastián Verón and River’s coach Ángel Cappa from the previous weekend. The old Menotti vs Bilardo, purist vs. resultadista argument was up and running again.

Estudiantes had scored a ‘lucky’ goal and played bad football against River, said Cappa, a man who should be quiet, according to Verón, as ‘he has won nothing.’

The argument between Verón and Cappa delved into the arena of a personal attack. But after seeing River beat Vélez at the weekend with such flair, comparing Cappa’s style with Estudiantes table-topping football seemed a fair subject to write about.

The Undertakers put paid to that. The circus took over. Analyzing the Pincha on a game in which the fire brigade were robbed and where they played an hour against a side, already relegated, with ten men, is impossible.

Given that Estudiantes are marching confidently on to win their fifth league title win, hopefully there’ll be the opportunity to talk about football, rather than hose pipes, in a week or two’s time.

Results
Arsenal 0-2 Newell’s
Gimnasia 0-0 Lanús
Tigre 1-2 Racing
Central 1-0 Godoy Cruz
River 2-1 Vélez
Banfield 1-0 Huracán
Colón 0-0 Atlético Tucumán
San Lorenzo 1-2 Argentinos
Chacaritca 1-2 Estudiantes
Indpendiente 2-3 Boca

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Home is where the points are as Ortega loses his cool

2010-04-26T16:13:00Z

If there was any weekend when you wanted to be playing at home rather than away, it was matchday 16.

Eight home sides won, and the other two hosts ended up sharing the points. It was a bad day for an away day.

In the case of Chacarita/Palermo Dead, this was very bad news. They travelled to Mendoza, lost to Godoy Cruz, and were the first side relegated this season.

In the case of Atlético Tucumán, it was also pretty bad news, because although they were at home, they were one of the sides that drew, a result which also condemned the northerners to life in the second division next season.

For Boca it was great news. They won the clásico with San Lorenzo 2-0 with the second goal from Martín Palermo - a goal that virtually guarantees his place at the World Cup and also brought on a photo opportunity with Riquelme - suggesting that all is well in the state of La Boca, but proving that pictures can tell a thousand lies.

For Lanús and Newell's, it was great news. Thumping home wins moved them closer to qualifying for the Sudamericana and brushed over disappointing seasons.

For Argentinos it was fantastic news, as Bichi Borghi's smooth passing side also took all three points and stayed in the title hunt.

For Independiente it wasnt such good news as they were away, and dropped two points at Huracán as their dip continues.

For Estudiantes, however, it was the best possible news.

The 1-0 win over River Plate was a modest scoreline for the country mile that separates these two clubs right now. One of River's defenders putting the ball past his own keeper also doesn't quite tell the story.

Unfortunately, the main story to come from the game was the battle between Leandro Desábato and Ariel Ortega. Some classic chest puffing, pushing and growling between the two was followed by insults.

The Estudiantes centre back called Ortega a drunk. The River Plate forward then called Desábato a cuckold. Only the first was caught by the cameras.

The following incident - a knee-high stamp by Ortega - was caught by several cameras, several thousand people in the stadium, and several tens of thousands of TV viewers, but not the lineman, stood three metres away, nor the refereee.

Ortega escaped Villalva and Cabral's fate, leaving River with nine players on the pitch at the end of the 90 minutes rather than eight, but the damage was done. The weekend's scandal was dished up the second Ortega wasn't given his marching orders.

In the aftermath, we have been reminded that Desábato spent a night in jail in Brazil after calling the striker Grafite a 'monkey.' Ortega, meanwhile, crashed his car in the small hours of Sunday night.. Perhaps the incident shouldn't have surprised us that much.

The real story, however, beyond the insults and horror challenges, is that Estudiantes are on for a historic double. They are top of the table in Argentina, and as the current Libertadores champions, are feared across the continent in the week that the South American Champions League enters the knock out phase.

Whispers had it that the Pincha would be focusing on challenging for a repeat of last years Libertadores win. Vélez are said to have the best squad. Independiente started strongly.

Yet Vélez have not got going in the league, which may or may not have to do with external factors. The Rojo, meanwhile, have suffered a major dip in form.

And while Godoy Cruz and Argentinos quietly go about their business staying within spitting distance of the top spot, everyone agrees that the best starting XI in the country is the one that Alejandro Sabella picks for Estudiantes.

Yet for the first leg against San Luis de Potosí in Mexico this week, Sabella has left six of those first teamers in Argentina. Juan Sebasián Verón, Mauro Boselli, Rodrigo Braña, Marcos Angeleri, José Sosa and Leandro Desábato have all stayed at home, to rest for next weeks league game with Chacarita/Palermo Dead.

It is hard to imagine Inter travelling to a vital Champions League game without Diego Milito, Sammy Eto'o, Wesley Sneijder, Esteban Cambiasso, Lucio and Maicon, but it is also hard to imagine José Mourinho opting to fly 14 hours in tourist class to allow his players to go first class and rest.

This, however, is exactly what Sabella has done. Leaving so many first teamers at home is a calculated risk. The Libertadores final will be played after, that's right, after the World Cup.

Estudiantes can focus on home matters first, and as long as they keep afloat in the Libertadores, can set themselves up to win a historic back-to-back Libertadores trophy, and an even more historic league and Libertadores double.

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Martin Palermo, Palermo Martin, but not Palermo Riquelme

2010-04-23T14:45:00Z

In a few years time, Buenos Aires will in fact be called Palermo.

It may take time getting used to, the way that colonial types find it hard to say Mumbai or Myanmar, but it seems the only possible conclusion to a growing trend.

On paper, Palermo is just one of the 48 barrios that make up the city. The reality, however, is that the Neighbourhood Formerly Known as Palermo is a monster spreading its reach across the capital.

The area is already subdivided into Old Palermo, New Palermo, Small Palermo, Palermo Soho, Palermo Hollywood and so on.

Essentially, the reason behind this is so that estate agents, restaurateurs, bar owners, delicatessen owners, yoga instructors and hippies can price their services and produce at vastly inflated prices because they are based in an ‘exclusive’ part of Palermo.

While some are piling up the pesos, others are resisting change. The residents of neighbouring Villa Crespo are fighting a battle to prevent the area becoming colonialised and called Palermo Queens. Chacarita, meanwhile, is being billed as Palermo Dead – in tribute to the enormous cemetery where you can pay your respects to tango legend Carlos Gardel and two members of River’s legendary 1950s team, The Machine, amongst others.

The expansionist ambitions of Palermo have been given a boost this week, by a group of Boca fans. Most clubs just bring out a statue to honour their legends. Not the xeneizes.

There is a movement to name a neighbourhood after their all time top scorer. Yes, Martin Palermo.

"Good thing I wasn't called Martin Milton Keynes..."

Strictly speaking, the area that would be Palermo Martin is inside the real Palermo, although it is suspiciously close to parts of Villa Crespo and Almagro.

While this motion to name an area of the city after a footballer gains more and more momentum, there is major problem here.

If they don’t find a Palermo Riquelme - or even a Palermo Román - soon, a civil war could kick off.

This weekend the legend of Martín Palermo could well be extended by another goal in the clásico with San Lorenzo, a game totally impossible to call.

Elsewhere, business could be cleared up at both ends of the two tables (the real one and the relegation one). Two title hopefuls are pitted against relegation-battling sides – Godoy Cruz welcome Chacarita to Mendoza while Argentinos entertain Gimnasia.

Independiente need a win at Huracán to keep up the pressure, while top of the table Estudiantes take on River.

The Pincha are in Libertadores action next week, but have already won the psychological war against the millionaires for this week. When asked what worried him about Estudiantes, River coach Ángel Cappa was succinct. ‘Everything.’

Banfield also limber up for their Libertadores clash with Internacional next week by taking on Racing, while Vélez prepare for their trip to Mexico against coach Ricardo ‘The Tiger’ Gareca’s namesake, Tigre.

Fixtures
Vélez v Tigre
Godoy Cruz v Chacarita/Palermo Dead
Lanús v Arsenal
Newell’s v Colón
Estudiantes v River
Huracán v Independiente
Argentinos v Gimnasia
Racing v Banfield
Atlético Tucumán v Central
Boca v San Lorenzo

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The Tiger, the circus and the referees

2010-04-22T11:05:00Z

'El que no llora no mama’ – ‘don’t ask, don’t get’

Vélez coach Ricardo ‘el Tigre’ Gareca had a moment this week that verged on the ‘I’m not a racist, but…’ Now, there may have been no Big Ron-isms from The Tiger, but he did say one thing, only to backtrack right after the comma.

“I have great respect for Argentine referees,” said Gareca, adding that everyone makes mistakes and he has nothing personal against the men in black, nicely setting himself up for the big BUT…

“…but Vélez is mixed up in a strange situation.”

According to Gareca, the situation is this - Vélez are being victimised for winning the league title a year ago.

The provocation for this outburst came just a few days back. Vélez were beating Racing 1-0, before their youngster Ricky Álvarez was sent off for dissent in the 68th minute.

Seven minutes later Racing equalised. Two minutes after that the Academy took the lead. And five minutes after taking the lead, they extended that lead to 3-1.

The game was total chaos. Rubber bullets were unleashed on the rioting fans up in the stands, while several fans not throwing seats at each other were finding missiles to launch at Vélez players.

Gareca was convinced everything was going against his side. It was only when he saw the blood pouring down Matías Cahais’ face that he accepted that Racing weren’t just time-wasting.

After being sent of by Javier Collado for dissent, Gareca took little time to suggest that there is an anti-Vélez campaign under way and his side are being punished.

Technically speaking, it is Gabriel Brazenas who is being punished. He has not taken charge of a game in nine months, or, to be precise, since the game in which Vélez were crowned league champions.

Brazenas was the referee who didn’t award Huracán a free-kick for a blatant full-studded foul on their keeper, and while their stopper laid sprawled out on the pitch, Vélez grabbed the winner, and the title.

For many, Huracán were robbed of the league title, but Gareca is having none of it. ‘We won the title legitimately, we were the best side with the best record,’ he argued this week, before returning to the theme of his criticism. ‘There are rules that need to be followed, or else this will turn into a Roman Circus.’

Gareca is not alone in thinking something is up with the referees. Lanús may have grabbed a point against Cólon at the weekend, but the club are far from happy with the ref from that game either.

“Why do you want my opinion, if you all saw what happened out there?” asked Luis Zubeldía after the game, before giving his opinion anyway. “The last three times Faraoni has refereed Colón he’s given them four penalties,” he shrugged.

Cólon’s penalty was a clear dive from Esteben Fuertes, while Lanús were denied a spot kick themselves.

Zubeldía’s boss, Lanús president Nicolás Russo, was furious afterwards. “You all saw the penalty they were given, and the one we were not given. It’s a disgrace.”

Also harrumphing after the weekend were River and Boca, both denied stonewall penalties.

It should come as some comfort, then, that all four clubs have some semblance of justice. Boca, River and Lanús’s subjects of complaint have all been ‘not designated’ by AFA this weekend.

Vélez’ object of ire has just been relegated, and takes charge of a second division game this weekend.

El que no llora…

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Matchday 15 round-up: Nine-a-side matches and days in court

2010-04-20T09:49:00Z

River Plate

Some fans claimed the atmosphere was like a Libertadores Cup final, an observation which points to a decent memory because the last time the Millonarios played one of those was in 1996.

All the same, after a promising start but then going a goal down, Ángel ‘tiki tiki’ Cappa’s debut saw River score two goals in 90 seconds - having not scored in the previous 534 minutes of ‘action’.

Ariel Ortega hit the equaliser while Diego Buonanotte played his first game since his horrendous car crash in January. Three points, some decent football and smiles all round.

Ortega (right) battles as River beat Godoy Cruz

Rosario Central versus Newell’s Old Boys

The Rosario derby had everything you’d expect from heated parochial affairs such as these.

Elbows, late tackles, penalties, and red cards – three of those before half time.

There was one more sending off after the break, making things at a fair nine-a-side, and the game ended all square at 1-1, a result which most favoured Central’s hopes of climbing out of the dreaded relegation playoff zone.

Racing

‘We’re paying the price for winning the title,’ believes Vélez coach Ricardo Gareca after losing to Racing.

‘You can’t just send off a kid who’s played five games,’ was his defence of Ricky Alvarez, who followed up a booking for dissent with a red card for dissent.

Gareca feels his side are being victimised after the referees decision effectively won them the championship a year ago, something that would require consistency from the nation’s refs, so it’s probably not the case.

Racing, meanwhile, took advantage of the numerical advantage to score three in five minutes and move out of the position they are fighting Central not to occupy.

Marco Pérez

This week’s Boca slayer goes by the name of Marco Pérez. Or, if you are the local press, make that Ebony Arrow, or the Colombian Samuel Eto’o.

David Cameron would probably just say it straight and call him a black man.

Pérez out-bicycle-kicked fellow striker and commentators’ nightmare Denis Stracqualursi to grab his eighth of the campaign, and like Central and Racing, Gimnasia are still in the fight to stay up.

Perez has never met David Cameron in Plymouth

Chacarita

The Undertakers clearly haven’t heard what six pointers are, or else they surely would have approached the clash with Atlético Tucumán differently.

They lost, and the board are already making plans for life in the second division, a life they see without 10 of the current squad.

Readers will remember that this is the same board which ‘suggested’ that the coach up until five games ago, Fernando Gamboa, rethink his team selection. He refused, left, and in came Mauro Navas.

Just 450 minutes of football later, Navas was doing the same as his predecessor. The Chacarita barra pressure the players and coach because of the poor results, but perhaps they need to look upstairs for the real problems at the club.

The Twelth Man and The Drunks

Speaking of barras bravas, La Doce and Los Borrachos made their voice heard this weekend, and rather than just the inane ‘come on lads we’re going win we want to see you champions’ that they usually churn out all game, they brought out special banners to actually say something.

‘Palermo – my only hero in this mess’ wrote Boca’s ‘fans’, while their counterparts up in Núñez declared Marcelo Gallardo a killjoy, and that he started the coup.

La Doce have sided with Palermo and not Riquelme in that particular battle, while Gallardo was criticised for supposedly having a part in Leo Astrada being fired last week.

Juan Román Riquelme

Riquelme, in the meantime, has been called up to declare in court about his press conference last Friday – not the part where he denied chatting up a teammate’s girlfriend, but the part where he suggested the barra brava had threatened the players.

Curiously, Román has been invited for this chat after speaking out about the barra, but he wasn’t invited when he was the star at one of the barra’s fund-raising events in December 2008. How bizarre.

"Hey, I think I got the wrong day for the match..."

Title Race

To end up, the title is still up for grabs. Godoy Cruz lost, Argentinos drew, Independiente beat Banfield (wonder goal from Gracián included) and Estudiantes won to make it two points that separate the four contenders.

Results
Chacarita 1-2 Atlético Tucumán
Tigre 1-2 Estudiantes
Banfield 1-3 Independiente
River 2-1 Godoy Cruz
San Lorenzo 3-0 Huracán
Gimnasia 1-0 Boca
Rosario Central 1-1 Newell’s
Racing 3-1 Vélez
Arsenal 2-2 Argentinos
Colón 1-1 Lanús

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John Román Terry and other stories

2010-04-16T14:00:00Z

He may not have been caught relieving himself on the floor of a nightclub, topless models haven’t claimed to have enjoyed a bit of nooky with him in a toilet, he’s not padre del año, but this week Juan Román Riquelme was John Terry.

Celebration-gate has dominated the front, middle and back-pages of the papers.

For those who missed the scandal, Martin Palermo finally became Boca’s all-time top-scorer last weekend by knocking in his 219th goal for the club, thanks to a pass from Riquelme.

Despite the historic moment that belonged to the No.9, the No.10 went off to celebrate his astonishing three-yard pass all by himself, as Palermo just stared at him in disbelief.

This week has mainly been dedicated to the fallout from the fall-out.

Both Riquelme and Palermo’s contracts run up at the end of the season. The first is the fans' favourite, the second is the club’s top-scorer. They hate each other.

The board’s choice of coach won’t come while Riquelme is at the club. But 36-year-old Palermo has a like-for-like replacement in the wings while Riquelme doesn’t.

"The only thing that brings us together is the shirt," said Palermo after the eighth question about Riquelme at a press conference, managing to name his nemesis just three times in nearly 40 minutes in front of the media.

A well-respected paper in Argentina took the opportunity to run through the various crises that have hit Boca this season.

To sum up, think a six-way no holds barred free-for-all Smack Down between president, former president, the board, the coach, the players and the fans.

Yet as said paper put a name to all the different internal battles and problems, it left out one of the more recent scandals.

Tweetersphere gossip hinted that one of the ‘big-name players’ had ‘tried it on’ via SMS with the girlfriend of one of his team-mates.

It was soon added that the victim was Pablo Mouche, who WAG watchers will know is the envy of the nation because it is he who steps out with Luli Fernandez.

The ‘big name player’ had two numbers on the back of his shirt, not one.

So far nothing has come of the alleged advances. Señorita Luli didn’t engage in Ashley Cole-esque games of texting and just showed the message to Mouche, who is said to have stormed into the boardroom demanding action be taken against Riquelme.

On the scale of things, however, it is probably low down on the board’s priorities. Finding a solution to the Palermo-Riquelme situation and not causing a civil war amongst the Boca fans is higher up.

One paper was guilty of a Freudian typo when they wrote about Juan Ramón Riquelme.

While Román was keeping Boca busy, Ramón was the journalists’ choice of new coach at River Plate.

President Daniel Passarella broke his radio silence by holding a press conference which swiftly turned into a relatively mono-themed series of questions.

Why didn’t you appoint Ramón Díaz? Would Ramón Díaz have been a good choice? The fans wanted Ramón, are you aware of that? Cappa doesn’t have the experience, but Ramón does. Is there any chance Ramón will take over in the future? Did you speak to Ramón? What did he say? How would you describe your relationship with Ramón? And so on…

Passarella pointed out that the board of directors voted for who they should appoint as the new coach. Cappa beat Ramón 12-0.

Away from the media-monopolising duo, there’s a Super Sunday clásico double bill this weekend.

First up, Huracán will make the trip to one of the most intimidating stadiums in Buenos Aires by taking on San Lorenzo.

With eight goals, eight defeats and 14 points from 14 games, its not exactly the stage fright of taking on Lord Aragon’s side that puts the jitters up the Globo – rather, it’s arriving having gone past one of the largest villa miserias in the city.

Unlike the fans and the gringos, however, footballers probably have some kind of police protection. If Huracán beat the team 10 places below them in the league, they’ll need it when they leave too.

Speaking of the police, the Rosario derby kicks off two hours later. The recent violence amongst both sets of fans means the already tasty, if you can call it that, clásico is set to be a whole lot spicier.

Around 25,000 Newell’s Old Boys fans were at the stadium on Thursday night to gee up the players – its become something of a classic with NOB fans. Argentina’s favourite song – if you don’t jump you’re English – was turned around so that the thousands of Leper fans were jumping – if you didn’t you are going to the B.

While Newell’s have largely disappointed this season, Central are on the edge of the abyss. Second bottom in the league, the Scoundrels are in the relegation playoff positions. With clásicos generally counting for six points, this is a game they can’t slip up in.

Rolando Schiavi, however, wants the hated rivals to stay up. The Rosario clásicos are stuff of legend, according to the Flaco. The city needs the game. Keep your friends close, your enemies closer – like Palermo and Riqulme.

Fixtures
Chacarita v Atlético Tucumán
Tigre v Estudiantes
Banfield v Independiente
River v Godoy Cruz
San Lorenzo v Huracán
Gimnasia v Boca
Rosario Central v Newell’s
Racing v Vélez
Arsenal v Argentinos
Colón v Lanús

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Boca still in ruins as River give Astrada the chop

2010-04-13T14:27:00Z

Boca have forgotten the ‘fundamental principles’ that took the club to the heights it reached while under the presidency of Mauricio Macri, according to, ahem, Mauricio Macri.

Despite a 4-0 win under their third coach of the season on Monday, things are far from ship shape at the Bombonera.

Martin Palermo finally scored his 219th goal to become the all-time top scorer at the club, but the man who served the goal on a plate – Juan Román Riquelme – decided to celebrate the goal as if he himself had scored it. He wouldn’t be caught dead congratulating his teammate, no matter how historic the achievement.

The battle of the egos is one problem at Boca, but there are plenty others. It goes back to the ‘fundamental principles,’ apparently.

Macri - what you get if you cross fun and mental...maybe

Speaking of which, when the Buenos Aires mayor and probable presidential candidate next year is not casting a wistful eye over his former charges, Macri is trying to save the streets of Buenos Aires.

He recently targeted the trapitos - those pesky hawkers who charge you to ‘take care’ of your car when you park on the street. When you go to a football game, for example.

Argie Bargy readers will surely find no irony in the fact that the trapitos working during matchdays at Boca are run by the barra brava, La Doce, who in turn receive favours from the board of directors…

Questioned about his policy of wanting to imprison the trapitos, one interviewer suggested to Macri that a deeper solution to the problem needed to be found, and that imprisoning them all just wasn’t practical.

‘Do you just want me to kill them all, then?’ asked a surprised Macri. ‘I don’t understand.’

So was that fundamental, or fundamentalist, principles?

Whatever it is, Boca are still in ruins. Some papers claim the club is looking for Plan B, but we all know they are onto Plan D. Alfio Basile was A, Abel Alves B, Tito Pompei is now C and they need to find someone for next season. Favourite for the job, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, isn’t keen (or infact has just said no) while Riquelme is at the club.

In comparison to whoever takes over at the Bombonera, second-choice Steve McClaren must look back at that approach from the FA and feel like a heart throb.

Still, Boca aren’t the only ones changing coach. River Plate’s Leo Astrada became the 7th casualty of the board room guillotine this weekend after a dire goalless draw in Tucumán.

Must.....not.....make.....CHiPs....joke

First of all Racing fired Claudio Vivas, Atlético Tucumán then showed Chiche Sosa the door, Ariel Cuffaro Russo left Central, Fernando Gamboa refused to listen to the board so he quit, Diego Simeone probably slammed the door as he left San Lorenzo, Abel Alves left Boca before suffering a coronary, and now Leo Astrada has joined the list.

Looking like he walked off the set of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, in between puffs Astrada stressed to journalists that he didn’t quit. He was sacked.

Everybody knows that River’s problems run deep, but Astrada can hardly complain after trying 13 different formations in as many games (more formations than goals, pointed out Olé), the side hadn’t scored for over 460 minutes and they have one point to show from the last five games.

So who now then? Over 50% of fans wanted Ramón Díaz back at the Monumental, some millonario fans even put up a huge banner at the club asking for the return of the Baldy.

President Daniel Passarella had other ideas, however. The man to take over will be Ángel Cappa, the king of the tiki tiki.

While River Plate dream of beautiful football, trophies, eloquent press conferences and progressive politics, other coaches will be worrying about their jobs, or at least suspension.

Omar Asad was watching his side cruise to a 6-2 over Tigre in the Monday Mendoza sun, going top of the table in the process, before Ricardo Caruso kicked a ball his way.

‘You’re full of it,’ shouted the Godoy Cruz coach at his opposite number. ‘You take money from your players,’ slapping imaginary 100 peso notes into his hand.

‘Fatty. ***. Druggy,’ was Caruso’s instant reply, which just in case nobody had heard or seen, he repeated for the cameras over and over while mysteriously raising an imaginary something to his nose and inhaling.

Ricardo Caruso - Argentinean football's Oscar Wilde

Caruso later denied saying drogón, (druggy), and claimed it was in fact morfón (greedy guts). He, like much of the local press, forgot that he also said falopero several times. Junkie.

In all probability nothing will happen to either coach, but in case AFA are lost for ideas of possible punishments, they could always consult Macri.

Results
Newell’s 3-0 Chacarita
Huracán 3-1Gimnasia
Independiente 0-1 San Lorenzo
Lanús 0-0 Central
Vélez 0-0 Banfield
Atlético Tucumán 0-0 River
Godoy Cruz 6-2 Tigre
Estudiantes 4-0 Racing
Boca 4-0 Arsenal
Argentinos 3-1 Colón

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The luckless, mother-insulting, ball-busting weekend preview

2010-04-09T08:45:00Z

STOP PRESS: Literally moments after sending this to HQ, Abel Alves quit as Boca coach. His record as Boca coach is P13 W2 D5 L6 F18 A27. He leaves them 19th. That's adiós, not hasta luego...

‘Look how happy you all are!’ beamed Tolo Gallego after his Independiente side lost to Gimnasia. ‘Who was the lucky one, then? Look, the luck’s over, so don’t bust my balls about it anymore.’

If you listen to the local media, Independiente topping the charts in Argentina is a fluke.

Everyone has been saying, writing, shouting and dissecting evidence to prove just how lucky the Reds coach is.

Look how many trophies he’s won! Both as a player and a coach! Look at how many saves his keeper made last weekend! Look how his team rides its luck! He’s blessed from upon high!

Eduardo Coudet, one of Tolo’s players from his days at River, eloquently phrased the general feeling with the following charm. ‘When your A-hole opens up, Tolo, there’s nothing to give it to you with.’

Coming from a man who plays for Colón, that’s a bit rich. The literal translation of what the midfielder said to his former boss, is, however, a back handed compliment. Apparently.

For those believing that Señora Suerte is smiling on Tolo, Godoy Cruz somehow failed to beat Racing, and failed to draw level at the top of the table.

There is one slight hitch to all this championship talk - the sponsor.

The last two runners up in the league – Huracán and Newell’s – were sponsored by Motomel, the largest motorbike manufacturers in the country. Worryingly for the rojo fans, this year it’s Independiente they are paying to promote their mopeds and quads.

Next up to test their luck levels is San Lorenzo, whose coach Sebastián Méndez debuted in midweek with a defeat to the side he captained to the title just three months ago. The merry-go-round continues…

River and Boca crisis watch

While Independiente’s fate may be written in the stars, River Plate’s destiny is starting to become clearer and clearer with every passing game, after the fourth defeat in a row.

A falling-back scraped toe-poke of a shot from Achucarro (‘qué orto!!!!’ – again, it was lucky) won the game for Newell’s on Wednesday. The win rewarded Roberto Sensini with some breathing space, but it makes this weekend’s trip up north to Tucumán do or die for River coach Leo Astrada.

Going down, going down, going down!

In the meantime, the seat-kicking red-faced mother-insulting River Plate fans took to abusing their own players, only letting off Ariel Ortega, who was playing his first game in two months.

River being relegated (in a year’s time) is now a reality rather than a possibility, yet apparently berating their 19 and 18 year old strikers is the answer. It is clearly their fault that the most successful club in Argentine league history is facing the drop, therefore the burden of rescuing the club must weigh down on their teenage shoulders.

Bad luck didn’t really have too much to do with Boca ending their midweeker against Colón with ten men – the Colombian centre back Breyna Bonilla’s two-footed lunge was, in common parlance, criminal.

Neither was there any bad luck in Boca losing again, this time to a modest three goal difference.

Simple footballing concepts such as passing, running, and counter attacking were all that Colón needed to open up a 2-0 scoreline at half time, a lead which they were never in any danger of letting go of.

Also down on their luck were Chacarita when they faced Lanús on Wednesday. 1-0 with six minutes remaining, mired in the relegation zone, you’d think that you were looking at three vital points to avoid the drop. You were wrong. In two minutes – the 89th and the 90th to be precise - Gonzalo Castillejos hit two for Zubeldía’s men.

Chacarita’s naughty fans, the barra brava, thought that all the players needed afterwards was a clear threat of violence to turn things around.

Mauro Navas, who took over the Undertakers an Alex Ferguson-esque 11 days ago, threatened to quit because of the intimidation.

Chacarita now need to win all their games till the end of the season to have any chance of staying up. With four wins from 13, it is perhaps time to start writing the will.

Weekend fixtures
Newell’s v Chacarita
Huracán v Gimnasia
Independiente v San Lorenzo
Lanús v Central
Vélez v Banfield
Atlético Tucumán v River Plate
Godoy Cruz v Tigre
Estudiantes v Racing
Boca v Arsenal
Argentinos v Cólon

If anyone can uncover the next Messi, it's Zinedine Zidane

2010-04-07T16:00:00Z

If you think that Lio had a lot to live up to in his father’s eyes when Mr. Messi named his son after his favourite singer, then spare a thought for Enzo Zidane.

With a surname like that he was already going to be first choice in the playground kick about, but Zizou senior thought that junior needed a bit more motivation to become a footballer.

So it was that Enzo was named after one of papa’s idol, Francescoli - the Prince - the Uruguayan striker considered one of River Plate’s finest players ever.

And so it is that the 15 year old, who is on Real Madrid’s books, has one hell of a job living up to the expectation that comes with having a name drawn from two seperate legends rolled into one.

Judging by the roulettes, goals, technique and way he carries the team, he might, just might, be up to it.

But while Enzo Fernández works his way up the youth ranks (as with Michael Laudrup’s son, Madrid dropped the attention-grabbing surname), Zidane and his idol have got together and are looking for the next world superstar.

After four brilliant goals against Arsenal, it is fair to say they are looking for the next Messi.

Preparation is afoot for Football Cracks - a reality show, not an X-rated Footballers Wives - to take place in Spain, where a group of 50 hopefuls will be whittled down to one winner.

He who wins will take the prize of a guaranteed pre-season with a yet-to-be-named first division side and the chance to earn a contract.

The idea, however, is that several players emerge from the show, not just the winner. "Don’t forget that David Bisbal didn’t win Operación Trifunfo," one of the organisers said during the trials held in Buenos Aires this week.

Argie Bargy knew what point he was trying to make and nodded in agreement, but then shuddered at the flashback of Ave María.

Around 2,000 17-22 years olds tried to impress scouts this week in Argentina, while in total 50,000 are expected to enter the competition with players from China, USA, Mexico, all over Latin America and Europe.

For players in countries such as Argentina, a competition like this is the opportunity of a lifetime – a chance to play professional football, and to do so abroad.

One psychologist who worked with the Argentina youth team players once asked the youngsters to make a list of priorities. Moving to Europe was at the top of every list.

The exodus of young players from Argentina is a major problem for the league, and is bringing the standard of football down as a result.

Agents and clubs are desperate to cash in on their wunderkid, while players themselves are keen to earn in euros and play in the Champions League.

This is ‘national hypocrisy,’ as one magazine’s front page recently put it, pointing to the example of Messi.

Argentines demand everything from Lionel Messi, ran the gist of the story, when clubs refused to pay his medical treatment when he was young and really, really little, and the country failed to provide a job for his father.

Desperate, the Messis moved to Spain. They made a new life. Barcelona didn’t think twice about paying the £650 monthly medical bill for little Lio, and he soon became Messi. Mr. Messi found a job, but soon wouldn’t need one.

Yet while Messi has developed into a ‘Playstation’ player, his own coach says he is extraordinary, fans agree he is the best player in the world, and sports journalists try to tease out the inner-Garcia Marquez in them to do justice to what they have seen, there are still some Argentines he has yet to convince.

He doesn’t sing the national anthem. He’s Catalan. He’s Spanish. He doesn’t give it all with the national team. In fact, he doesn’t give anything. He saves his legs and energy for his employers. He hates Argentina.

The World Cup is one chance, perhaps the chance, for him to prove the last of the critics wrong, although as the national team fitness coach Fernando Signorini recently pointed out to Argie Bargy, they mustn’t expect so much of him.

“In 1982 there was another brilliant 22 year old, someone called Diego, who was a failure at the World Cup in Spain.”

On Wednesday, one columnist had to point out to its Argentine readers that succeeding abroad doesn’t make them anti-Argentine. Another implored its readers to stop attacking him.

The expectation of what Messi could do at the World Cup will be unbearable come June, but his performances this season, and his personality, suggest that it won’t be the expectation that stops him.

In the meantime, goodluck Zidane and Enzo in finding another player like Messi…

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No resurrection for Simeone but God loves Palermo

2010-04-06T09:19:00Z

The faithful lined up in their thousands, the expectation was high, the fervour was feverish, but there was no Resurrection this weekend. Not for Boca, not for River, and certainly not for Diego Simeone.

San Lorenzo celebrated their 102nd anniversary last week, and unveiled a new chapel at the club’s training ground in its honour.

Thanks to Lord Aragon, the ciclón have a new place of sanctuary and worship and somewhere to look for inner peace – something they could really do with.

Viggo Mortensen forked out £95,000 for the chapel, once again demonstrating he is one of the most devoted sanloré fans of all, both with the gesture and with his words. ‘We all have faith in the coach and the players, they will turn it around’ declared Aragon.

San Lorenzo promptly lost again, this time at home, this time to Gimnasia, again without scoring themselves, again looking like 11 strangers who already hate each other, and Simeone was gone.

As one columnist pointed out, Diego Simeone needs a rest. He took on his first coaching job half an hour after retiring as a player and in the four years since that day has been in charge of Racing, Estudiantes, River Plate and San Lorenzo.

His next move, undoubtedly, will be to Europe, and he will take a CV with two league titles with him, but his resumé also boasts the worst River side in history, and the worst San Lorenzo season on record.

It will be a giant leap of faith from whichever board hires him.

Sticking to the theme, Hugo Gatti, (the one who said that Iker Casillas’ dip in form this year is because he grew a beard), was also offering his two pesos worth, which truth be told, is hardly worth 2 centavos.

‘God is a Martin Palermo fan,’ believes Gatti, a comment swiftly followed by further evidence that the former Boca goalkeeper should either be sectioned, or has a direct line to the Almighty.

‘If someone else had scored the goal against Peru, it would have been given offside. But it was Martin. And God se hizo el boludo - he played the clown.’

So while the Lord may have had a helping hand in Argentina’s World Cup qualification because he did Palermo a favour and didn’t flag him offside, Palermo’s club could do with some help from above - the pain and suffering that plagues the Bombonera is already of biblical proportions.

Abel Alves looked close to tears as the coach walked off the pitch at half time, as Central had just taken the lead.

That dispair was compounded with rage and a strong desire to throttle his keeper, Javier Garcia, for a walkabout that cost the second goal in the team’s 2-1 defeat.

In the meantime, God’s favourite striker is still unable to score that elusive 219th goal.

In the next game, he’ll have to go in search of that goal, and the side will be looking for redemption, without Riquelme, who argued himself into being sent off. In another show of maturity, Román applauded the referee’s decision.

‘We have hit rock bottom,’ said Palermo afterwards, ignoring the fact that they are second bottom on points with two other sides, so technically they are not the worst side in the country, but almost.

‘We are all to blame for this situation, and the board have to make some big decisions.’ The big decision could be made for them if Abel Alves jumps ship, that is unless the board decide to push him first...

Anything you can do, we can do better, thought River, looking on at the latest episode at Boca. The millionaires lost to Lanús 1-0 and the situation is desperate. So much so, that Ariel Ortega is in line for a recall to the side.

As things stand, River will start next season in the relegation zone. The three-yearly average points system which decides relegation is meant to avoid these kind of situations and help the big teams – the idea being that big teams won’t have three consecutive bad seasons. River, however, are proving that line of thinking wrong.

With Racing’s game with Atlético Tucumán called off due to the rain (yes, it was of biblical proportions), four of the Big Five are in the bottom five of the table (the league one, not the relegation one.)

The only other grande, Independiente, is heading things up at the other end, after a thunderbolt from Lionel Nuñez from outside the area, and heroics from Gabarini in goal.

In equally fine shooting form was Facundo Coria with two strikes from outside the area which sent Argentinos Juniors third.

Godoy Cruz, meanwhile, are quietly going about their business, and defeated Best Squad in the Country Vélez 2-0 at home, despite a midweek playground punch-up between Federico Higuain and Jairo Castillo.

The men from Mendoza are on track to push the Red Devils all the way, which is a relief - not every club is hell bent on having its worst year on record.

All the goals...click to watch

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Salmon! Oh yeah! Weekend round-up

2010-03-29T16:28:00Z

The suits are what’s wrong with football, right? Blame the Glaziers, blame Florentino Perez, (until Calciopoli) blame Inter’s Massimo Moratti. If they stopped putting their noses into club affairs, the club would a) be more successful or b) not have a debt that rival that of several small nations put together.

Chacarita don’t even have their own stadium, and to give a sense of perspective in their aspirations, the stand that has just been completed for the new ground holds less than 6,000. They are not big hitters, so internal club politics isn’t exactly the story of the year.

Nonetheless, facing relegation, the board decided they knew what was best. They told Fernando Gamboa to drop the keeper. “Why am I the coach,” Gamboa reasonably reasoned, “if they are just going to tell me who to pick?”

Gamboa was having none of it and was consequently sacked, via voicemail. So it was up to 35-year-old Mauro Navas, who readers might but probably won't remember from a spell at Espanyol.

Taking charge of a sinking ship halfway through the season in your first gig in top-flight football, and winning your debut game is one thing. Another is winning when you are 1-0 down at half time. Another is coming back and winning a stunning 4-1.

And another thing altogether is winning 4-1 on your debut coming back from a goal behind at half-time to beat Boca Juniors, one goal shy of the club’s record win over the Xeneize and 10 years after their last such win of any kind.

Navas may point to beginners' luck, but he may also point to the board. He went where Gamboa wouldn’t, dropped Cejas, brought in Nicolás Tauber, and won. He’s now talking about playing like Barcelona and escaping the drop. OK, maybe he’s not that ambitious, but he promises they’ll play good football, “or else I’d just stay at home.”

Chacarita’s win, meanwhile, provoked crisis number 1,496 of the season at Boca. “Why are you taking me off when we’re losing?” is what Martín Palermo supposedly said to Abel Alves, as the centre forward left the pitch with the game at 2-1.

From the TV footage it’s impossible to see whether that really is what Palermo said, but several pundits had it ‘confirmed’ to them by their ‘source’, so we’ll take it as truth.

The high of beating River in the superclásico on Thursday was levelled by the most almighty comedown with the defeat to Chacarita. Had Matías Gimenez scored three, and not just one, of his chances in the first half then the story would have been very different. He did not, though, and the story was the same.

"Don’t go looking for controversy, hermano," Alves said to a reporter who, judging by the relationship, didn’t look like family. Alves claimed he had to take Palermo off because it was the second game in three days. But not so long ago he also said that Palermo would have to beg him 10 times for him to substitute him.

While the authority of Alves is chipped away with this defeat, nobody came out of the game worse than Saul Laverni.

The referee correctly awarded a penalty and sent off Boca’s defender for a foul – as the last man – in the area. The problem was he sent off the wrong one. Centre-back Julio Barroso did the crime, right-back Ezequiel Muñoz did the time. To make matters worse, Laverni consulted his linesman, who evidently was just as clueless.

Elsewhere...

John Toshack can take credit for popularising, or at least broadcasting, the phrase "no estamos fuera del bosque todavia" with his literal translation of "we’re not out of the woods yet." Argie Bargy isn’t sure whether the Welshman ever said "saltó como un salmon," but he would have if he’d seen Marco Torsiglieri’s header for Vélez.

Independiente boss Tolo Gallego says that he left this game thinking that his side "are definitely going to challenge for the title," after going three points clear at the top with a draw at Santa Fe. (Colón boss Mohamed wasn’t so happy: "They had one free kick and a goal. Nothing else. We had at least 20 shots on goal,” suggesting that its time to start working on shooting.)

Mauro Boselli is exciting and worrying Premier League scouts. Exciting them because he’s scoring lots of goals; worrying because the fee for his services may price out certain clubs in England. Oh, and because he missed another penalty at the weekend.

San Lorenzo lost to Arsenal for their sixth defeat in 11. Diego Simeone may be out of work by the time you read this.

And finally, Leonardo Madelon has returned to Central after Ariel Cuffaro resigned on Friday. So there's no hard feelings between Madelon and the club, who got rid of him after he saved them from relegation the last time round, two years ago.

He's a popular man though. “It’s like I’ve got an ‘available’ sign on me. Tigre called me, Godoy Cruz called me... I said I wanted a rest." He’s back at work, but he needn’t worry. He makes his debut next weekend against Boca...

All the goals… click to watch

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How dangerous is it to watch football in Argentina?

2010-03-24T15:25:00Z

Going to see a football match is one of the must-dos for any visitor to Argentina. For some, it's the only reason to visit in the first place.

Once the idea of fitting in visits to the Bombonera and the Monumental (while bargain-hunting for vintage Diego shirts and hydrating yourself with Quilmes) takes shape, a spanner then appears in the works.

Newspaper headlines report shootings, murders, fighting amongst football fans. The doubt creeps in. How dangerous is going to watch football in Argentina?

In an effort to go some way to answering this commonly-posed question, Argie Bargy has devised a quick check-list to assess the chances of being caught up in some nasty business. Tick as appropriate…

- You stand around in the streets near the stadium with a cloth in your hand, flagging cars down and charging for the parking space, and a promise that you’ll see to it that your wheels are still there in two hours time.

- You stand around in the streets near the stadium with a wad of tickets that you got from the ‘club’, reselling them at several times the face value.

- Alternatively, you charge tourists to go to games and watch the match from right in the middle of the mosh pit with you and your pals.

- You stand up on the barriers up on the terraces and orchestrate the singing during the match, angrily pointing at anyone not singing loudly enough.

- If there’s a gig at your club’s stadium, you organise security, plus parking and tickets (see above).

- Your weekly kickabout with mates is on the pitch where the club’s first team train.

- You receive thousands of dollars from politicians to hold up a specific banner, or flag, at the stadium. If it’s during an election campaign, all the better.

- You receive a percentage from player transfers.

- If you feel so inclined, you can call the police and tell them to take a hike when you want to do some business in a certain area of town.

- Miraculously, you then manage to get past police controls despite being banned from going to football matches.

- You go and have a chat with the squad after training about the poor results, and one of the team’s players pulls a gun on you (he was carrying it because he was expecting your visit).

- You too sometimes take a gun with you to a game, just in case.

- Once in, you carry on watching the match even though you hear that your mum has just been held at gunpoint by other fans a few miles down the road.

- You murdered your wife, did time in jail, then became close friends with the club president and became the ‘No.1 fan.’

- You have shootouts in parks on Sunday afternoons. And not penalty shootouts.

- The day after an argument, or maybe one of those shootouts, there’s graffiti around where you live saying ‘there are enough bullets for everyone.’

- You get high-profile players, internationals even, coming to visit you in jail once you have been convicted of a serious crime.

If any of the above apply to you, then you are at risk. It also means that you are part of the ‘barra brava’ – loosely translated as football hooligans.

That said, it is really is a loose translation because, unlike the hooligans, the problem of the barras is institutionalised in football. It’s more than a bunch of guys getting together for fisticuffs. Clubs know who they are, and what they are doing.

The key issue here is that the violence surrounding football is essentially a civil war amongst the barra brava over money.

The examples above are a mish-mash of widely-reported, well-documented and well-known facts that make up the colourful biographies of individuals or groups, both known as the barra, belonging to various football clubs in Argentina.

Just last week saw the third murder in two months involving the Newell’s Old Boys barra – that of the former leader, ‘Pimpi’ Caminos, who was shot dead. The first of the three deaths was 14-year-old Walter Caceres, on the way back from a game.

Caceres was literally caught in the crossfire. There's a chance of that happening to you, but it's not common. Violence between the warring factions of the barra is common, though.

Be sensible, don’t flash your camera about and enjoy the game. Just don’t forget that those touting the tickets, those with the flags, those doing the singing, those providing the atmosphere: those are the barra...

The murder of fomer Newell’s Old Boys barra leader ‘Pimpi’ Caminos last week was the 249th recorded football-related death in Argentina.

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A different kind of pitch battle as Superclásico postponed

2010-03-22T14:28:00Z

There were no heroic last-gasp winners. In fact, there were no winners, nor losers, no drawers.

There were no debateable off-side decisions. No controversial quotes in the mixed zone. No handbags. No tension, no drama, no goals, no 219th goal for Palermo. No victorious 300th outing for Gallardo with River. Nothing.

There were a couple of shocking sliding tackles. And there was the sight of Riquelme being tackled by a puddle. Twice. But that was all.

As everyone knows, the Superclásico was rained off, nine minutes in. All that fuss, all those queues, all those 400 dollars, all those rumours and all that pressure, all for nine minutes.

Papers, websites and friends from across the Atlantic spoke of deluges and torrential rainfall, but it wasn’t quite the case.

"The wife will kill me when she sees how wet I got my kit"

Sunday’s rain wasn’t the same downpour that flooded half the city to waist height a month ago, left neighbourhoods without electricity for days, caused a total collapse of public transport, and kicked up one hell of a fuss.

According to the met office, it didn’t rain even half that amount.

It certainly didn’t rain enough to prevent Independiente playing Rosario Central three miles down the road two hours later. It did rain enough however, to start a war of words at Boca. Between the groundsmen.

Up until January, Amadeo Loria was the chief groundsman at Boca. ‘I was proud of my work,’ he told Olé yesterday. ‘The pitch was fine until the [Joaquin] Sabina concert on the 20th January. That ruined it.’

What Loria was getting at was that if he was still in charge, the pitch would have been fine and the game would have been played.

"Throw in the towel? I don't think that'll be enough, mate..."

Loria’s replacement, Hugo Montevidoni, would be shouldering none of the blame for the state of the pitch. ‘The pitch was in an awful state [when I took over]. I don’t know why the guy before me didn’t carry on, I guess the board must have seen something they weren’t happy with,’ before adding that he couldn’t possibly have sorted out the pitch in the time he’s been at the club.

The dispute soon veered into a debate over when the lines should be painted (‘you can’t paint in the rain! I always did it the day before the game’), but there were more pressing issues at hand.

The game has been rescheduled. Boca’s president suggested Wednesday, March 24. It’s a public holiday, it’s this week, brilliant!

Not so, said the government, pointing out that it’s a public holiday because it’s official Day of Memory for the victims of the dictatorship that include 30,000 desaparecidos. Hardly the day for 50,000 fans to be chanting a medley of xenophobic, homophobic, hostile and just plain offensive songs for two hours, no doubt mixed in with a bit of violence before or after the 90 minutes.

Still, despite the rescheduling, we still saw a HISTORIC Superclásico. The last time the fixture was called off was in 1931, and that was down to violence.

"Postponed? But I wore my special hat and poncho..."

Moving on, and as mentioned above, just down the road from the Bombonera, Independiente did play their game, although they didn’t want to.

Visitors Central wanted did want to, but probably wished they hadn’t. Between them, the Red Devils and the Scoundrels tore up the pitch at the Libertadores Stadium, adding to the list of grumpy groundsmen, but both stuck to the form book – Independiente won and stayed top, and Central lost and are still bashfully fluttering their eyelids at relegation.

Elsewhere, Mauro Boselli will be keeping an eye on the British Airways strike to see when he can make it over to the Premier League after another brace for Estudiantes, while coach Fernando Gamboa is also looking for work after being sacked by Chacarita following their defeat to Huracán.

Racing’s star signing already wants to leave after another defeat for the Academy, Vélez earned a point thanks to a blooper from Sebastián Peratta, Alejandro Gomez scored two and earned a red card for his celebration at San Lorenzo while Godoy Cruz stayed within touching distance of the top with a solid win in front of what looked like 200 fans.

This all took place in the shadow of the Superclásico, which now has another week to enjoy the limelight.

Goals, plus proof of the late line painting, here

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Superclasico with everything at stake – except silverware

2010-03-19T17:14:00Z

River’s 4,000 tickets sold out in 120 seconds. Tourists are charged £260 for a seat up in the stand – 50 times more than for ‘normal’ games.

One coach is rubbing his hands at the prospect of winning and leaving the other side bottom of the table. The other says (or, depending on who you believe, has been told) that he’ll be leaving after the game - lose, draw or win. Recent form suggests the first option is the most probable.

One striker declares he’s not afraid of the intimidating atmosphere. Another is going for club goalscoring record against the fiercest of rivals. One legendary playmaker is fighting with his club and his demons. Another legendary playmaker is fighting with his teammates, the press, the coach, the club and anyone who happens to pop in to say hola.

Photographers clamber up ladders and trees to get a look in at the closed-door training session, TV debates rage on, fans shake their heads, rumours run wild over possible starting XIs... Sí señor, the superclásico is here.

Boca against River is seen as the mother of all club football clashes, both in Argentina and around the world (or at least so say the marketing departments). This very magazine dubbed it the most dangerous derby in the world. It is considered as one of the most colourful fixtures in world club football with the thumping atmosphere at the Bombonera, the flags, the drums, the singing. History, tension, character... it has it all.

Boca-River: Super and classic

But while all of this is true, right now the superclásico is far from being a festival of football.

Boca may have swept up all the trophies on offer in the Noughties, and River may boast the most league titles in Argentine club football history, but right now the Big Two are mired deep in murky waters of the bottom half of the table. Neither qualified for the Copa Libertadores. (Imagine a bottom-half Liverpool and Manchester United missing out on the Champions League.)

To illustrate how low expectations have dropped, River coach Leo Astrada admitted he was aiming for a ‘top five’ finish this season. With River in 11th place halfway through the Clausura, it sounds ambitious.

RIVER: RUNNING DRY?
River Plate are undergoing a major facelift with new president Daniel Passarella, who won the club elections in December. On a sporting level, the team is no longer feared in Argentina, let alone the continent – a situation largely down to the previous president’s, how shall we say, mismanagement of the club.

Even the success of the most recent title, the 2008 Clausura, was somewhat soured by finishing bottom the following season.

With debt piling up and bills to pay, River announced they may sell the name of the legendary Monumental, where Argentina lifted the 1978 World Cup, to raise £26m in sponsorship. Heresy, say the fans; necessity, say the board.

"The Andrex Stadium"?

With finances as they are, there's no chance of bolstering the squad with the quality so evidently lacking in the current group of players. Not even the traditional fundraiser – selling players to Europe – is the solution. Not only is there is less movement of players to the Old World, but also the club owns 100% of the transfer rights to a bare handful of players; most have been part-sold to agents, investment groups, or Villarreal.

In pre-season, River's key player Diego Buonanotte suffered a horrendous car crash from which the psychological scars are more worrying than the physical ones. Fan favourite Ariel Ortega isn't in consideration for the team until he listens to Passarella and Astrada and goes into treatment for his alcohol addiction.

In their absence, River rely on the vision of Marcelo Gallardo and the leadership of Matías Almeyda. Both, by their own admission, are in the final stretch of their careers.

BOCA: B*GGERED?
If River are adrift, Boca are immersed in an almighty crisis, and 17th out of 20 in the table. Sticking to the results, the team has the worst record in the club’s professional history, with one win in nine.

Off the record, board members say "There’s no Plan B," which is inaccurate. After losing a pre-season friendly with River, coach Alfio Basile quit and reserve team coach Abel Alves took over. Plan B is now. What’s missing is a Plan C.

The players are split into two factions, with the respective pack leaders Juan Roman Riquelme and Martin Palermo making Teddy Sheringham and Andy Cole look like bosom buddies. There are also divisions in the boardroom, where president Amor Ameal’s decision to bring Carlos Bianchi to the club split opinion and broke the bank. Bianchi left with Basile in January, but the power struggle continues.

Riquelme and Palermo: You two play nice now

One thing the board agreed on was to bring Alves into line when the coach appeared set to drop both Riquelme and Palermo for the superclásico – pointing to the exit for Alves as soon as a replacement is found.

In an online survey, 24% think Boca will win by two goals, while 25% think River will win by two goals. Palermo wants to score to become the outright all-time top scorer at the club. River want their first win at the Bombonera since 2004. Boca desperately need a win to calm the waters.

As usual, there’s plenty at stake in the superclásico – except silverware.

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The naming-and-shaming weekend review

2010-03-16T16:20:00Z

The forthcoming Superclásico will soon occupy every available second of radio and TV airtime and every available column millimetre/pixel. Argie Bargy won’t shy away from jumping on that particular bandwagon, but before we dissect what’s bad and really bad about River and Boca ahead of Sunday’s showdown at the Bombonera, here are the goodies and baddies from Matchday 9...

Gustavo Esquivel
Referee’s assistants are usually known only by their face, when viewers demand to see a close-up shot of the culprit for a horrendous offside decision. Not so with Señor Esquivel, who grabbed the headlines after his contribution to Saturday's Chacarita-Independiente game.

Chacarita’s full-back cleared for a throw-in, justifiably not expecting the linesman to be on the pitch. The ball took an awkward deflection off encroaching Esquivel and went out for a corner. Predictably, the Rojos' winning goal followed. Simply scandalous. Watch it here at 1'10":

Lino: Unpopular (click to watch)

Federico Higuaín
Before his brother had atoned for his midweek miss against Lyon with a hat-trick, and was once again the darling of the Spanish press, the other Pipita Higuaín was up to the same tricks in Mendoza. A brace from the Godoy Cruz striker, including a brilliant 30-yard effort in time added on, kept the side within spitting distance of the top spot.

Get in! (click to watch)

Carlos Luna
Messi did it, Higuaín did it, the other Higuaín did it... it was a weekend for Argentine strikers to grab hat-tricks. Facing Boca would usually spell a quiet afternoon for a Tigre front man, but this Boca is the worst in its history. Thus did Carlos Luna join the hat-trick club in a famous win for the Matador. Just don’t expect to see him in South Africa...

Boca shocker (click to watch)

Luiz Alberto
You never get a second chance to make a first impression. The Brazilian centre-back discovered this maxim when he arrived in Buenos Aires, allegedly to sort out defensive problems in the side. He went straight to training from the airport, and promptly passed out. He has never quite lived down Day One at Boca, and he may never live down his performance at Tigre. Olé gave him a rating of 2, which was generous.

Abel Alves
The ultimate compliment for any coach at Boca, or indeed Argentina, is to be the ‘new Bianchi’. Astute, serious, successful, respected... these are just some of the favourable adjectives used to describe the Viceroy’s successor. The 'new La Volpe', meanwhile, is the opposite. Guess which one Abel Alves is being compared to after nine games at Boca with one win? "If a player isn’t up to it then they’ll have to take a step to the side," said Alves after the 3-0 defeat to Tigre. That’ll boost the morale.

Alves (r): Not the most popular

Jonathan Botinelli
At least Alves doesn’t have a certain blond defender on his books. Messrs Jones, Keane and Vieira have disciplinary records that verge on the angelic next to that of the San Lorenzo centre-back. Botinelli’s second red card of the season takes his career total to 11 – and at just 24 years of age, he has plenty of time to add to that tally.

Milton Caraglio
Botinelli’s red card meant he wasn’t there to elbow Caraglio two minutes before time. The heavy-footed Central striker rose above what was left of the San Lorenzo defence (Pintos having also been sent off) to head in the winner. The goal took the club out of the relegation battle with their first win of the Clausura, saved Cuffaro Russo’s job in the dugout and also made it five out of five against the Big Five at home.

Gustavo Canales
The weekend before the Superclásico is as good a time as any to open your account with your big new club. ‘New’ is relative, because River Plate fans had to wait nine matchdays to see Canales score for them, but if he repeats the feat next weekend, all will be forgiven. A win over Huracán didn’t hide the millionaires shortcomings, but two goals without reply eased off the pressure.

Claudio Yacob
One-nil down at home with 87 minutes gone, Racing centre-forward Claudio Bieler was brought down in the Argentinos Juniors area. Penalty. Just as hacks around the country were typing "and he picked himself up to take the pen...", captain Claudio Yacob appeared. As the designated penalty taker, he duly missed, and Racing dropped into the dreaded descenso. Again.

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Three strikes and I'm out, says manager

2010-03-12T17:20:00Z

We're fast approaching the midway point of the season, which means two things: the Superclásico is upon us, and the firing squad is limbering up. Conveniently, the two feed off each other.

Boca play River next weekend, but predictably the build-up has already started. The players may be regurgitating the ‘one game at a time’ line about the forthcoming fixture, but this weekend is essentially a glorified dress rehearsal for the following weekend’s hostilities.

For the Xeneize and the Millionaires, this Sunday is about getting star players firing on all cylinders, avoiding suspension-carrying yellow cards and not picking up any injuries. For Boca it’s about finding a tried and trusted starting XI, for River it’s about finding goals.

For Boca’s Abel Alves and River’s Leo Astrada, a defeat in the Superclásico could well signal the end of their managerial reign: both sides are wallowing in bottom-half mediocrity. But before we examine the state of the nation’s two biggest clubs in next week’s blog, there could be more casualties in the dugout.

So far, Racing and Atlético Tucumán have waved adios to the men who started they season with. Racing gave Claudio Vivas rakes of cash to spend in the preseason, but just four games to make things click. He didn’t, and was he sent packing.

Osvaldo Sosa, meanwhile, left the Tucumanos at the bottom of the pile and was a mere question of time before he received the unwanted call from the board. There could well be more of the same this weekend, namely in Santa Fé.

Stay or go? Vélez's Gareca (left) and Colón's Mohamed

If Colón fail to beat Gimnasia on Saturday, then Antonio Mohamed will be on his way. He himself said so. Bizarrely, it won’t be the board who say thanks but no thanks: the Turk created this situation all by his lonesome. "If you lose three games in a row," said Mohamed this week, "you have to go."

Perhaps it was the sight of an unrecognisable Colón side losing to Arsenal on Monday night in the second straight defeat that pushed him to say it, but the club was in no hurry to fire El Turco. Two weeks ago they were top of the table. They play good football, have a strong squad and only missed out on the group stages of the Libertadores on penalties.

Mohamed, who had been touted as a possible addition to Maradona’s backroom staff at the World Cup, was one of the few coaches in Argentina afforded time and backing, and he is repaying the faith with results.

That is, apart from the last two. According to him, one more defeat and he’s off. But with the short-season format, the Argentine league is basically a frenzied free-for-all pressure-pot atmosphere where every single mistake is scrutinised by the media and fans.

Vélez head honcho Ricardo Gareca was clear about the problem facing coaches when quizzed about the issue this week. "There are no long-term projects. We're not magicians."

San Lorenzo's Diego Simeone also threw in his tuppence: "Saying things like 'the coach has to resign' or 'if he loses the next game he has to go' is just a way of making people more aggressive towards the team." He should know. Until last weekend’s 3-1 win over Chacarita, El Cholo was the bookies' favourite to get the axe.

So while the media don’t help things, and the fans get increasingly agitated, and the board of directors are often trigger-happy, the men in the dugout don’t always help themselves.

Ricardo Caruso Lombardi has risked his reputation, his fridge, and Tigre’s comfortable mid-table position by offering the out-of-work, out-of-shape gossip-rags' favourite forward, the one and only Cristián ‘The Ogre’ Fabbiani, the chance to play the rest of the season with the Matador.

They may have a rough deal, but some coaches are gluttons for punishment...

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Oscar-winning performances all round

2010-03-10T16:16:00Z

Racing Club de Avellaneda are the first club to win an Oscar. Well, their fans are. So says, ahem, Racing Club de Avellaneda’s website after El Secreto de sus Ojos won the best foreign-language film Oscar on Sunday night.

Sure enough, the film’s director thinks Racing have the best fans in Argentina, which is why he chose them to feature in his film. And sure, one of the main actors is a fully-fledged Academy fan.

But it’s not all smiles when it comes to Racing and the Oscar. The club is introduced into the plot because the police are searching for the chief suspect in a brutal murder and rape case, and think they’ll find him at a football game. The same suspect later forms part of a vicious right-wing death squad.

He's a die-hard Racing fan. It doesn’t seem to be the ideal image for the world to see.

Success breeds success, apparently, so perhaps Racing believe that by associating themselves with the film then some silverware will appear. For the same reason, Huracán are also claiming the Oscar – the scene in question with Racing’s fans was in fact filmed at the Globo’s home.

Disputes over Oscar ownership aside, it was a pretty special weekend for Racing. On Friday night, the latest Acadé supporter – Felipe Garcia – entered the world. Then on Saturday the team beat Boca. At Boca.

In the first of the weekend’s clásicos, Miguel Angel Russo’s men went in at half-time 2-1 up thanks to Gabriel Hauche. Racing’s backline had made plenty of space for Nico Gaitán to give Boca the lead, so Boca’s rear'guard' courteously returned the favour and allowed the forward to add to Braian Lluy’s equaliser.

(No, that’s not a typo on the first name. He's quite popular on Facebook, among girls and boyz alike. Facebook group ‘We think Braian Lluy is beautiful’ has 56 members and counting...)

Lluy friends... (click to peruse)

Racing won their clásico, as did neighbours Independiente, who defeated River 2-0, leading to the predictable front-page headline The Secret of your Rojos. Bu-bum.

The Reds are indeed top of the table now, but there’s no secret behind it. Tolo Gallego takes no nonsense in the dugout, he doesn’t play his men out of position, and has two front men in form. There may, however, be trouble at the mill – Darío Gandín, who scored the first against River, is jealous of Andrés Silvera, who scored the second, because the fans give the latter an ovation when he leaves the pitch, and not the former.

Away from the Oscars and the puns, events up in Rosario convinced Argentine hacks to wade into the video-technology replay debate. It should have been installed back in 1966 when the English ‘invented’ a goal to win the World Cup, say Olé.

The same column, for some reason, skirted around the issue that perhaps Argentina might not have made it past the quarter-finals in 1986 had there been video evidence...

The shocking decisions were aplenty this weekend. The main culprit was in the Newell’s–Godoy Cruz game where Achucarro had a perfectly hit thunderbolt cannon off the bar and drop well behind the line before bouncing out. No goal was given.

Gol, right? Wrong! Click to watch

Justice was done as the home side inflicted the first defeat on the then-league leaders from Mendoza, with two from Liverpool and Aston Villa target Joaquin Boghossian. After Monday night in Wigan, perhaps the Uruguayan will be praying that any call from England has the Birmingham dialling code.

But there was more. Tigre, whose coach Ricardo Caruso Lombardi was in tears after another defeat midweek, finally had some ‘luck’ – an own goal to get things rolling against Huracán, and then no offside flagged on the second.

To have missed just how far offside Carlos Luna was, the referee’s assistant must have been looking up to stands to where they filmed the scene in El Secreto de sus Ojos. Or perhaps he was just mulling over which fans deserve the Oscar.

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The Pant-Soiling DT-Hammered Weekend Preview

2010-03-05T17:45:00Z

There may have been thousands of international friendlies around the globe thanks to FIFA week, but the ravenous Argentines were far from having their football appetite sated by the sight of the national team in action.

So as we wind up for another weekend's action, most clubs are also winding down after midweek action. In and around Higuaín’s goal against Germany, there was also a full schedule of top-flight football.

Obviously, being FIFA week, AFA head honcho Julio Grondona was in Europe, doing what football association presidents do and giving a few interviews in the process.

As he limbered up to speak to the contradictorily titled radio show The Owners of Silence he warmed up with another conversation.

Don Julio clearly didn’t know he was on air as he discussed what appears to be a minor domestic problem with neighbour.

"I couldn’t do anything, everyone in Argentina thought I can sort myself out. I had nobody helping me..." you can just about hear him say, "then this woman appeared... her husband can’t get away with it either because he just craps his pants..."

Now, this blogger didn’t quite know what to make of this, but The Owners of Silence host Mauro Viale did. "She" was the presidenta, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, making the husband former president Néstor Kirchner.

Viale was sure that Grondona was talking about the TV rights deal, whereby the government pays £102 million a year to televise matches, and Grondona was caught explaining how he got away with it.

Red faces all round.

A quiet dinner for Julio, Cristina and Diego

The deal that AFA struck with the goverment, Fútbol Para Todos (Football For Everyone), should actually include Siempre at the end, because there is football ALL the time here.

Paying attention to the international games meant taking an eye off the fantasy football team, which was a grave mistake. The midweek games proved to be a shocker for Argie Bargy, confirmed by the computer-generated abuse that passes for the Gran DT Update: 5666 people IN MY AREA did better in matchday 7.

So it is that after the midweek games, it's time to consider how to fit in these strikers:

Martin Palermo (Boca) Vélez and Boca played out an epic 4-4 on Tuesday night, with the Loco grabbing the headlines. Predictably, he missed a penalty, but then Riquelme served up a chance that Palermo buried. One more goal and he’s the all-time top scorer for Boca, which isn’t bad.

José Luis Calderón (Argentinos Juniors) If his legs can keep going for a few more months, Calderón could become the oldest goalscorer in Argentine football history. He scored the winner against Estudiantes at the tender age of 39, but wasn’t celebrating after his time in La Plata came to an acrimonious end in the close season.

Ruben ‘David Platt’ Ramirez (Banfield) The headlines said his second against Colón was a stunner, but the first was a England-Belgium type of effort, pirouette and volley in one, steering the champions on the way to a tidy 3-1 win over league leaders Colón.

Esteban Fuertes (Colón) Not to be outdone by Ramirez, Palermo or Calderón, ‘Bichi’ produced a trademark thunderbolt from 30 yards to keep Colón momentarily in the game at Banfield. The goal extended the 37-year-old’s lead as Colón’s record goalscorer.

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Maradona slowly finding the right blend

2010-03-04T16:30:00Z

"This is like a chess match!"

With Argentina in action on one channel, and England on the other, and after taking a quick peek at the respective coach’s CVs, you’d expect the comment to have been about the cerebral football on show from Capello’s team.

The TV commentators were, however, speaking about the Albiceleste, which got this blogger thinking (albeit briefly).

Could Maradona and Capello be more diametrically opposed? Initial evidence hinges on the following:

Tracksuit vs suit
Mullet vs continentally coiffed
Smokes Cuban cigars during training vs doesn’t
Sunglasses vs designer corrective glasses
23 games experience as coach before taking over current job vs glittering career in the dugout
and finally…Fidel Castro vs Franco

Old habits die hard for Diego

The closest link between the two this blogger stumbled upon was that both count goals against England as one of the highlights of their playing career.

Similarities (or not) aside, the jury is still out on Maradona the coach.

Sure, we know what to expect off the pitch, as the little big man wades into trouble like there’s no tomorrow. The latest episode includes apparently giving Nike a helping hand in their marketing campaign, overlooking one issue – Adidas make their shirts.

Then there are the thousands of call-ups, the in-fighting at AFA, the earrings, the press conferences…

But while we all know what to expect off the pitch, nobody still quite knows what Diego the coach will do. The friendly with Germany gave us a few clues, and pointed to a vast improvement on the performances during qualification.

As a player, Diego produced exhilarating football, but wasn’t afraid to put the boot in. A classic mix of Argentine footballing traditions of Menotti and Bilardo if you like. Maradona’s team could well be the same blend.

To the purists, it’s a clear separation of good and bad, which sets us up nicely for the lowdown on last night’s friendly…

"Result - fish fingers for tea!"

Menottistas

Ángel Di María
Of the two twinkle-toed, left-footed, light-weight, hyped-up youngsters, it was the winger from Benfica rather than the forward from Barcelona who shone the brightest. An assist, coupled with a mazy run that ended with a shot cannoning off the bar, confirmed Di María as Argentina’s best player on Wednesday.

Gonzalo Higuaín
He had just one chance to score, and he produced the winner. Pipita almost put his shot wide from over 30 yards out, but his second goal in four appearances for his country, plus the backing of over 50% of Olé’s readers, installs him as first choice number 9.

Nico Otamendi
Playing four centre backs across the backline may, or does, bring problems of its own further up the pitch, but it sure shuts up shop. Maradona looks set to choose this option to avoid defensive catastrophes at South Africa, and although it is not his preferred position, Otamendi looks a reliable option at right-back.

Leo falls to the ground at the sight of Schweinsteiger's massive thigh...

Bilardistas

Leo Messi
La Pulga is Menottista with Barcleona, but Bilardista with Argentina. Messi was poor, again, and only compounded the frustration he and everyone else must be feeling with a deserved yellow card for a rough challenge.

Martín Demichelis/ Walter Samuel
The two centre-backs that faced Germany are big, bruising walls of muscle - exactly what Maradona wants. The problem comes when both are on yellow cards after half an hour for crude lunges at opponents… Expect suspensions at the World Cup.

Juan Sebastián Verón
The midfielder is the consummate Bilardista, having been schooled - and then become a legend - at Estudiantes. Verón was too quiet in the second half, fuelling suspicions that he doesn’t have the legs to dictate a match for 90 minutes. Maradona needs to find a replacement.

Highlights from Argentina’s win over Germany here

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Man in black causes Avellaneda aggro again

2010-03-02T16:30:00Z

‘In an uncommon reaction, Russo wasn’t angry with the referee, despite losing’ – Sunday newspaper headline

Coaches blaming referees for a defeat is par for course around the world. But the knife-sharpening ahead of this weekend’s Independiente-Racing clash meant that the man taking charge of the Avellaneda derby would be under more scrutiny than most.

Given that Racing lost to a solitary goal – scored from 12 yards – and played half an hour with 10 men, Miguel Ángel Russo had plenty of material to deflect attention away from the problems at home, but he preferred not to talk about the referee.

Everybody else did.

Olé were satisfied with the man in black’s performance. "He was right on the penalty and the two red cards," wrote the sports daily, "but he made conceptual mistakes." Beg pardon? "He didn’t use his linesman."

In the scheme of things, ‘not consulting assistants’ is in the lower leagues of gripes with match officials. This being a clásico though, the clubs had built up a head of steam before the first challenge was lunged in anger.

But rather than overpaid and uncouth footballers stirring up trouble, it was the allegedly overpaid and definitely uncouth club directors doing it.

"A week ago, Independiente were thrashed by the Vélez B team," sneered Racing’s president Rodolfo Molino. Racing only won the clásico with San Lorenzo because of an offside goal, retorted the neighbour.

Independiente president Julio Comparada, meanwhile, ‘understood’ that ‘people’ were ‘worried’ about the referee. "In the last seven years Racing haven’t had one penalty. Independiente have had six," jousted the Racing camp.

Outside the boardroom and on the pitch, the penalty argument fell down after 41 minutes when Racing full-back Brian Lluy literally handed Independiente a seventh penalty against their local rivals in eight years.

Darío Gandín’s cheeky finish from the spot verged on the provocative, but Olé thought that it was Mr Molino’s fault all along.

"Don’t you think you are inciting violence?" enquired the paper in midweek.

"Anyway," responded the Racing presidente, with little attention to grammar, or perhaps just not hearing the question and planning his next tirade, "he [Comparada] launched the first missile."

The battle between Racing and Independiente will carry on, regardless of who presides over events in Avellaneda, but one thing is starting to ring true – Racing simply cannot beat Americo ‘Tolo’ Gallego.

Not with River, not with Newell’s, and, more importantly, not with Independiente – Tolo has never lost to Racing. As optadiego would perhaps put it: Daddy.

Racing and Independiente weren’t the only ones with concerns over the refereeing, although when Huracán prepared to take on league leaders Vélez, it wasn’t a problem of what might happen. It was what had already happened.

"Those who win you call CHAMPIONS. Those who steal you call THIEVES," read the Monopoly-money 100 peso notes handed out before the game for Globo fans to throw at the supposed 'ladrones'. (Note: FourFourTwo has neither idea nor opinion on why false money was handed out before this game...)

It will take several years, if not aeons, for Huracán to forget having their league title 'stolen' last June in the Clausura ’09.

Vélez played Huracán on the final day of that season in what boiled down to a title decider. Hurácan needed a single point to be champions, Vélez needed a win.

Hurácan had played glorious football all season. They were everyone’s second team. Coach Ángel Cappa was God. With less than five minutes to go, and at 0-0, a shocking foul on the Globo keeper left him stretched out on the ground and in agony. There was no whistle. Maxi Moralez scored for Vélez and the title was theirs.

Since that day last June, Vélez have kept their squad and their form. Huracán have lost their coach, their players, and their position in the league.

The 3-2 win for Huracán at the weekend will not heal the scars of the Clausura 09, but it sure felt good in Parque Patricios.

Vélez losing gave other teams an opportunity to leapfrog them in the table. Cólon grabbed a point against Central to go top while Godoy Cruz joined them on points.

If the idiot with the three-metre flagpole had stopped trying to take out Argie Bargy’s eye out for 90 minutes perhaps there’d be a closer analysis of Godoy Cruz’s title chances, but that will have to wait for another week...

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Tea-time for Banfield and Vélez

2010-02-26T12:30:00Z

It is, as Mr Editor pointed out last week, Libertadores o’clock. The finger tapping has been heard and duly noted, the frown has been imagined, and the hint has been taken. It's update time. (Crack on then, there's a good lad - Ed.)

Argentina’s two in-form teams were in action midweek, although both strutting their stuff South America's version of the Champions League. But their performances – Vélez in the cup, Banfield in the league – showed they're setting the pace both home and away.

Estudiantes may be the Libertadores holders, and may have kicked off proceedings with a 5-1 thumping of Juan Aurich (that’s a team, not a person), but Alianza Arena quickly brought the Pincha down to earth, beating the Students 4-1 in Lima.

Last year the men from La Plata also started this competition slowly and ended up lifting the trophy, but the seeds of doubt have been sown.

Lanús have lost both their games 2-0 and are all but out of the competition. Colón and Newell’s, meanwhile, failed to make the group stage, meaning that expectations and pressure are growing upon Vélez and Banfield.

A single point separates the two so far in 2010, with Vélez just above Banfield in the league table at home. Banfield won their clásico, while Vélez beat alleged title candidates Independiente 3-0 (with subs). In 2009, both were crowned Argentine champions; both have 100% records in the Libertadores; both are starting to think big.

Banfield trounced Argentinos Juniors 3-0 in the league on Wednesday night, making it five wins out of five games when Julio Falcioni has fielded his full first-choice XI.

Seba Fernández continues to shine up front, Walter Eriviti dominates midfield, and Ruben Ramirez grabbed his first league goal of the season, having come in to replace the departing Santiago Silva.

James Rodriguez, meanwhile, has convincingly replaced Javier Pastore as Argie Bargy’s favoured subject when conversation turns to Who is The Next Big Thing?

This Is Banfield

While Banfield can no longer be classed as a surprise package, and no one can claim that last season’s title win was a fluke, Vélez have the weight of history on their side.

They may not boast a man only separated from his namesake as The Fat One, nor may they have the man who admitted his thighs are ‘a gift from God’, but while Corinthians line up with Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos and believe they have a divine right to win this year’s Libertadores, so too do Vélez.

Also in their centenary year, the Fort have form in this competition.

As one Argentine told a gorgeous Corinthian supporter at a party recently - believing this to be a clever pulling tactic - the men from Sao Paolo haven’t won a single Libertadores trophy. Vélez have. (Argie Bargy doesn’t know whether the two kissed and made up.)

Neighbourly love aside, Ricardo Gareca’s Velez are a fitter and more brutal version of the squad that couldn’t maintain a league and cup challenge last season, thanks in a large part to the side’s firepower.

The Uruguayans Hernán López and Santiago Silva interchange as the muscular target man, while Maxi Moralez and Juan Manuel Martínez play just behind ‘in the hole.’ Adding to this, Gareca has Leandro Caruso and Rolando Zarate (brother of Zarate Kid, Mauro) on the bench, plus Jonathan Cristaldo when he recovers from injury.

Yet to concede in the Libertadores, and Kings of the Castle back home, Vélez may yet disprove the commonly-held wisdom that you can’t challenge on two fronts. That is unless Banfield beat them to it.

Vélez: Lopez (centre) celebrates with mates

Finally, many thanks to the clever-clogs who thought this week made for particularly good timing to stoke the flames of antagonism and hatred between Argentina and Britain.

Let’s put a flame to that oil! Argentina’s 1990 side was voted the most-hated in the history of mankind, while the 1960s Estudiantes side won an admirable bronze.

Olé have returned the favour, with a top 10 of ‘What do you most hate about the English?’

Amongst the favourites are Tatcher (without the first ‘h’ which makes it impossible for Argentines to pronounce), imperialism, tea at five, English soup, the pirate Drake, the kelper who had a trial at Boca, Beckham, Arsenal, and by default, the Argentine Arsenal, Arsenal de Sarandí.

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The Oil-Searching Grave-Digging Weekend Review

2010-02-23T09:45:00Z

RESULTS Sat Feb 20 Newells Old Boys 1-1 Lanús, Tigre 1-1 Gimnasia La Plata, Vélez Sarsfield 3-0 Independiente Sun Feb 21 Atlético Tucumán 1-1 Argentinos Juniors, Banfield 0-0 Rosario Central, Racing Club 1-0 San Lorenzo, River Plate 1-1 Arsenal Mon Feb 22 Godoy Cruz 1-1 Boca Juniors

Age-old disputes, a war of words, attempts to divert attention from the failing economy, a fallen empire against its former source of plundered wealth...

Yes, the Malvinas were once against centre stage this weekend. Mrs Thatcher and British oil companies would probably refer to Godoy Cruz’s ground as the Falklands Stadium, but for the sake of diplomacy Argie Bargy will stick to Estadio Malvinas.

It was there that Boca, much like the aforementioned British companies, went in search of oil this weekend.

The Xeneize may only be five points off the top spot, but the situation at the club is considerably worse than their mid-table position would suggest, and only victories will silence the critical voices in the press and in the stands.

The defence is poor, the team’s results worse. Juan Román Riquelme is at odds with journalists (surprise!), while Martín Palermo has to read the papers to discover that the club aren’t planning to renew his contract this June.

"Come and have a go" - JRR, spiky as ever

With this in mind, fully aware that he needs to improve the team’s fortunes, coach Abel Alves brought in another round of changes to the starting XI and went drilling in Mendoza.

Boca may have been the most successful team of the 2000s, and Godoy Cruz may be your classic ‘modest’ club, but The Tomba have a good record against the former bully boys of Argentine football.

Predictably things didn’t start well for Boca. Just as his brother was doing across the Atlantic for Real Madrid, Federico Higuaín scored with a neat finish.

Having gone a goal down away to the team who hadn’t conceded all season, the final 1-1 draw was a relief for Boca. It was also a fair result, Alves would say afterwards, before trying to dampen the flames in the debate over the two star players.

"Riquelme and Palermo will have to ask 10 times each for me to take them out of the team," said Alves, which isn’t technically true, given that he replaced Palermo in the second half just last week.

It was the right thing to say, but just like poodle-haired rockers Extreme, Boca need more than words. With Estudiantes, Vélez and Racing coming up, the next three games could see the crisis extend further.

While Boca went in search of oil, River continued to dig themselves deeper into a situation which could ultimately bury the club deep in the grave of second-tier football.

For rookies, and for those who look at the various different tables and standings and think they have better things to do than waste time understanding relegation in Argentina, it really is very simple. Sort of:

Take the average points won over the past three seasons and make a league table. The bottom two go straight down. The third- and fourth-botom teams fight out a relegation playoff.

It is often said that the system was introduced after San Lorenzo were relegated in the early 1980s. It was meant to protect the grandes, who are unlikely to have three bad years in a row.

River are currently providing us with the exception. As things stand, the Gallinas will start next season in the direct relegation spot, and this weekend's performance, a lacklustre 1-1 draw at home to Arsenal, showed next to no signs that the corner is in sight.

"Get a grip!" - River boss Leonardo Astrada

Elsewhere, Diego Simeone vented his frustration at his side conceding by kicking out at an innocent water bottle. He immediately apologised to the police officer whom it hit in the midriff. But the San Lorenzo boss’s finest moment was yet to come.

"When the sh*t comes bad, you have to grab it with your mouth," he said to a bemused mixed zone. Go figure.

Luciano Figueroa was booked for falling over in Banfield’s area. There was contact from the keeper, but the Central striker dived roughly four minutes before it happened. No argument to the casual observer, but the typical "The referees are against us..." followed.

Newell’s Old Boys old boy Santiago Salcedo scored against his former club to grant Lanús manager Luis Zubeldía a stay of execution, earning a point in Rosario. The relief will have been tempered by news concerning one of the club’s youth team products – Cristián Fabbiani.

Still without a club and now without a wife after being seen dancing with a chica that he wasn’t married to, The Ogre is back at Lanús. He’s only training at the club’s facilities as he attempts to keep fit for next season, but history teaches us that Fabbiani tends to bring trouble with him. And that is something Lanús could do without.

See all the goals acá

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The country where everyone's a manager

2010-02-19T17:30:00Z

It’s that time of year again.

Over a million Argentines stop what they’re doing, bring out the form guides, the league tables, the season guide book, call up that mate who works at the Big Club to find out if the left-back is worth a punt, bring out the calculator, challenge mates to a Friend’s League, realise they can name the entire Godoy Cruz back line, decide on their team’s name, and take the plunge.

Oh yes, Argentina’s fantasy football – Gran DT – is back.

Argie Bargy will be flying the FourFourTwo flag high, or at half mast if recent form is anything to go by, but here’s a guide to those who’ll have managers puzzling over late changes this week – and be watched closely throughout the season.

James Rodriguez (Banfield) $6m
"It’s hard playing knowing that I’ll be at Udinese next season," the Colombian told ESPN radio on Friday. That said, he hasn’t found it so tough – the 18-year-old has already been one of the highlights this season.

Banfield, meanwhile, see his future differently: they claim the move to Italy is a total lie. If Rodriguez’ form so far this season is anything to go by, Udinese will be laughing if they got him for his Gran DT price.

Kiko Villalba (River) $4m
Arriving 15 minutes late in Argentina is widely regarded as impeccable punctuality that only the Swiss are capable of. Not so at River Plate. Leo Astrada dropped Ariel Ortega for arriving drunk and several hours late last week, which is reasonable enough.

This week, however, The Boss took things further. Seventeen-year-old prodigy Kiko Villalba rocked up 15 minutes late for training, and Astrada was having none of it: "Don’t even bother getting changed." Ouch.

Gonzalo Ludueña (River) $1.9m
By dropping Villabla, Astrada needs to find a replacement striker – not easy. Having scored a miserly three goals in four games, River currently boast the club's worst attack in 16 years. Astrada has turned to Ludueña, so highly-rated that out of more than a million Gran DT managers a whopping 1,655 have him in their team.

Lucas Viatri (Boca) $4.3m
The man who (allegedly) puts the fear of God into the nation’s barbers when he goes for a trim has moved up from ‘squad player’ to ‘first choice.’ Abel Alves needs to stop the rot at Boca quick-sharp, so he’s going with two No.9s up front. Viatri is regarded as Boca's next Palermo. Can he produce the goods playing alongside the current Palermo?

Claudio Bieler (Racing) $5m
One No.9 who won’t be featuring this weekend is the man who was supposedly going to be The Academy’s saviour this season: Claudio Bieler. Instead, the job of salvador goes to new coach Miguel Ángel Russo, who needs to turn things around at Racing to avoid relegation. His way of improving things at the Cilindro doesn’t involve dropping Roberto Ayala, but it does involve dropping Bieler.

Pablo Lima (Vélez) $3.5m
"If we win the title, I’ll run down the 9 de Julio butt naked," said the defender this week. Given that he plays for Vélez, who won the title a year ago, are top of the table, and have the best squad in the country, the Uruguayan clearly feels he’s up to the task of showing off his big tackle on the world’s widest avenue.

José Sosa (Estudiantes) $7.2m
With eight seconds gone, Estudiantes could be forgiven for expecting an easy win on Thursday night in the Libertadores Cup. Back from Bayern, the Prince had put the Pincha ahead in Peru, only for the hosts to come back and take the points, winning 4-1. At least Sosa his name in the record books for the fastest goal in the competitions history.

Pato Abbondanzieri – gone
As the históricos made way for the new generation, Pato Abbondanzieri took being dropped on the chin. He gracefully watched on from the bench, gave his replacement kind and assuring words, and told the press there was no problem. Days later, he was presented as the new No.1. At Internacional, in Brazil.

The Sack Race
The only place you’ll lose face as a Gran DT is at the pub with your mates. Back in the real world, this is not the case.

Claudio Vivas has already won this season’s Sack Race, having lost three of the first four games at Racing. Miguel Angel Russo has replaced him, but the fans' favourite was Ángel Cappa. In an online survey, 42% of fans wanted him to take over.

It should be no surprise then, that as talk of Luis Zubeldía’s reign at Lanús is drawing to a close – it's now five straight defeats – Cappa’s name is also brought up. Watch this space.

Elsewhere, Abel Alves needs a win at Boca to avoid more "anonymous insiders" talking to the press about how bad his team talks are, how he’s a terrible man-manager, and how he isn’t picking the players who are performing best in training.

And finally, Julio Falcioni can do no wrong at Banfield. The champions won the clasico, are two points off the top spot and have won their first two games in the Libertadores. Safe.

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Will Argentina be car-crash TV at the World Cup?

2010-02-17T17:00:00Z

"One less problem," wrote Olé yesterday, next to a photo of a frowning Maradona.

Brilliant! Let's guess:

The full-back situation has been fixed! Messi has publicly apologised for only giving his all when wearing the blue and white, but from now on in he’s 100 percent one of the boys! Pele has been handed a gagging order!

Defensive black holes, a misfiring World Player of the Year and a high-profile dissenting voice from Brazil are just some of the problems facing Diego Maradona, but amidst the hulabaloo of announcing another squad – will he add to the 102 call-ups so far? – there was some under-reported great news.

Maradona will avoid trial.

In 2006, someone was said to have ploughed his car into a telephone cabin in the small hours and, in doing so, supposedly injured a couple.

Suddenly imagining their names in the headlines, and fantasising about a life of luxury after selling their story – The Couple That Maradona Ran Over – they promptly took the matter further.

As hard as their lawyers tried, though, it never reached the courts.

Things were settled outside the law’s jurisdiction to the tune of £1,300 each, according to Olé.

So it is that the couple fail to get their 15 minutes, but more importantly on the scale of things, Maradona avoids a court appearance and the potential punitive ramifications that criminal proceedings involve.

Phew.

Welcome to Argentina. Please drive carefully.

Of course, as Olé’s headline makes clear, there are still plenty of other problems to be dealt with.

After trying out 102 players, Maradona has to whittle it down to a paltry 23 in time for the World Cup.

So it is that the 20-man squad announced to face Germany at the beginning of March is widely seen as the best clue yet as to who will be making the trip to South Africa this summer.

Maradona says the squad is 50 percent decided, and that he has told those who are going – but for those in this latest squad, it’s essentially a place in the final 23 that’s there to be lost.

For Messrs Samuel, Burdisso, Diego Milito, Pastore and Dátolo, this is excellent news.

For Messrs Banega, Zanetti, Zabaleta, Aimar, Cambiasso and Lavezzi, this is not.

There’s a real chance that this squad, plus Martín Palermo, Maxi Rodriguez and Estudiantes defender Marcos Angeleri, is the group that Maradona will take with him to set up camp in Pretoria this summer.

This being Maradona, however, means anything is possible.

Quizzed as to whether having tried out 102 players was productive, he snapped "I’ll try out 150 players if I need to."

"How many goals would a player like Franco Jara need to score [against Jamaica in a recent friendly] to leapfrog Messi, Higuaín and Tevez?" asked one columnist.

"Three? Four? Five?"

"Why bother?" Franco Jara 'celebrates' a goal against Costa Rica

Perhaps the reason for the infamous 102 call-ups lies elsewhere.

"Jara was sold to Benfica for €7 million a week after playing [for Argentina] against Costa Rica," pointed out the local paper Crítica.

"How much did his goal in that game elevate his price tag?"

After the friendly with Panamá last May, eight players from that Argentina side earned transfers abroad.

"The moves were probably all going to go ahead anyway," continued Crítica, arguing that to be called up in the first place they must be amongst the best in the country anyway.

"But having played for the national team is a big plus when it comes to negotiating a move."

Maybe there's more that meets the eye with the 102 call-ups, maybe not.

Whatever the truth, Maradona has little time to decide on the 23 men who will defend the Albiceleste in South Africa.

"The national team is like a dirty Rolls Royce," said Maradona when he took over as coach.

If he can’t clean it up in time, will watching Argentina at the World Cup be car-crash TV?

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The Sexually-Inspired Weekend Review: Round 4

2010-02-15T17:00:00Z

What with Valentine's Day at the weekend, the post-five-a-side debrief quickly turned to matters of the heart.

Sweeping generalisations about the señoritas of this country followed, along with heroic tales of conquests and a detailed discussion of Saturday night’s battle plan.

A number of Argie Bargy’s team-mates thought it was high time that this blog brought to light the most unpublishable and libellous rumour of a love-affair it has heard since living in the land of steaks and inflation.

It’s not going to happen. FourFourTwo would be facing a Greek-sized debt after the lawsuit.

You’ll have to make do with this amour-inspired Round 4 round-up...

Let’s spend the rest of our lives together – Banfield & James Rodriguez

The 18-year-old produced a brilliant piece of skill – a round-the-corner back-heel – to kick-start the move that the Colombian himself finished in style.

Banfield would love the reggaeton lover to stay forever, after he decided the clásico with Lanús, but it won’t be happening: Rodriguez is already sold to Udinese for next season.

It’s over. I want a divorce – Claudio Vivas & Racing

The paperwork is done. There will be no more pillow-talk of happy days between Claudio Vivas and Racing.

Three weeks ago, the board at The Academy believed Vivas was their man to bring back the glory days to Avellaneda.

Three defeats in four since then suggests otherwise.

NEWS: Racing sack Vivas after 11 matches

I’ve been left for a younger, fitter, more agile, less wrinkly model – Pato Abbondanzieri & Boca

Amongst those hung out to dry at Boca last week was Pato Abbondanzieri, who may not be at fault for all of the Xeneize’s defensive woes, but he hasn’t exactly helped.

The 37-year-old was dropped to the bench, and in came the 23-year-old Javier Garcia. Result? Clean sheet for the Bosteros.

It’s been fun, but it’s time to move on – The ‘historicos’ & Boca

Pato, however, can take comfort from the knowledge that he isn’t the only one taking the blame.

Boca’s coach Abel Alves also left Hugo Ibarra out for the weekend’s clash with Atlético Tucumán. He then decided to take Martín Palermo off when things weren’t going to plan in the second half.

The históricos at Boca may have won everything in sight in the Noughties, but their time could well be up.

FILF – Esteban ‘Bichi’ Fuertes & Colón

With 37 summers behind them, most footballers would be eyeing a job as a Saturday night analyst, or thinking about taking that coaching course.

Not Bichi Fuertes, who's still hungry for more.

One Sunday night screamathon suggested that Bichi deserves a place in the World Cup squad, which is taking it a country mile too far, but up in Santa Fe, Bichi is still doing the business.

His 112th goal for the club against River put Colón joint top of the table.

We need to talk – Luis Zubeldía & Lanús

Of all top-flight coaches, Luis Zubeldia was probably the most in-demand come February 14.

Flowing blond locks, bulging muscles, and at 29, the baby of Argentine DTs, make him the man who makes hearts swoon.

The board are perhaps less impressed.

Lanús have conceded 13 goals in four league games, and they lost in the Libertadores last week. At the weekend they lost the clásico to Banfield.

The wheels aren’t off just yet, but Zubeldía needs to keep them on the right track.

Bet he’s got a few tricks up his sleeve – Ignacio Piatti & Independiente

Not one, not two, but three keepy-ups helped Piatti set himself up for the Rojo’s winner against Estudiantes.

If he can do that on the pitch...

Sexless relationship – San Lorenzo & Vélez

"Vélez played badly. San Lorenzo play badly," said one TV presenter after this 0-0.

"There was nothing to talk about in the game." He was right.

Not putting out - Godoy Cruz

Don’t expect frolicking fun with the men from Mendoza. With four games gone, they’ve scored just twice, but are still joint top of the table.

How? They have yet to concede a goal. So that’s 360 minutes of football so far, and two goals.

Time to consider Viagra? – River Plate

The Millionaires have failed to score in three of their four league games.

It’s time to take drastic measures, or else they’ll be struggling to stay up. In the top flight.

Round 3: Maureen on, Ponce off

2010-02-10T14:00:00Z

"Right then, muchachos, our work here is done!"

High fives aplenty at AFA HQ last week, where the latest Argentina squad list had been discussed, thought through, agreed upon, typed up and duly sent out to all the necessary people.

Fast-forward 40 minutes.

"Boss, there’s a problem. Estudiantes are talking about some Libertadores match, whatever that is! Anyway, they say it's important and they need their four players."

"Bugger. Oh well, take those players off the list. There are plenty more to choose from. Tell you what, I like the look of that Pereyra guy. See the boot in the face he got the other day?! That’s what I want in my team. Huevos. Put Pereyra in."

Fast-forward 80 minutes.

"Boss, there’s another problem. Pereyra had an operation yesterday. He’s out till February."

That ‘boot’ the other day had, in fact, broken Pereyra’s nose.

"B*ll*cks! Fine, give that new guy at Racing a call. That’ll do it."

It’s roughly along those lines Argie Bargy imagines the fine-tuning of the Argentina squad list happened last week.

A total of five players were named and then dropped from the list, leading to an apology from respected voices in the press for not seeing the genius in the latest chaotic episode, and that in fact it was the rest of the country that was wrong and didn’t understand.

Calling up those players, then dropping them, was ALL PART OF THE MASTERPLAN!!

Argentina play Jamaica this Wednesday in one of Maradona’s final opportunities to see players from the Argentine league.

In ‘fine-tuning’ his team since taking over coach, he has now hit 102 on the Call -Up Counter.

One guide to the Clausura 2010 points out there are 600 players ‘hopeful’ of making the squad for South Africa.

There isn’t time between now and the World Cup to give them all a run-out, but that won’t stop Maradona from trying and the players here in Argentina dreaming of making the final 23.

After Round 3, in which a guy named Maureen replaced a guy surnamed Ponce, in which Estudiantes gave San Lorenzo a ‘conceptual thrashing’, in which the big five are still horrendous, in which Argentinos Juniors beat Lanús for the first time in 15 years and won 6-3, here’s a quick guide to those performances which will get Diego nodding or shaking his head…

NODDING

Martín Palermo – The man who famously missed three penalties in a single match for his country had to retake his spot-kick against Newell’s, but his nerve didn’t fail him this time. Goal number 206 with Boca for Saint Martin, and his third in three games this season.

Lucas Viatri – Palermo’s much-touted successor at Boca hit a thunderbolt against Newell’s.

Franco Jara – Goals, assists and general brilliance this weekend from the man already sold to Benfica for next season. The *rse, as the Argentine Arsenal are referred to, will miss Mr Jara next year.

Juan Sebastián Verón – Playground stuff from Verón in his goal this weekend – knocking it past Botinelli and running round the other side of him to collect the ball, then blasting it home for a golazo.

SHAKING

Pato Abbondanzieri – There may be a Latin American tradition of goalscoring goalkeepers but Abbondanzieri stuck to assists against Newell’s. The problem was his assist was for Newell’s fourth goal. The third (16 minutes after the first) was a caño - nuteg to you and me. Not the keeper’s finest hour and half.

Gabriel Paletta – Abbondanzieri’s partner in crime at the back, Paletta was awarded a 2/10 rating which, together with a red card, is all the analysis we need.

Roberto Ayala – The Mouse was meant to shore up the Academy’s defence, and his debut against misfiring (or not-firing-at-all) Arsenal should have been a walk in the park. Burruchaga’s men promptly put four past Racing. It’s fair to say Ayala didn’t come out of the game too well.

Ariel Ortega – If there’s a wagon in sight, Ortega is likely to fall off it. He rocked up several hours late at the team hotel, after another fall, and was dropped from the squad to face Central. The Little Donkey’s career could be drawing to a close after crisis talks at River were held on Monday.

The weekend's goals, with necessarily bad soundtrack, here. Enjoy!

Five-star signings, six-pointers & gratuitous cleavage

2010-02-04T15:00:00Z

For those who can’t get their heads around why another season is starting in Argentina, here’s a quick round-up of why the short-season format reigns.

The theory goes like this:

Smaller clubs have more chance of competing for honours than over a ‘full’ season; two champions a year = more fun; bad seasons can be swept under the carpet quickly; waste of money signings can be off-loaded sooner; and when it all goes horribly wrong, fans’ expectations can be renewed sooner.

The flip side of the coin for players and bosses alike is pressure, and lots of it.

In Avellaneda, however, that’s not a problem.

As if the pressure-pot atmosphere wasn’t enough at Racing thanks to kicking off Clausura 2010 in the relegation play-off position, the Academy have upped the ante.

After making a trio of fine signings, there was ‘talk’ of the title.

Their first challenge of the season came in the form of a direct rival for the drop, Central.

It was, as Claudio Vivas defined it, a ‘final.’

Unflinching in the face of the season’s first six-pointer, Perón’s team of choice trounced the Rosarinos 3-0.

All three new boys put in good performances: Licht was man of the match, while Gabriel Hauche and Claudio Bieler combined for the third.

Vivas, in his second job in the hot seat, seems happy to keep the pressure on his players, and himself, for the remainder of the campaign.

“There are 18 finals left,” he said yesterday.

We still don’t know whether he means to avoid relegation or fight for the title - such is the schizophrenic beauty of Argentine football.

Anyway, there are indeed 18 matchdays left.

With the World Cup compressing the season, plus the televisual orgy of football fútbol para todos thrown in for fun, it means there will be top-flight action pretty much every day for the next four months.

So it’s back to work.

Diego Simeone was clearly satisfied enough with his personal performance in pre-season.

He unbuttoned his tailored white shirt to just below the pectoral region during San Lorenzo’s win over Atlético Tucumán, ensuring a gratuitous cleavage shot usually reserved for wannabe WAGs on afternoon TV. Apparently.

Racing’s summer signings stole the show, but two other new boys also deserve a mention.

While doing an Adebayor and celebrating goals against your former club in front of your former fans is all well and good, it can pose a problem when that former club owns your transfer rights and decides to bring you back home.

Vélez saw Santiago Silva’s goals for Banfield, even the one against them, far too tempting and have made Uruguayan their front-man for the campaign.

He went some of the way of making up with the new old fans with his first goal of the season, beer-guzzling celebration included.

VIDEO Boots of beer: watch it here

But then he rather undid all the good work by missing a penalty.

Lanús, meanwhile, will be pretty pleased with their close-season business.

They reinvested €1.4 million of the €10 million received for Eduardo Salvio on Gonzalo Castillejos.

The former Central forward then grabbed a brace as the Granate came back from 2-0 down with 15 minutes to go, and won 3-2.

Elsewhere, Boca and River haven’t had long enough to sweep those pesky troubles under the carpet.

Boca bought a replacement midfield over the summer but perhaps should have focused on the defence.

“We are nervous when crosses come in,” said keeper Pato Abbondanzieri, controversially opting to speak for the entire defence and not just himself.

But he hadn’t stopped there.

“We lack personality,” he went on to say, after watching Boca throw away the lead twice against Argentinos.

New coach Abel Alves kept his analysis simple: “This side is more likely to scrape a win than play good football.”

Speaking of not playing attractive football, River “couldn’t string five passes together.” Leo Astrada’s words, not Argie Bargy’s.

Not to worry. Poor performances, missed goals and bad attitudes can all be forgotten as of tonight, when round 2 gets going.

On the Tube:

Showboater of the week: Sebastián Longo (Atlético Tucumán).

Skip to 1.22 here to see not just one glorious Cruyff turn and nutmeg rolled into one, but two. Rewind a few moments if you can’t resist Simeone and his ‘shirt’.

Goal of the weekend: Juan Román Riquelme (Boca) vs. Argentinos Juniors.

He cuts inside from the left wing, unleashing hell with his right boot from the corner of the area.

All the goals: Here, with some quite fantastic music

And finally: Cristian Fabbiani just won’t go away.

“If River had me, they would have won 3-0 at the weekend,” declared the out of work striker we discussed the other day.

“The fat players are the best ones. Ronaldo, Adriano…” And, by default, him too, and not a hint of irony in sight.

The Triple-Trim Fighting-Fit Season Preview

2010-01-29T17:00:00Z

They’re fighting fit, lean, tanned, and raring to go.

Gruelling double sessions over the summer have prepared Argentina’s players for the Clausura 2010.

Diego Simeone, far from content with punishing his San Lorenzo squad in the heat a mere twice a day, ordered triple sessions.

The new season is upon us, fitness is good, kits are new, fútbol is still para todos, for everyone, morale is high and expectations are higher.

That is, unless you are Cristian Fabbiani.

The description 'former River Plate striker' may soon have to be shortened to just ‘former striker’.

After Fabbiani was thrown out of Núñez for being atrocious last season, his agent was hard pushed to find him a new club.

Huracán and Chacarita both politely declined.

Uruguay’s Nacional were less gentle. "We wouldn’t have him for free," said their president, making sure Mr. Fabbiani’s Mr.15 percent realised they were talking about both the transfer and the wages.

Fabbiani has always had a fixation with Ronaldo (which one? Well Fabbiani's nickname is The Tank).

When he arrived at River, he requested the 99 shirt in homage to the Brazilian.

This pre-season, out of work but looking for a club, Fabbiani showed further signs of Ronaldo-adulation.

Unimpressed with traditional methods of getting in shape – like watching your diet, not spending the summer at the beach with your wife, running, doing sit-ups and so on – Fabbiani simply went under the knife.

(We should say at this point that his WAG, Victoria Vanucci, denied that her man had had liposuction. The papers aren’t so sure. Neither are we).

What will be next for Fabbiani then, adventures with ladyboys of the night? Watch this space.

In England, they'd call him Flabbiani

One thing he won’t be doing is taking part in the Clausura ’10, which starts this weekend.

When it comes to who is expected to dominate proceedings, supporters have perhaps spent too much time under the sun and lack any imagination whatsoever.

In Olé’s poll of who will be Clausura 2010 champion, 23 percent have gone for River Plate, 22 percent went for Boca.

First up is River, a side that finished last a year ago and haven’t moved out of the bottom half of the table since.

Hoping to turn their fortunes around, the Gallinas have brought in a number of decent-looking reinforcements.

Defenders Juan Manuel Diaz and Alexis Ferrero have arrived, along with Paraguayan midfielder Rodrigo Rojas and Chilean striker Gustavo Canales.

Meanwhile, River have also tied their two teenage stars Gabriel Funes Mori and Daniel Villalba to four-year contracts.

Winning both superclásicos in the pre-season has helped the morale boost, but the rot spread deep at the Monumental in recent years.

Leo Astrada himself admitted that his side would be happy with a top-five finish.

Boca, meanwhile, fired their manager less than a week before the season started, didn’t manage to convince the man (some of) the board wanted to take over, and have gone for the reserve team coach.

However, Abel Alves, who is in charge of the Xeneize this term, is an ‘hombre de la casa’ – so he knows what’s needed and what’s expected.

He also groomed a number of the current first team squad as they made their way up through the club’s youth team system.

Alves has a number of new faces to help him improve (and boy, must he improve) on last season's finish of 11th.

Last season’s most impressive midfielder, Jesús Méndez, joined from Central.

They have also bolstered midfield with World Cup hopeful Sebastián Prediger from Colón and Matias Gimenez from Tigre.

Nicolás Gaitain, arguably the best player in the Argentine league, is fighting for a place in Maradona’s squad, as is Palermo. Riquleme is back fit.

Colon try to stop Prediger (seated) from leaving

While the big two dominate the fans' expectations, there is little love, respect or regard for the current champions.

Just 1.3 percent believe Banfield can repeat the feat of lifting the league title in four months' time.

The Drill have lost centre-back Sebastian Méndez, who retired, and centre-forward Santiago Silva, who refused to answer calls from the club when they reasonably tried to discuss a contract extension with the Uruguayan.

Julio Falcioni has replaced both, but Banfield will no doubt be focusing on a bash at the Libertadores. Maybe 1.3 percent is generous.

Most Improved Side should go to Racing, where they seem convinced they can not only improve, but also challenge for the title.

Claudio Vivas says his side start the league with a ‘final’, but not because it’s a title six-pointer: it's a relegation one.

As things stand, Racing will play the dreaded relegation play-off come the end of the season.

Bringing in forward Gabriel Hauche and striker Claudio Bieler should keep the ghosts of the descenso away, but whether they will challenge for silverware is another matter.

Elsewhere, the best team of 2009, Vélez, have benefitted from Santiago Silva’s ambition and avarice and so now have last season’s top scorer to add to their already-impressive squad.

While Lanús will rely on Sebastián Blanco more than ever having sent Eduardo ‘Toto’ Salvio to the footballers' graveyard that is Atlético de Madrid.

Estudiantes, meanwhile, are not interested in the league and will concentrate on the Libertadores.

Maybe one of the Big Five will live up to their name and tradition and take the title, or perhaps Newell’s will build on last season and go one better than runner’s up.

Just don’t expect them to look for help from former player Cristian Fabbiani.

River's youngsters deal final blow to Basile

2010-01-22T16:30:00Z

Possible typos/factual errors/abnormally incoherent blog disclaimer: It’s late afternoon. A load of menacing-looking mettlers have just parked outside, opened up the boot to allow a stadium rock-sized speaker some breathing space, prized open four litre-bottles of beer on the curb, and are now enthusiastically (some would say aggressively) discussing what the ideal set list would be at tonight’s gig. Metallica are in town. Concentration levels are not the highest.

"We’re going to the Boca to burn the place down," sing the River Plate fans.

For those needing a clarification of just what their reasoning was for torching the old port area of Buenos Aires, "to make sure we kill all the Bosteros" followed shortly afterwards.

The soundtrack to the first superclásico of 2010 up at the River Plate end included other charming ditties such as "Boca, you cr*p your pants," "you’re the cops’ best friend" and a play on the old favourite of "you’re not singing anymore," which culminates with a crescendo of insults taken from the Racists’ Thesaurus of Foul and Abusive Language.

Argie Bargy was sat closer to the River Plate fans than the Boca ones for the pre-season ‘friendly’, so the elated gallinas drowned out any noise from the other end.

But judging by the sight of xeneize supporters bouncing up and down throughout the game, they never stopped singing.

Given the result, hats off.

Boca's now former boss remembers he left the cooker on

The result was so bad that it dealt the final blow to Alfio ‘Coco’ Basile, who quit after making it three pre-season games – against San Lorenzo, Estudiantes, and River – without a win.

Boca now have to find themselves a coach and dust themselves down for the return leg of the pre-season superclásico on Sunday, but it’s all smiles at River where they think they may have found two new gems.

Without veterans Marcelo Gallardo and Ariel Ortega to face Boca, Leo Astrada went with the duo Gabriel Funes Mori and Daniel ‘Keko’ Villalba.

Their opposite number, Martin Palermo, was the pair’s senior – that’s the two combined – by a year.

But while the 36-year-old Boca striker spent most of the game shushing abusive River Plate fans after equalising, the second half, and the headlines, belonged to the rookies.

Funes Mori and Villalba, 14 first team games between them, wrote their names in River Plate folklore, not to mention a few scouts’ notebooks, with their goals against Boca.

Mori won a reality show to play in the US and came to River via a failed trial at Chelsea.

He has admitted he calls the older players at the club ‘Sir’.

Villalba – think a short version of the 1998 Michael Owen – was on £133 a month till he signed professional terms with River last month.

Yet between them they won the superclasico for River.

"We deserved two or three more," said captain Matias Almeyda after the 3-1 win, and he was right.

Centre-back Nico Sánchez, meanwhile, enjoyed telling the press that Boca "chased the ball the whole game."

"We'd like to dedicate this next song to Alfio Basile!"

The sight of Boca on the back foot fuelled River’s 15,000-strong choir, and eased the mood.

The expected battle between River Plate fans and River Plate fans didn’t happen (that one isn’t a Metallica-inspired mistake, a civil war is said to be brewing amongst the fans at the Monumental).

Brawling between the two sets of supporters was largely avoided, and there were only a handful arrests - two were for carrying knives inside the stadium.

Yes, knives. Inside the stadium.

So let’s hope that we’ll still only be talking about the singing and the football next week, after River face Boca again in Mendoza on Sunday night.

The Metallica gig has started. The house is literally shaking. Adiós.

Meddling Macri stirs Boca

2010-01-20T10:30:00Z

Astronaut. Brain surgeon. Formula 1 driver. Spy. FourFourTwo.com editor.

Until Monday, commonly-held wisdom deemed (some of) these occupations amongst the hardest on the planet.

But that was before Mauricio Macri came out and informed us that it was none of these.

It was, in fact, a job in which he had first-hand experience – being the Boca Juniors president.

Having held the Bombonera hot seat for 11 years, Macri is well placed to discuss the pressures of responsibility at Argentina’s best-supported club.

Now he's the Buenos Aires city governor, however, he rarely gives interviews about football.

In agreeing to talk about Boca, he was keen to put the brakes on any hopes of giving attention-grabbing headlines.

"I really can’t say too much," he said, "because having been the Boca president, it just causes problems if I say too much. It attracts headlines and isn’t good for the club."

So it was, then, that the shy and recoiling Macri gave around 20 minutes worth of headline-packed interview.

But it wasn’t until right at the very end that the true demands of his old job were brought to our attention.

Mayor Macri clearly stills carries a torch for Boca

Asked which would be harder of the two – being president of Argentina or Boca Juniors – Macri had no doubt.

Dealing with players’ egos, agents, the press, all while relying on results on the pitch, was, he said, merely compounded by the ‘irrationality’ that surrounds the club.

Judging by that last statement, Macri clearly doesn’t follow Argentine politics.

Despite making it to city governor, and having presidential aspirations, Macri confessed that he would swap anything – his political career included – to have played for Boca.

If recent approval ratings are to be trusted, 66 percent of porteños are now cursing the former Boca coaching staff for not giving young Mauricio a run out in front of La Doce, for the greater good of the city.

As it was, as Boca president Macri oversaw a radical change at the club which took its inspiration from the Florentino Pérez marketing model at Real Madrid, and also enjoyed the most successful period in the club’s history.

On the back of this success at Boca, he moved into politics.

Yet despite his new career, and despite generally keeping out of his former club’s affairs, Macri has managed to further rock the unsteady boat that is Boca in 2010.

He wrote off the new signings, believing that the club simply don’t have the money to bring in the quality that would improve the side.

"We need to play the youngsters. When you sign a player, you know what you can expect from them. But with our youth team players, you never know what talent could emerge."

And ironically, one of the men who gave Macri so much success at the club is one person he is now at odds with – Carlos Bianchi.

"Bianchi can’t deal with criticism," said Macri, again avoiding any inflammatory remarks that could possibly be the headline for the back pages the next day.

Bianchi and Macri: "What did he just say?!"

Bianchi may be prickly with the press, but at least he is honest in admitting that he still hasn’t settled into his role as general manager.

Just this weekend he told reporters that "when it comes to enjoyment, first you have being a player, then you have being a coach, then you have being the manager."

Bianchi may not enjoy his job, and added pressure from Macri won’t help the situation at Boca. He and coach Alfio Basile are under scrutiny after losing 4-1 to Estudiantes.

The signings that the club are chasing have yet to materialise. Defeat to River in the superclásico this Wednesday will spark further talks of a crisis.

Macri, meanwhile, already has the answer. "The next coach should be Guillermo Barros Schelotto. He is an exemplary professional."

Macri’s interview will have caused quite a stir at Boca.

For the rest of the people of Buenos Aires, they’ll just be cursing the fact that their city governor never got a game for the club.

Beach girls, fainting gringos & classic football

2010-01-15T17:00:00Z

Summer’s in full swing down south, which in Argentina means lots of things.

First of all it means taking part in extensive, engrossed and gesticulatory conversations about the heat.

‘News’ channels, having noticed the country’s preferred topic of conversation, seize the opportunity and show hours of G-stringed señoritas frolicking on the beaches, just to make sure those of us in the city know what we're missing out on – sun, sand and...

"...and we'll get no joy until Messi pulls his finger out"

The matriarch of Argentine lunchtime TV, Mirtha Legrand (who has taken the genre to a new level by literally eating lunch while talking to her guests), decamps to seaside resort Mar del Plata for the 84th season of Lunch with Mirtha.

Oh alright, she’s actually 82, but she’s still going after all these years.

Meanwhile, gringo tourists just never learn, and think it’s a good idea to walk around Buenos Aires in the afternoon having filled their bellies with 800-gram steaks and a bottle of fine red wine, and are then surprised when they pass out in the heat.

As for the supporters of the Big Five, summer means one thing only – time for battle to commence.

It isn’t a lack of clásicos throughout the year that is behind the thinking of a preseason round-robin between the grandes.

There is a clásico, or even a superclasico, just about every weekend during the season.

Watching Boca Juniors, River Plate, Independiente, Racing and San Lorenzo go head to head together with a guest team does, however, guarantee a fiery start to the year’s football.

Decidedly self-assured coach giving interview in ripped jeans? Check.

Veteran striker dramatically saving the day in the first grudge match of the year? Of course.

Misfiring side failing to score? Never in any doubt.

Club boldly declaring it’ll challenge for silverware this year? Oh yes.

On-going saga over big-name signing showing no signs of being resolved? As predicted.

Transfer merry-go-round? Sí, señor.

So it is that San Lorenzo gaffer Diego Simeone says the gossip rags put him on their front covers "because I am successful," and has no qualms about being the only coach in Argentina who wears a tailor-made suit.

"Linesman! Check ma chillin' garms!"

Martín Palermo scores Another Dramatic Late Winner for Boca and sends everyone wild, everyone forgetting that it is only a pre-season friendly.

Racing fail to make Independiente’s net bulge in their first game of the year, but them redeem themselves beating River.

Independiente are going to make a serious challenge for the title according to the walking Slimfast advert that is Tolo Gallego ("I saw a photo of me in Mexico and thought, this can’t go on. I lost 18 kilos").

River are getting to the stage where any centre-forward will do. Apart from Cristián Fabbiani.

Boca, meanwhile, are going to loan Independiente a winger, get a keeper in return, send that keeper to Rosario and get a midfielder back for their troubles.

Pick of the action so far has been the San Lorenzo thriller with Boca, which had all the requisite elements to justify the ‘thriller’ status.

There were scandalously unawarded penalties ("The ref couldn’t see an elephant in a bidet," reported Olé), scandalously dished out red cards, and scandalous defending in some of the six goals although a brilliant lob from Bordagaray was the pick of the bunch.

There were also the time-honoured contributions from Boca’s old-timers – a horrendous mistake from Abbondanzieri and a late equaliser from Palermo.

And as if the temperature wasn’t high enough, San Lorenzo midfielder Cristián Leiva threw in his peso’s worth after the match.

"If Boca celebrate a draw like they did, it means they are chico – a small team," before adding "Boca’s defenders reckon they're hard, but they're the worst defence in Argentina."

The first superclásico of 2010 will give centre-forwardless River the chance to test that Boca defence next Wednesday – so expect more fighting talk in the build-up.

Just don’t expect the news to cover it, they’re too busy filming the girls at the beach.

Why City were never going to bewitch Verón

2010-01-08T17:00:00Z

Because you are a mercenary.
Because you were rubbish at Manchester United.
Because you were rubbish at Chelsea.
Because you can’t dribble round a lamp post.
Because you are too old to keep playing.
Because you drive a Ferrari to training.

There are 74 more reasons, similar to those above, that have led one particularly angry (and arguably unbalanced) individual to dedicate considerable time and effort into putting together a website reasoning why we should all hate Juan ‘$eba$tián’ Verón.

That said, ‘hate’ is too mild a term to express this supporter’s bile towards the midfielder.

So it is that most of the 80 Reasons To Detest Verón are unpublishable on several grounds - they are mostly litigious, based on ridiculous rumours, highly offensive, and in several cases, just plain wrong.

The website, together with links to ‘evidence’ that Verón was on England's side in the 2002 World Cup, does serve one purpose, however.

It shows how divided opinion is in Argentina on the midfielder.

Like Guns n' Roses guitarist Slash, the divide is fairly easily drawn.

On one side you have Estudiantes fans. On the other, you have everyone else.

Verón’s relationship with most Argentina supporters never recovered after the 2002 World Cup, with the Brujita – Little Witch – shouldering the blame for the Albiceleste’s early exit.

"Here you are, old boy"

As Manchester United and Chelsea fans can confirm, however, the early noughties were far from providing the high water mark in Verón’s career.

After a spell at Inter Milan, Verón decided to return to the club where he started out – Estudiantes.

Verón had broken into the Pincha’s first team in 1994 and helped the club gain promotion back to Argentine top flight.

On returning more than 10 years later, he led the side to its first league title in 13 years.

Just last year, he guided the team to become champions of South America by winning the Copa Libertadores.

He then came within two minutes of emulating his father Juan 'El Brujo' Verón’s achievement from 1968 - winning the transatlantic showdown with the European champions.

Barcelona, however, were too busy finishing off a remarkable year to allow the Veróns another moment of glory.

They can't take this away...

Despite the silverware, and despite recently winning a second consecutive South American Player of the Year award, Verón’s tie with Estudiantes is tighter than any other player.

Even while he was away in Europe, he regularly contributed money for the club to develop its facilities.

Last year he signed a new contract that included earning 40 percent less than his previous deal.

The money he gave up was part of the agreement – it would pay for new installations and also buy a new bus to transport the Estudiantes youth team players to games.

Any references to Verón’s performances in or against England are ignored.

"You have to remember," one devout Pincha fan once told Argie Bargy, "that for Estudiantes fans, and in La Plata, Verón is God."

It's not just gestures like renouncing money that elevate Verón to that status.

He's still regularly producing goals like this one, and perhaps it was that which made City try to lure him back to Manchester.

City reasonably believed that an economically-challenged club in Argentina wouldn’t turn their nose up at £7 million for one of their players.

They also reasonably thought that at 34 years of age, the player in question wouldn’t turn his nose up at a final payday. (Patrick Vieira certainly didn't).

"I couldn't leave you guys"

Yet not even the promise of seven million petropounds all for himself was enough to convince Verón to join Manchester City – or more to the point, to leave Estudiantes.

At most, Verón has two years left in him before quitting the game.

An upstairs role at Estudiantes – one which will pave the way for him to become club president in the future – awaits.

For now he is still the club’s most important player. The slower game in Argentina allows him to dictate matches, something which is hard to imagine him doing in the Premier League.

But it is even harder to imagine him leaving Estudiantes.

And that is surely one reason to like Juan Sebastián Verón.

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Who's the Daddy of the Decade?

2010-01-06T11:00:00Z

Paternity is a big issue in Argentina, and it is not just to do with a dispute over the true identity of the children adopted by the nation’s largest media group owners.

No, sticking to football, it is to do with who’s won the most clásicos, who's won the most trophies... when it comes down to it, who’s the daddy.

The obsession started early in the last century, when Argentina and Uruguay battled it out for regional hegemony in the world’s most-played derby.

Uruguay not only won the local rivalry, but also translated their success onto the world stage, winning the first World Cup on their home soil - by beating Argentina 4-2 in the final.

Since then, the ‘son’ and ‘father’ role has been, excuse the pun, adopted by club supporters and is an integral part of banter and abuse between sets of supporters.

When it came to bragging rights during the last decade, however, there's no room for debate.

The noughties belonged to Boca.

OK, 2009 was their annus horribilis with boardroom in-fighting, poor results, a burgeoning debt and an escalating hooligan problem, but the previous nine years were simply stunning.

The arrival of Carlos Bianchi as coach signalled a golden era in the club’s history.

Five league titles, four Libertadores, two Sudamericanas, three South American supercups and, to crown the achievement, beating Real Madrid and AC Milan to claim two Intercontinental Cups.

In a single decade, they bagged 16 trophies.

Uncurbed: Carlos "Larry David" Bianchi

That number is slightly inflated given that there are two domestic league champions a year, doubling the odds, but not even the most bitter red-striped city rivals could belittle Boca’s achievements in the 2000s.

At the turn of the century, then, the question is who, if anybody, will dominate the 2010s?

Of the five grandes, none are in good shape.

Given that not one of River, Boca, San Lorenzo, Independiente or Racing qualified for the Libertadores, they're not even amongst the best five in Argentina, let alone South America.

Despite winning the Clausura 09, and winning universal praise for being a ‘serious’ club, Vélez failed to launch a ‘serious’ challenge for this year’s Sudamericana.

That doesn’t bode well for the alleged sixth grande's chances of becoming the dominant force in the coming years.

And although Estudiantes came within two minutes of beating Barcelona and claiming the Club World Cup, they still rely on Juan Sebastián Verón, recently crowned South American Player of the Year for the second year running.

At the age of 34, Verón is not a player the Pincha can depend on to dictate the game for many more years. (And that's assuming he remains in the face of interest from Manchester City - Ed.)

For any other club – Lanús or Newell’s, for example – to take over, they would have to reverse major structural problems.

Lanús lose money on nearly 90 percent of their home games, while Newell’s accounts are still a mess after the reign of the previous president.

In the last 10 championships, seven different clubs have won the title, which points to the Argentine league being one of the most competitive and unpredictable leagues around.

Debt, short-termism, rich-pickings for agents, impatient fans, internal club politics and questionable refereeing standards all add up to make it a level playing ground for clubs - but at the same time all the more difficult to maintain success, let alone be Daddy of the Decade.

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No Fight Club for Bilardo, just Friends

2009-12-30T12:00:00Z

Like a group of screaming, goading and bloodthirsty primary school kids, Argentina’s football fans tuned into The Bilardo Hour late on Monday night en masse.

There was going to be a fight, and it was going to be well worth hearing.

For a moment, Argie Bargy felt that it had regressed to bygone years when jumpers were thrown down to make goalposts, when we loved it when plans came together, when Frankie said Relax, and when Ken Bates bought a failing second-division club in west London for £1.

Along with all the other thousands of listeners who had been promised broadcasting gold by Bilardo, this blogger was expecting a classic bout of fisticuffs.

The host had let it be known that he was far from being a happy camper at planet AFA. The Bilardo Hour would be the time and place for the Doc to vent his anger.

Why the aggro, Carlos?

The proverbial poo hit the fan last week before, during, and after the friendly with Catalonia in Barcelona.

Maradona’s right-hand men, Alejandro Mancuso and Hector Enrique, spoke to the nation’s top-selling paper Clarín the day before the match.

"We see things differently," said Mancuso, "both in terms of football and the way we are. We hardly even talk [with Bilardo], apart from hola and chau."

Bilardo didn’t take this well. "Mancuso is trying to cause problems between me and Maradona," said the Doc.

"A lot of things have been said, but I won’t keep quiet any more. I’ll kill the next person who speaks [out]."

A few weeks previously, Bilardo had appeared on Fútbol de Primera TV show and said that there was ‘somebody’ who was causing problems at AFA , but he wouldn’t say who it was.

Mancuso’s interview made the feud public.

While Bilardo took aim at Mancuso, Clarín seemed to think that the National Team Director was fighting a losing battle – Bilardo was against the rest of the world.

Players don’t want him so involved in the team, wrote the paper. Maradona is said to have moved to economy class to avoid sitting next to Bilardo on the flight back home.

In the meantime, Verón said enough was enough, as did Zanetti. Less experienced internationals pretended nothing was going on, to avoid rocking the boat and risk future call-ups.

Bilardo kept repeating his mantra - "I’ll say what I have to say on my radio show."

Maradona is indirectly quoted (remember he’s banned by FIFA from doing anything related to football) as wanting to know whether Bilardo was looking to get more listeners for his program.

As The Bilardo Hour neared, and expectations of a bloodbath heightened, so the headmaster stepped in. AFA president Julio Grondona summoned his pupils and brought them in line.

By the time Bilardo came on air, the news had already filtered through. "Everything’s fine," was the message from the Doc.

There was a long, frank and open discussion about recent events, according to Bilardo, and things are all sorted.

There was no fight. Not one accusation. Not a single criticism. Nothing. Todo bien.

Hopefully, for the sake of the national team, the in-fighting and power struggles surrounding the national team are indeed over, because they won’t have a chance at South Africa if this civil war continues.

Has Grondona waved his magic wand and sorted this mess out? Maybe. Or maybe the madre of all rucks is still waiting to happen.

Stay tuned to The Bilardo Hour.

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Argentina’s New Year resolution: Be like Barça

2009-12-24T10:00:00Z

Given that Catalunya have the same chance of competing at a World Cup as Tibet, Argentina losing 4-2 to Johan Cryuff’s side on Tuesday night needs to be considered more than just a blip.

Granted, there was no newly-crowned FIFA World Player of the Year Leo Messi at the Catalunya-Argentina friendly.

(One particularly bitter and twisted fan in Buenos Aires suggested that if Cryuff had called Messi up to play for the home side, the Barcelona forward would have overcome his ankle sprain).

But the world has now bowed down to the brilliance of Messi (apart from Brazil’s coach Dunga and Brazil’s captain Lúcio, neither of whom both deemed Little Leo worthy of a place in their top three players of the year).

After the atrocious defending and lack of ideas from the team at the Camp Nou last night, it is time to suggest a New Year’s resolution to Argentina in order to bring out the best of Leo Messi.

Copy Barcelona.

In goal for Víctor Valdés - Sergio Romero

This is one position where Argentina are perhaps in better shape than Barcelona. Valdés is the big winner in Barcelona’s keep-ball philosophy – it reduces the likelihood of him committing shockers like this or these.

The Dani Alves-charging-down-the-right-from-full-back-to-help-free-up-Messi role – Jonás Gutiérrez

Argentina are so short on full-backs that nearly 400 people voted for Fabricio Coloccini in a recent online survey to play right-back at the World Cup. 400.

Zanetti may not have the legs for this role, and Zabaleta is, by his own admission, too defensive.

Maradona is a big fan of Jonás who, unlike Gago, will do what he is told to do by his coach and not complain about being played out of position.

The Newcastle man is disciplined, has already played right-back once for Argentina, has the lungs and legs for the job.

The curly-haired-tub-thumping-put-the-boot-in-when-necessary Carles Puyol centre-back role – Gaby Milito

Milito is a carbon copy of his club team-mate, and as long as he can stay fit now that he’s back from injury, he will be the first-choice centre back next June.

The Gerard Piqué ‘other’ centre back role – Martín Demichelis

Ever since a surgeon claimed that Micho had botox injections, people have been slightly suspicious of the lack of movement from Demichelis’ upper lip.

Despite these claims, and his attempted ‘tackle’ as Bojan ghosted past him the other night, he's better than the other options at the back (Heinze, Schiavi, Burdisso, Coloccini).

"Oh no! He's picked a winger at right-back!"

The reliable left-back Eric Abidal role – Emiliano Insúa

Copying the Barcelona model means only needing one kamikaze full-back. Insúa was solid and unremarkable when called upon to face Peru, but is a stronger and more reliable choice that Emiliano Papa, and is also not Gabriel Heinze.

The Xavi Hernández metronome role – Javier Mascherano

Not as creative as Xavi, granted, but he can sit deep and keep things ticking over. Argentina need the old Mascherano. Badly.

Masche’s dip in form is, perhaps uncoincidentally, more or less traceable to the moment he was named national team captain.

In Argentina you're the odd one out if you don’t have a weekly session on the divan, so it's time to bring in the psychologist to bring out the best from the country’s captain.

The Seydou Keita/Yaya Touré sleeves-up-workaholic-midfield-dynamo role – Esteban Cambiasso

You’re just as likely to see both Touré or Keita drilling in a 25-yard piledriver as you are heroically winning the ball outside their own area. Same goes for Cambiasso.

The Iniesta pulling-the-strings role – Pablo Aimar

Everyone’s agreed that the Barcelona Messi excels when he doesn’t have to come so deep to pick up the ball. You need a player with the skill, creativity and imagination to play near him.

Pablo Aimar is the man, although Javier Pastore could well be the long-term choice for the job. In the real world, meanwhile, Diego is likely to go for Verón’s experience.

"Pablo! Good to see you again!"

The all-conquering-all-singing-goalscoring-wunderkind Leo Messi role – Leo Messi

The Ibrahimovic versatile centre-forward role – Gonzalo Higuaín

When Capello was last at Real Madrid, he couldn’t drop Van Nistelrooy or Raúl because of form and club politics respectively. Capello had to accommodate the promising new centre-forward signed from River Plate out on the wing.

Since Capello moved on, Higuaín has played a more central role for the galácticos, so is the perfect target man for the Albiceleste, but he can also just as easily swap position with whoever plays the...

The Thierry Henry-stay-out-wide-but-come-into-the-middle-as-and-when-to-cause-havoc-role – Sergio Agüero

It hasn’t been a vintage season for Agüero, and reported arguments with his señorita, who is also the boss’ daughter, may not help his cause for a place in the first team.

But there are few players with his raw talent. As with Mascherano, Argentina need the Agüero of last season.

And with that, Argie Bargy is off to defend its inclusion of Jonás at right-back over a Christmas-sized steak.

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Argentina vs Catalunya: The Trilogy

2009-12-21T16:00:00Z

1) Estudiantes vs Barcelona

Two minutes. That was how tantalisingly close Estudiantes came to writing the most glorious chapter in the club’s already-impressive history at the weekend.

The Club World Cup final wasn’t just the meeting of South American and European champions, and it wasn’t the classic case of the South American side being the only one to take it seriously.

For the Catalans, it would be the crowning moment of 2009, the sixth title won by Pep Guardiola’s side in a stunning year.

For Estudiantes, they weren’t just up against The Best Team in the World… EVER!™ and weren’t just representing all Argentines in the David against Goliath mismatch, they were also up against their own history.

Winning three consecutive Libertadores trophies in the late 1960s was one thing, but beating Best, Law, Charlton & Co. at Old Trafford in 1968 is still the pinnacle of the Pincha’s achievements.

The son of one of the goalscorers from that night in Manchester was captaining the team that faced Barcelona, but it would be too much to expect of Juan Sebastián Verón to win the final alone.

Yet after Mauro Boselli rose to give the Argentines the lead, supporters dared to think their side could provide one of the biggest upsets in club football and emulate Verón senior and company.

"Yaaaay!"

Estudiantes had contained Barcelona in the first half, and were good value for their lead.

In the second half, however, the team and fans crashed back down to reality, and holding Barcelona till the 88th minute was in itself a victory.

"Judging by how they celebrated, we managed to give them a fright," noted Verón junior afterwards.

Barcelona’s winner came, predictably, from Leo Messi - the right player to crown the Catalans' year, the wrong player to score the winner against an Argentine side.

It's the Aperturas '09 Awards!

2009-12-16T16:00:00Z

Clubs on strike, AFA unilaterally ripping up the long-standing contract for TV rights that had their signature on the dotted line, Fútbol para Todos broadcasting every single top flight match live on TV, refereeing scandals, not one of the Big Five qualifying for the Libertadores, Diego…

Here’s the best and worst from the Apertura ’09 in Argentina.

Team of the Year Award: Banfield

Starting out as a cricket club may not have helped their quest to win the football league title, but 113 years after an English accountant and cattle exporter decided their barrio needed a sports club, Banfield were kings of the castle.

"...which makes you dirty rascals"

Having the league’s top goalscorer, best defence and fewest defeats, plus winning their clásico, point to one thing – undisputed champions.

Oh, and they won the fair play award to boot (or not to boot).

The Bilardo/Menotti Award for Best Coach: Diego Armando Maradona

This one’s gone to the national team coach rather than a club coach. And no, it's no joke.

Anyone who doesn’t like this choice can do what the little big man himself told journalists to do in Uruguay a few months back.

Julio César Falcioni would have won the domestic prize for leading Banfield to the league title, but everything points to Diego.

Losing 6-1 to Bolivia, outrageous insults to his critics, trying out more players than Paris Hilton, his power struggle with Bilardo…

It’s been exactly what we expected from Maradona The Coach – unpredictable and compulsive viewing.

Most importantly, he did his job: a misfiring and drab Argentina side qualified for the World Cup. Can’t ask for more.

Best Goal: Martín Palermo vs Vélez

When it came to tickling this blogger’s ribs, none did the trick as much as Gastón Aguirre’s finish a week ago.

Estudiantes showed they may not be completely outclassed by Barcelona this weekend when they produced a tidy 16-pass build up to a goal against Vélez, and of course there were the usual array of individual efforts, bicycle kicks, volleys, and piledrivers etc.

But then, you see those everywhere. What you don’t see are 40-yard headers.

Martín Palmero, we salute you.

The Tarnished Reputation Award: referees

Allegedly.

The Sticking By His Principles award: Ángel Cappa

Given the nature of the sport there were few contenders for this award, but the former Huracán coach was the standout contender, all the same.

Despite having his team dismantled before his very eyes just months after being robbed of the Clausura back in June, Cappa stuck to his philosophical guns.

Life was always going to be harder without the likes of Javier Pastore and Matías De Federico, but Cappa battled on and stayed true to the tiki tiki.

Sadly, Huracán sold all the players capable of playing in that system.

The I Hate Fútbol Para Todos The Most Award: TyC Sports

Tough call this one, with taxi drivers and the former rights holders battling it out for gold.

Most fans agree that although the quality of the coverage is considerably worse, being able to see all the games live on TV compensates seeing fewer replays of the vast and original range of fouling techniques with which Rolando Schiavi delights Newell’s fans every weekend.

TyC win, with one of their presenters confirming just the other day that there are no sour grapes:

"Is it part of their contract that Fútbol Para Todos commentators must not get a single name right during a game?"

Worst Player of the Season Award: Cristián Fabbiani

Never has the nickname 'Tank' been more appropriate.

Unfortunately for River Plate fans, and indeed his own career, Fabbiani’s size is not thanks to CR9-esque hours in the gym, but rather hours at the dinner table.

Club legend Marcelo Gallardo said the team would have scored 15 goals more if they’d had a ‘real’ centre forward, instead of Fabbiani.

"That hurts"

"Right now a club could buy me for a Coca-Cola," said the striker [sic], confusing his response to a journalist’s transfer-fee question with his order to a nearby waiter.

Most Ridiculous Publicity Stunt Award: Racing/Lothar Matthaus

Irate supporters? No money? Precariously close to relegation? No light at the end of the proverbial tunnel?

The Racing Club board of directors clearly thought bringing in an opinionated no-nonsense World Cup winner as coach, who would be accompanied by his beautiful wife too, would sort out the club’s difficulties.

He’s German? So what?!

One problem. Matthaus found out what Racing failed to tell him (word has it that Martín Demichelis gave him a crash course in Racing and Argentine football’s recent history) and he sent the club a txt msg to say danke, but nein danke.

The Player Most Inclined to Indulge in Some Argie Bargy Award: Sebastián Peratta

The Newell’s keeper was one of the main reasons the Rosarinos were in the title race this year.

Peratta is also a mixed-zone reporter’s dream, and held court after most games with his own uncompromising and myopic take on decisions that involved his side.

The Most in Need of a Kick up the Culo Award: Tigre

A year ago, Tigre fought it out in the historic title play-off. Since then, they have clawed their way down to the depths of last place in the division.

Diego Cagna, singled out as one of the most talented young coaches in the country, was both the mastermind of the success a year ago, and the architect of the subsequent decline.

"My time here is up," he said.

Indeed. The Matador were the worst team in the Apertura, losing 15 of their 19 games and conceding 42 goals in the process.

The Pull Your Socks Up Award: The Big Five

River, Boca, San Lorenzo, Independiente and Racing will all be watching the Libertadores from the comfort of their living rooms next year.

That’s all five of the biggest teams in the country managing to swerve the six – SIX! – berths that Argentina have for the South American Shampions League.

Listing some of the reasons that they are all in this mess could land us several lawsuits, so we’ll leave it there for now.

Bring on the Clausura...

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Banfield do Hollywood

2009-12-15T15:00:00Z

When Martín Palermo scored the last-gasp goal against Peru in torrential rain at the Monumental, it was, according to the Argentine press, just one more episode in the remarkable career of Palermo that proved that his life story should be made into a Hollywood blockbuster.

Palermo has enjoyed plenty of success, winning trophies and scoring gazillions of goals in the process.

He’s had the disappointments of serious injuries, a failed career on the Old Continent, the infamy of missing a hat-trick of penalties for his country, the tragedy of losing a son…

Scoring a dramatic late winner for Argentina and re-enacting Tim Robbins’ escape in The Shawshank Redemption was just one more scene for the directors to play with.

Since that game, however, the Boca Juniors centre forward’s form has been in vertiginous decline, to the extent that going into the final match-day of the season, he hadn’t scored in over 740 minutes of ‘action’.

As the saying goes, however, cometh the hour, cometh the hombre.

Knowing that Boca-Banfield was a title-decider, Palermo pulled his socks up. He grabbed a brace - a drilled penalty and a nudge from two yards out.

It was classic Palermo. (Well, the nudge was classic. Everybody was nervously holding their breath as he ran up to take the penalty, and then once it hit the net they all agreed that, in fact, they never had any doubt that Saint Palermo would score).

There was one minor oversight by Palermo, who can’t have put on his reading glasses while perusing the script.

It wasn’t Boca who were hoping to take the title. It was the visitors.

On Sunday afternoon, Banfield looked like a mediocre, middle-tier team, a side with no real stars and a club that had never won a league title.

Taking a quick look through the record books proves that the image isn’t too far off the truth.

The Drill were runners up in 1951 and 2005, and apart from those two almosts, have little else to brag about.

Out on the pitch at the Bombonera, they passed to their opponents, the magnetic head of their Uruguayan centre-forward no longer attracted the 60-yard passes, they were out-played.

And on the biggest day in their history, full-back Julio Barraza decided that Nicolás Gaitán deserved a Berlusconi-esque bloody face and booted him. In the area. Cue Palermo’s penalty.

Things were not going according to plan. This wasn’t the team that Julio César Falcioni had moulded into a well-oiled machine.

This wasn’t the team that turned logic up on its head and been the revelation of the season.

It wasn’t the team that boasted the best defence in the land, that had lost just one game in 18 before the final day of the season, that had been shown the least yellow cards of any team, that had beaten River, Estudiantes, Vélez, Independiente and San Lorenzo, and that had won their clásico (away), and had also beaten the only team to push them for the title – Newell’s.

Losing on the final day of the season didn’t matter though. Banfield’s fans had waited 113 years, metaphorically, to see this happen.

89 year old grandmothers mixed it with mulleted adolescents at Banfield’s ground as they waited for the team to return home with the trophy.

While there were fireworks, pitch invasions, organised chaos and campeones! campeones! in the south of Buenos Aires, up in Rosario there were tears.

There were also rubber bullets shot into women’s faces afterwards. The mood at Newell’s Old Boys was not one of gracious defeat.

Like Banfield, Newell’s enjoyed a brilliant season, but they had lost one game more than their fellow title challengers.

The only way Roberto Sensini’s team could win the title was if Banfield lost, and they won.

And there was a problem, despite their form throughout the season. They were playing at home.

"Perhaps the pressure of playing in front of our own fans was too much," admitted Newell’s president Guillermo Lorente on Monday.

Had the title been decided on home form, Newell’s would have ended the season in the bottom half of the table. It was their performance away that kept them in the hunt for silverware.

Banfield’s consistency was what won them the title. One defeat at home, one away, five draws in total and the remaining games all ended in victories.

There is already talk of them challenging for the Libertadores next year.

Not a bad year for a club that started out as a cricket club.

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Banfield ready for glory after 113 years

2009-12-10T15:00:00Z

Given that Banfield are on the verge of winning their first league title in 113 years, you'd have thought that Julio César Falcioni would be in good spirits.

The club may not be used to winning titles but Falcioni knows what success tastes like – he was part of the legendary Colombian side America de Cali that won five league titles in the 1980s.

Given that his side grabbed the winner over Tigre on Wednesday night with just five minutes remaining to keep them top of the table, you’d expect there’d be a sense of elation after the dramatic, nail-biting end to the game.

And given that his centre-back Victor López, whose header won the match, was offside when he scored, you’d have thought that Falcioni would keep quiet about the quality of decision-making by the men in charge.

All in all, most were expecting a jubilant and elated Falcioni in the post-match press conference, and a Falcioni who avoided mentioning the referee.

Wrong.

"They didn’t even want to give us corners today!" complained the Banfield coach.

"And I’m saying this now so that it’s not after a game we lose and people say I’m a bad loser."

Outside the press conference, the Drill’s supporters were euphoric and partying hard. They’d just seen their side win their 12th game in 18.

Going into the final weekend of the season, they have a two-point lead over fellow title-challengers Newell’s.

And 113 years is a long time. The best they have ever done is finish second – in 1951 and 2005. These are high times for the club.

Falcioni is fully aware of the achievement he is 90 minutes away from completing, but he is convinced that something’s afoot.

He believes the powers that be are plotting for Newell’s to win the league.

The first journalist to put a question to him confirmed that the interview was being broadcast live on the said journalist’s channel.

"Well, if we’re live, I’m going to make the most of it so nobody edits me," began Falcioni, as producers gulped and pulled at their shirt collars.

"I’m tired of people always attacking Banfield. The club has produced some of the best players in Argentina in recent years.

"We have 41 points [from a possible 54]. We have the best defence in the league. And all of a sudden strange things start happening.

"One of Newell’s players pushed the other team’s coach after a game and nothing happened. When there was a foul for their winner against Vélez, nobody said anything.

"They’ve had the same ref for three games in 30 days and nobody says anything. But then they complain and the referee for our game is changed.

"If there’s a order for Rosario [to win], let me know."

Banfield, despite their coach’s complaints, are "70% champions", as Olé’s front page today declares.

All they have to do is beat Boca at the Bombonera on Sunday and the title is theirs.

Usually, this would be something of a proposition. This season, it is anything but a proposition.

Boca are 11th, with a side which might euphemistically describe itself in a lonely-hearts ad as "mature."

Furthermore, iconic centre-forward Martin Palermo hasn’t scored in 741 minutes of competitive action. He’s not doing too well in training either.

Boca are used to title celebrations, making them the perfect hosts for what should be the party Banfield have waited two centuries to enjoy.

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Passarella aims to change River's course

2009-12-08T10:30:00Z

Olé said it's the most politicised club in the world.

They obviously don’t know how things work at Real Madrid, think Celtic wear green because it looks good, and would argue that there is no conflict of interest when a Prime Minister also owns one of the biggest football clubs in Italy.

La Nación were slightly more accurate saying that River Plate is possibly the most, politicised club in Argentina.

And so it proved to be at the weekend, when there were presidential elections.

Rodolfo D’Onofrio is none too happy at losing the race to be the next River Plate chief, but then with over 14,000 members voting, losing by a margin of six votes can’t be all that pleasant.

D’Onofrio thought he was onto a banker with Enzo Francescoli, a legend at River Plate, set to be the general manager under el presidente D’Onofrio.

There was just one problem.

Enzo may have been on all the campaign posters, but come the day of the elections, Francescoli was nowhere to be seen.

He was in Uruguay - and Enzo's appeal was lost somewhere across the river between Buenos Aires and Montevideo when it came to the crunch.

Despite the electoral board being happy with the results, D’Onofrio is still crying foul and intending to appeal, but for now he’s going nowhere.

The man to take over is The Kaiser.

Now, we may have come close to Lothar Matthaus taking over at Racing, but this doesn’t mean that Franz Beckenbauer is taking an intesive course in Spanish.

No, River Plate have their very own World Cup-winning captain to run things: Daniel Passarella.

Passarella is Mr River Plate. He was born on the same day the club was founded.

He won seven trophies at the club, and retired wearing the red stripe, only to then take over in the dugout and win three trophies in four years in his first spell as coach.

Oh, and he lifted the World Cup – appropriately at the Monumental.

"I like this place"

It makes you wonder how the opposition tried to convince everybody that he was, and still is, a Boca fan, but that’s what they did. He apparently supported the city rivals as a boy.

Judging by his CV, it's hard to make it stick.

So Mr River Plate now has the Herculean task of dragging his club – it really is his club now – out of a situation which looks like 2012 came early.

When Vélez beat River 3-1 this weekend (River’s goal coming from their ONLY attack of the game), the home fans echoed the sentiment of just about every non-River Plate fan:

"You’re going down! You’re going down to the B!"

The law of averages, which is how relegation is decided in Argentina, declares River Plate the 12th best team in Argentina over the past three years.

If it were decided like most other nations do it, however, they would be going down.

Passarella says he’ll stick with coach Leo Astrada, he hopes Ortega can recover from his problems, he dreams of bringing Crespo, Ayala and Saviola back to the club, and his dream is to win the only trophy missing from his crowded mantelpiece – the Libertadores.

For now though, it's a question of priorities. "The first thing I have to do is a complete audit to see what state the club is in," he said.

It won’t be pretty, much like watching River right now, but for the millonario fans getting rid of the previous president is the first step out of the abyss.

Time for D:Ream.

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Estudiantes graduate to Club World Cup

2009-12-03T11:30:00Z

As of Thursday night, school’s out for summer in La Plata. Estudiantes take on Chacarita on Thursday and in doing so, finish their commitment to the domestic league.

Most, in fact all, other teams still have two matchdays to playout before we have the Apertura 09 champion.

Why have the Students been allowed out of class early?

AFA, in one of its more magnanimous moments, decided that Alejandro Sabella – yes, the one who ran out for Sheffield United and Leeds in the 1970s – and his men should be given a helping hand ahead of the World Cup.

The Club World Cup, that is.

Fixtures were rearranged and at times the Pincha played three games in the space of eight days (they´re only footballers). Other teams had to be accommodating, regardless of their own fate – be it a title race or a relegation battle.

As Argentine representatives, Estudiantes needed to be given the best possible chance to do the nation proud.

Early on in the season it looked like they’d be going to Dubai on cloud nine, playing fluid football and as league champions, but the prospect of Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, and er, Victor Valdés clearly loomed large.

Midway through the campaign it was clear that it was just about staying fit for later this month.

B- for the Students this season, although if they do the unthinkable and beat Barcelona, it’ll be upgraded to an A*.

Elsewhere...

Dodgy ref update - Colón’s Germán Rivarola had been holding it in since the sixth minute.

You don’t say ‘salí de acá la reconcha de tu madre, la p*ta que te parió’ to someone on the pitch and expect to get away with it.

Rivarola waited till the dying minutes of the clash with Newell’s, before booting the ball at Javier Collado. Comically, it hit Collado on the bum.

Collado didn’t see the funny side, however, and being the ref and therefore being in charge of proceedings, decided to send Rivarola off.

Kicking the ball at the ref isn’t perhaps the best of plans – Rivarola brilliantly claimed it was unintentional – but the entire Colón team backed up their sureshot compadre, and said that Collado was out of order during the game.

Collado had his own revenge, grassing up six of Colón’s players for verbal and physical aggression.

Of course there's history here. Collado is perhaps jealous of the histrionic Pablo Lunati and wants more of the limelight.

He told a paper in Córdoba recenty that bribes exist in Argentine football. Who’d have thought it?

And finally, democracy at River: a dictatorship comes to an end this weekend. At least that's what the River Plate fans will tell you.

José María Aguilar, the millonario club president and a millonario in his own right if you believe the claims made by his enemies, ends his term and will slip out of the back door (if he knows what’s good for him).

Retirement beckons, and from what this blogger is told, it’ll be a dark and lonely retirement indoors – Aguilar is so despised that he fears leaving his home.

Who’ll pay for the bodyguards now he’s not at the club?

Sunday's elections could see World Cup winning captain and River legend (but, according to the opposition, Boca supporter) Daniel Passarella become president.

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Metallica and the vengeful ref

2009-11-30T15:30:00Z

RESULTS: Rosario Central 1-1 Atlético Túcuman; Independiente 2-0 Huracán; Chacarita 2-1 Godoy Cruz; River 1-1 Estudiantes; San Lorenzo 3-0 Boca; Tigre 0-3 Vélez; Banfield 1-2 Racing

Metallica are coming to town in January, a month after AC/DC have rocked out River Plate’s Monumental, and self-proclaimed rock ("as long as it's hard rock") fan Juan Sebastián Verón has made sure he has tickets to both gigs.

While Verón and the thousands of other metallers brush up on the Metallica back catalogue till the small hours, perhaps the Estudiantes captain will also spend January – the break between the Apertura and Clausura - praying for the day that never comes: when referees can be trusted.

The season may coming to a close – it’s not nearly half-time in Europe but in Argentina we're close to crowning champions – but for now you can forget golazos, forget tiki tiki, forget Maradona (OK, that one might be impossible), forget club presidential elections, forget the fact that Banfield lost on Sunday night blowing the title race open, or that Boca won’t be in next year’s Libertadores Cup.

AFA are concerned with just one issue – their seek-and-destroy mission with dodgy refs.

Last week, Aníbal Hay was relieved of his post at AFA, where his remit was to work in PR with international referees visiting the country.

A tape that landed on the desks of AFA last week suggests that he didn’t limit himself to working with the visiting men in black.

According to La Red, the tape is a recording of a conversation between Hay and top flight referee Cristiano Faraoni, in which Faraoni was told to favour San Lorenzo on the opening day of the season when the Ciclón took on Atlético Tucumán.

San Lorenzo won that match 3-1, the Tucumanos’ keeper was clearly fouled in one of the goals they conceded and they were also denied a penalty. Hmm.

AFA president Julio Grondona dismissed the furore on Sunday, telling Crítica that refs "are always being watched closely."

Yet Javier Castrili went further: "The standard of refereeing in Argentina is writing one of its darkest pages," said the former official who wasn’t exactly Prince Charming himself. "They make schoolboy mistakes."

Some would say there’s a reason.

Faraoini-gate isn’t the only case under investigation at AFA – there are believed to be eight other men in the middle who may not be in the middle for much longer.

As far as most fans are concerned, referee Pablo Lunati is the worst offender as the matchday harvester of sorrow.

Headbanger Verón certainly agrees, criticising Lunati and his assistants for disallowing a goal against Racing recently.

The reason that Lunati is unforgiven by fans and footballers alike is not just his terrible decisions and haircut, but how proudly arrogant he is while in charge of games.

Needless to say, Lunati had no problem in jumping into the argument.

"The worst thing about Argentine football is not the refereeing," he said in a recent interview, "but the journalists."

That opinion notwithstanding, Lunati was happy to talk to one of the most respected journalists at one of the best-selling newspapers to get a few things off his chest.

Lunati claims that if it weren’t for his ‘lairy’ attitude, he’d have been in charge of a World Cup game by now.

He says he doesn’t care, although yes, his attitude has got him into fights – "just ask around where I live about how I left them."

He then clarified that “them” referred to the fans who supposedly took him to task about a questionable decision.

Lairy and happy to resort to violence to resolve any problem, Lunati also says that just because other referees do it, doesn’t mean he’ll be so stupid as to award a penalty if there’s only a ‘small’ pull of the shirt in the area.

The advert for Argentine referees doesn’t end there. "I didn’t speak to my dad for eight years, and it certainly wasn’t me that made the first move to fix things."

Let’s hope something’s done soon. Nothing else matters.

See the weekend’s goals, disappointingly not to Metallica but Earth, Wind and Fire, here

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The Who’s-Making-The-News Weekend Preview

2009-11-27T15:00:00Z

Ángel Cappa

Rather than an interview with one of the big sports channels, Ángel Cappa did it his own intimate way.

Cappa announced he was leaving his post as Huracán coach on his modestly designed blogspot page, just gone midnight on Monday.

The Globo will have to make do without the tiki tiki.

So far the blog explaining his departure has 619 comments – from quemeros both thanking him for everything but asking him to stay, to Boca fans declaring him the best coach in Argentine football, to River Plate fans hoping to convince him to join their club, to Racing fans also hoping to convince him to go (back) to their club...

The most popular man in Argentina right now? Probably.

Matías de Federico

One of the main beneficiaries of Ángel Cappa’s brilliance at Huracán was De Federico, who on the back of his performances last season a) earned the predictable moniker ‘The Next Messi’ and b) earned a lucrative move to Brazil.

Globo fans weren’t happy, and claimed he was a mercenary. De Federico told Olé this week that it wasn’t strictly true.

"The club said I was earning 100,000 pesos [£16,000] last season. That’s not true. I was on 10,000 pesos [£1,600] a month.

"I asked for a raise to 25,000 [£4,000]. They said no, then gave some other youth-teamer 30,000!

"I told [Huracán president] Babington that he’s a hijo de ***. I said it to his face. That’s why I left. With Babington, Huracán will be relegated.”

No hard feelings then.

Daniel ‘Keko’ Villalba

From one player with a low centre of gravity to another.

Not quite reaching 5ft 2in, the River Plate striker Daniel ‘Keko’ Villalba still has some growing to do.

That said, he's either mature beyond his years, subjected to regular media traning from his agent, or just blissfully deluded.

Hence his declaration that "I want to stay at River and win a title."

In any normal country where relegation wasn’t decided on three-year averages, River would be in the second division this season, so perhaps Villalba will have to wait slightly longer than he anticipates.

Manchester United, Chelsea, Roma, Atlético Madrid and Panathinaikos, meanwhile, all think that it’s at their club that Villalba should grow a bit taller and develop into a world-beater.

Juan Román Riquelme

José Pekerman, Argentina's coach at Germany 2006, says "it hurts" not to see Riquelme playing for the national side.

Perhaps it doesn’t hurt as much as it hurt most Argentines seeing their team dominate Germany in the quarter-finals back in 2006, then seeing Riquelme being taken off by Pekerman, then seeing the Teutons pull the goal back, and then seeing their side lose in the penalty shootout.

Martín Palermo and 81 others

Cristián Álvarez, Arsenal’s full-back, is the 82nd player to get the call from Maradona.

Nobody quite knows why Argentina are playing Catalunya three days before Christmas, but they are.

So while the AFA write nice letters to European clubs to have players released, Álvarez will join Mario Bolatti, Diego Pozo, Nicolás Otamendi and Martín Palermo to cross the Atlantic and face Johan Cruyff’s side.

And yes, while Álvarez joins one squad and then is probably never heard of again, El Loco Palermo looks increasingly close to choosing a camera to take on safari with him.

Carlos Bilardo

"If Diego wants me to go to the World Cup draw then I’ll go."

As you all know, Maradona is banned from the World Cup draw, but Bilardo going could tread on some toes.

Will this soap opera never end?!

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The Knife-Throwing Weekend Round-up

2009-11-23T15:00:00Z

RESULTS: Estudiantes 3-1 Tigre, Lanús 3-0 Colón, Huracán 0-2 San Lorenzo, Atlético Tucumán 2-1 Chacarita, Independiente 1-2 Banfield, Newell’s 2-2 Central, Boca 4-0 Gimnasia, Godoy Cruz 1-1 River

A total of 2,250 police officers, ‘peace’ agreements between the two sets of fans, numerous checkpoints, reduced number of tickets… but still it happened.

On the evidence of this weekend, there is nothing that can prevent violence at clásicos.

There were two local derbies, and, as expected, there was trouble at both.

In Rosario, Central made the short trip across town to take on Newell’s.

The Guerreros were given just 3,500 tickets to reduce the number of away fans and make some semblance of ‘an effort’ to prevent trouble.

Some of the less cerebral Central fans saw this as no obstacle to getting into the Newell’s ground, the Colosso.

They just photocopied their mate’s ticket and showed up at the stadium.

Those Central fans with slightly better false tickets did manage to get into the stadium.

Those that didn’t kicked up a fuss, and were kicked in by the police. Batons thrashed through the air; rubber bullets and tear gas followed.

Around 20 fans were hospitalised, and once the police had had their fill, 50 were arrested.

The derby kicked off 20 minutes late, although the delay had nothing to do with what was going on outside.

Inside, several Central fans climbed to the top of the wire fencing separating the stand from the pitch, and to prove their masculinity even more, clutched the barbed wire for balance.

The problem with them being there was that just two metres in front of them was where the Newell’s keeper Sebastian Peratta was about to take his position in goal.

The ‘fans’ weren’t exactly there to get a better view or wish him good luck.

After the Central captain Jorge Broun pleaded with them (and the fire brigade threatened to hose them down) the macho men climbed down and the match got going.

As a spectacle and a game, it lasted half an hour.

Two attacks in 11 minutes brought an early 2-0 lead for Central, but Newell’s were soon back on level terms through their front pair Boghossian and Achucarro.

So it was 2-2 with less than half an hour played, but so it ended.

Neither team were willing to take the initiative in the remaining 63 minutes, although the draw probably prevented more problems after the game.

The Central fans, meanwhile, decided the first half was a golden opportunity not to be passed up: Newell’s keeper Peratta was right in front of them.

First they threw sunglasses at him. He put them on, defusing the tense atmosphere for a split second.

Then they threw a mobile phone at him. He didn’t have time to answer, as the match referee picked it up.

Then, with 39 minutes on the clock, they threw a knife at him.

Now, it was hardly a machete - it was probably the knife of choice when you are going to cut a lemon. But still. They threw a knife at him.

While we all wondered just how on earth a sharp-edged utensil made it past the police checkpoints at the stadium, or which imbecile believed it to be a good idea to throw a knife at a footballer, Newell’s were starting to wonder how long their stadium will be closed for after the incidents.

If the day before was anything to go by, it was the least they should expect.

After problems at Saturday’s clásico between Huracán and San Lorenzo, the Tomás Ducó has been provisionally closed by the authorities.

Both sets of fans had agreed not to provoke the other set of fans with inflammatory gestures, songs or flags.

But Huracán decided that the agreement wasn’t binding, unfurling a huge San Lorenzo flag minutes ahead of kick-off.

The Ciclón’s supporters weren’t happy, and a full-scale riot kicked off between angry San Lorenzo fans and the police.

Officially, two fans were injured and 19 officers were hurt, but "injured" and "hurt" are loose terms when an entire stadium is engulfed in tear gas.

Match commentators could hardly speak, the players and coaching staff sprinted for the dressing rooms and fans made for the exits as the police liberally shot tear-gas canisters into the stands.

They had come prepared. And deep down, everyone knew there would be trouble at these games.

Even so, it still seems that nobody is capable of preventing it. Perhaps ‘capable’ should be replaced by ‘willing’.

See the weekend’s goals here or watch the weekend’s best five here.

Worth the click for Darío Gandín’s ridiculous lob against Banfield.

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The No Dancing, No Dreaming Weekend Preview

2009-11-20T15:00:00Z

With its poles, its silicone, and its thongs, Marcelo Tinelli’s Bailando por un sueño – Dancing for a Dream – is, for some obscure reason, a particularly successful TV show in Argentina.

But when Tinelli is not shouting into a microphone, surrounded by a harem of goddesses and addressing over a third of the nation’s TV audience, he can be seen at San Lorenzo.

Together with Lord Aragon, he is the highest-profile ciclón supporter.

Viggo Mortensen wears San Lorenzo shirts during interviews and converts fellow actors into club supporters.

Tinelli, however, has a slightly more hands-on role, or at least he did up until this week.

The TV presenter’s investment group was responsible for bringing the likes of coaches Ramón Díaz and Diego Simeone, along with Andrés D’Alessandro, Diego Placente and Santiago Solari, amongst others, to the club.

Tinelli was something of a sugar daddy for San Lorenzo, a wealthy fan who could bring the kind of players to the club that could win that elusive Libertadores Cup for the fans.

The problem was, it never happened.

And last weekend, another of ‘Tinelli’s players’, the brilliant but prickly Papu Gómez, was sent off as the team crashed to a 3-0 home defeat.

The supporters weren’t happy, and Gómez was almost beaten up by particularly irate fans on his way out of the stadium.

While Gómez said he considered retiring from the game, Tinelli decided it was time to leave San Lorenzo.

"It seems that some fans are only happy when the team lose," he said, telling the club’s president he didn’t want such an important role at the club.

For now he will take a back seat, and only help out with the club’s marketing.

"By him leaving," claimed the club’s treasurer, with a wording clearly inspired by hours watching Tinelli on TV, "San Lorenzo aren’t left naked."

Maybe they are not, but they will have to decide what to do with the coach, Diego Simeone, who Tinelli took to the club.

Less than two months ago the Cholo’s side were amongst the favourites to win the league and Sudamericana. Neither are now going to happen.

This weekend they take on Huracán in the derby, but if their minds are elsewhere, they need not worry – the Globo are in a similar position.

Huracán haven’t so much lost an investor – the club has never had money - but rather their spiritual leader.

Their coach, Ángel Cappa, quit a week ago, but his players convinced him to stay on.

This week he quit again, but will stay on till the end of the year.

According to Cappa, his relationship with some of the club’s directors has ‘worn thin.’

The vice-president doesn’t quite see it that way, stating that the moustachioed maestro (not the vice’s choice of words) is ‘Huracán’s Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C.’

Cappa insists he’ll be leaving, so the club will have a task on their hands making the successor feel wanted.

The fans are having none of it. This season’s two wins in 14 games hasn’t changed their opinion of Cappa, who came so close to winning the title just months ago playing brilliant football.

The supporters know that, as Olé put it, "without Cappa the tiki tiki dies, and Huracán will become just another team that plays like all the others."

Perhaps that is why the quemeros have set up an online petition for Cappa to stay, and why on Friday night they’ll meet outside the club offices to make some noise.

It seems like it’ll be too little too late, but as one supporter put it in the comments section of Cappa’s own blog, "hopefully it’s not an adios, but a hasta pronto."

Whatever it is, don’t expect dancing or dreaming from the either sets of fans when Huracán take on San Lorenzo this weekend.

Fixtures

Friday

Estudiantes vs Tigre
Lanús vs Colón

Saturday

Huracán vs San Lorenzo
Atlético Tucumán vs Chacarita
Independiente vs Banfield

Sunday

Newell’s vs Rosario Central
Boca vs Gimnasia
Godoy Cruz vs River

Monday

Argentinos Juniors vs Arsenal
Vélez vs Racing

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The Lenient Yellow Card Weekender

2009-11-16T15:30:00Z

In normal circumstances – i.e. a football match in which the referee applies the laws of the game – England would have ended the match against Brazil without Ben Foster after he brought down Nilmar in the area.

Being a friendly, however, the same rules clearly don’t apply.

Much the same leniency was on display in Madrid where, had the man in charge of the Spain-Argentina ‘friendly’ remembered what should be done in the face of violent attacks to win the ball, deliberate handballs in the area, and repeated acts of aggression from the same player, Argentina would have ended the match without their entire defensive line.

As it was, Argentina still had 11 players on the pitch at the end of the clash at the Calderón.

As La Liga Loca has already told us, after running rings around Argentina and winning 2-1, the Spanish press decided it was time to continue their hate-hate relationship with Maradona, branding the Argentines ‘gangsters’, ‘mobsters’, and ‘thugs.’

NEWS: Alonso double defeats Argentina
LA LIGA LOCA: Capello's criticism causes anti-Fabio fury

The Spanish clearly expect other teams to stand by and applaud as the Roja humiliate them.

The hosts should have remembered one thing – ‘Argentina don’t play friendlies.’

So said Diego when he took over as coach, and so it was against Spain. At least Maradona’s men were fair in how they dished out their kicks, tugs and elbows.

They averaged a democratic two fouls per Spanish player by the end of the 90 minutes. Cue angry headlines.

Back home, Argentines concentrated on other issues, because complaining about Heinze, Coloccini and company being prone to ligament-threatening lunges is not news, and any petulant swing of an arm from David Villa was irrelevant.

No, the real issue was the performance.

In news rooms around the country the debate took hold. ‘Guys! What shall we give Heinze? 4 or 3?!’

As Olé reported, Argentina’s best player was Ángel Di María – with a combined average press rating of 5.07. Out of 10.

Fabricio Coloccini was the worst with a simply abysmal 3.85.

Perhaps 2-1 was a modest score given Spain’s dominance, although Maradona believed a draw ‘would have been fair.’

And he couldn’t resist a straight-faced ‘it was a good result for the centenary.’

Maradona’s real test came the following day in Zurich, where he spent 40 minutes explaining to the FIFA bigwigs how sorry he was for his press conference appearance in Uruguay.

He passed with flying colours.

FIFA, fully in the spirit of friendlies, pulled out the yellow card – no five month ban, no five official match touchline ban, no multi-million dollar fine as had been feared.

No. A two month ban from football-related activity, a £15,000 fine and a ‘don’t do it again’ was all they gave him.

NEWS: Maradona banned for two months

He will miss the friendly with Catalunya in December, and he will miss the World Cup draw in Cape Town, but Maradona will be in South Africa for the big one – even if the Spanish aren’t best pleased.

NEWS: Remorseful Maradona ready to return

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Maradona looking to poop Spain’s party

2009-11-13T13:00:00Z

INVASION ALERT! With Spain facing Argentina in a friendly, La Liga Loca blogger Tim Stannard has his say on Spanish attitudes to the 'South American' side...

Technically speaking, Spain should be playing Argentina some time in 2013, rather than on Saturday night.

But in the same way as officials handing out Italian passports to Argentinean footballers on their way to Europe can be a tad ‘creative’ in their interpretation of historical facts, the bigwigs in the Spanish FA have decided to open up a brand new time portal by hosting this particular clash of the titans a good four years early.

The fact that Ramón Calderón, the former Real Madrid president and all-round disgraced buffoon, is in charge of organising the premature party may have something to do with the chronological c**k-up, too.

The friendly encounter at Atlético Madrid’s Vicente Calderón is being held to celebrate the Spanish FA’s 100th birthday.

The big problem is that the crest on the international shirts gives 1913 as the date of the foundation of the sporting organisation. So do pretty much all historical documents.

What’s more, the 75th anniversary game, coincidentally a match against Argentina, was held in 1988, 21 years ago.

Despite Marca being all with the Sherlock Holmes and proving that the weekend’s encounter is a big old bogus affair, the Spanish FA have decided to adopt the same approach as they do for all inconvenient issues: do nothing, say nothing and hope everything goes away or people forget about what was wrong in the first place.

And so it comes to pass that Argentina - i.e. Maradona - landed in Madrid, last Monday to be met by hordes of photographers who have been trailing behind the waddling warrior all week as he leads training sessions at Real Madrid’s Valdebebas complex and attends various functions laid on by the local press.

As Diego was not a match official during any of Spain’s games in the 2002 World Cup, fans of La Furia Roja feel little or no animosity towards the Argentinean legend.

Instead, there is the mild suspicion from the curious locals that the former Barcelona player is quite mad and that his tenure as coach of the national team will be an entertaining rollercoaster ride for everyone, but with a Final Destination-style messy ending.

It’s for this reason that the Spanish press have been milking the tubby trainer for all he’s worth.

Not literally, though, unless there's something La Liga Loca doesn't know.

And, as always, it’s Marca leading the way by managing to get Leo Messi, Maradona and Alfredo di Stefano together to give the Barcelona player an award for being great - probably snatched out of Raúl’s hands - and taking a photograph of the trio that “no-one has ever managed before.”

The occasion also gave the chance for everyone to be reminded that Di Stefano is in possession of more passports that Maradona has had hot dinners.

However, the former Madrid player defended his decision to play for any country, anywhere, any time, by huffing that “in the end, I don’t belong to anyone.”

And this will be probably be news to the Argentinean government who are set to make the octogenarian their “ambassador to the world.”

The Barcelona-based press are just hoping that Argentina’s madcap manager doesn’t break Leo Messi’s spirit even more and return him to the Catalan capital as a depressed, stressed-out wreck, as frequently happened during the country’s somewhat fraught World Cup qualifying campaign.

Their general complaint is that Diego simply doesn’t have the hair-ruffling, tummy-stroking, people skills possessed by Pep.

But few do, to be fair.

The papers themselves couldn’t give two hoots about Saturday’s game, considering Spain is involved.

However, it is set to be a fairly important footballing affair and few believe the words of Dirty Gabriel Heinze who claimed this week that the clash was “just a friendly, nothing more.”

The hosts have the chance to put the pain on their South American visitors, as well as call them South American repeatedly - something that always makes Argentinean acquaintances of La Liga Loga wince, seeing as they rather snootily see themselves as a European country jammed next to a barking mad Brazil.

Argentina will be looking to make their smug, fancy-pants, Spanish ‘cousins’ look very silly indeed in their own backyard and move on from their awful experiences in qualifying for South Africa with a handsome win.

However, the phenomenon that is always going to be at the centre of attention on Saturday night, and is sure to outdo whatever ludicrously pompous celebrations the Spanish FA have in mind, is Diego Maradona - a man who will be looking to enjoy every second of his return to the spotlight in Spain.

*You can follow La Liga Loca's Twitter feed, live from the Vicente Calderón, on Saturday night from 21.45.

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The 90% Complete Need-To-Know Weekend Round-up

2009-11-09T13:00:00Z

RESULTS Fri Nov 6: Argentinos Juniors 1-1 Rosario Central Sat Nov 7: Atlético Tucumán 4-2 Tigre , Godoy Cruz 3-1 Racing Club , Independiente 1-0 Gimnasia La Plata , Lanús 0-3 Chacarita Juniors , Newell's Old Boys 2-1 River Plate Sun Nov 8: Boca Juniors 0-0 Colón , Estudiantes 3-0 Vélez Sársfield , San Lorenzo 0-1 Banfield

Given that neither Arsenal nor Huracán are the most widely supported team in Argentina, let alone amongst the blog-reading gringos out there, this weekend’s round-up leaves the last game of the ‘weekend’ out.

Nobody will kick up too much of a fuss…

Here are the talking points from the 90% completed round 13:

Central – A man down after just 26 minutes, Che Guevara’s team pulled out the guerrilla tactics and held on to scrape a point against Argentinos - a point that makes the difference between safety and facing the relegation play-off for the boys from Rosario.

Independiente – Two games at the brand new Libertadores stadium, two wins for Independiente. So far so good. Shame there’s no running water at the stadium yet, but that’s for those wanting to wash their hands to worry about. Results. That’s what the armchair supporters care about. Not clean hands.

Chacarita – Back in the day, Fernando Gamboa looked more like an extra off the set of Point Break than a championship-winning defender. Now in charge of Chacarita, he’ll have put any title-winning aspirations on hold, but can take pride from masterminding the club’s first away win of the season against Lanús. It also explains why Negro will join Maradona’s coaching staff at the World Cup.

Racing – Claudio Vivas was told to give up hope of making it as a professional keeper as he didn’t have the talent. The man who told him that also took him under his wing, and so it is that thanks to Marcelo Bielsa, Vivas turned his hand to coaching. Racing fans may be cursing Bielsa now. A disastrous spell at Argentinos Juniors conveniently forgotten about, Vivas took over at Racing last week. Twelve minutes into his debut his side were 2-0 down, making the final 3-1 defeat seem like a reasonably good result.

Newell’s – Won their fifth on the trot equalling a club record and keep them on course in the title challenge. That said, they were only playing River, so winning was never in any doubt.

Tigre – Only Atlético Tucumán, who put four past them on Saturday, have a worse defensive record than the Tiger. Thirty-two goals conceded and five points won in 13 games = rock bottom of the table.

Banfield – Another clean sheet, another goal from a Uruguayan striker, another win… Looking at Banfield this season, you wouldn’t think that their leading challenger for the title Most Recent Moment Of Glory came in 2001 – in the second division.

Estudiantes – The men from La Plata were supposedly focusing on the World Club Championship this season, but trouncing Vélez keeps them in the hunt for the title. Braña finished off a 17-pass move will have made Pep Guardiola make note of who his Barcelona will have to beat in Abu Dhabi.

Boca – Before Boca-supporting gringos start laughing at River Plate – who are virtually out of the Libertadores next year – they'd better take a look at themselves. They're also virtually out of the Libertadores next year. With 18 points to play for, the Millionaires are 13 points from qualification to the South American Champions’ League – but Boca are 10 points off the pace, too.

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Sudamericana season goes south for Argentinians

2009-11-06T16:00:00Z

As readers (or perhaps that should be ‘the reader’) of this blog will know, Argie Bargy isn’t the biggest fan of the Sudamericana.

It’s a bit like a pre-season friendly, or a supercup, or its European equivalent, the, er, Europa League.

It only counts, people only care, if you win it. Then you can shout about it.

There will be no Argentine shouting this year, at least not in the Sudamericana.

In the earlier phases of the Meekee Mouse competition, Lanús knocked River Plate out, Vélez did the same to Boca, while San Lorenzo made sure that Tigre were going nowhere.

Although that halved the number of Argentinian teams in a cup where the sponsor’s name seems to feature in a considerably larger font that the name of the tournament itself, the remaining trio - Lanús, Vélez and San Lorenzo - looked good value to go far.

Or at least that’s what everyone in Argentina thought.

Lanús then travelled to Quito and, taking a leaf out of the Maradonian book of Dealing With Altitude, conceded three goals in the first half an hour, rendering the remaining 150 minutes of the tie null and void.

Not to worry, declared the Argentine press. One down, two to go!

San Lorenzo and Vélez were quickly crowned joint favourites by the national press.

The Ciclón are drilling out results under Simeone! Vélez are a well-oiled machine under Ricardo Gareca! We’re playing teams from Ecuador and Uruguay!

You know where this is going.

There's not one Argentine team in the last four of the competition.

Having won 1-0 in Uruguay, Simeone expected to progress without any trouble in the return leg against River Plate.

They had the away-goal advantage. And River Plate – the Uruguayan club – are far from a force on the continent. (Actually, the same goes for the Argentine club).

Simeone put out three centre-forwards and gave one youngster his third-ever appearance in professional football.

And judging by the way San Lorenzo performed, he also forgot to tell the lads that the game wasn’t just a training exercise.

The Uruguayans won 1-0 to take the game to penalties, and no amount of Grobbelaar/Dudek impersonations from Pablo Migliore could save the men from Boedo.

San Lorenzo lost the shootout 7-6 and Migliore didn’t save a single spot-kick. He scored one but bought two of the most theatrically poor dummies, making him the logical scapegoat.

Five down, one to go.

It was up to Vélez to restore local pride and maintain Argentine interest in the Sudamericana.

At half-time against Liga de Quito on Thursday, things were looking good.

A goal just before the break gave them the advantage, but two goals in seven minutes in the second half put paid to any hopes of Argentine representation in the last four.

All of this means that as another eternal round of football gets going – this ‘weekend’ runs from Friday night to Monday evening – thoughts now turn to qualification for the Libertadores.

As things stand, Vélez and Estudiantes will be in there, along with this season’s champion.

Then it goes down to the glorious idiosyncrasy of Argentine football - averages.

Basing qualification on the performance over the last two seasons, as things stand it is Cólon, Lanús and Banfield who are in the three driving seats.

Not a Big Fiver amongst them. Perhaps they thought they were playing in the Sudamericana...

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A year with Maradona – in his own words

2009-11-04T14:00:00Z

George Bush senior wanted him silenced – his vocal support of the Cuban Revolution was an embarrassment to the yanquis.

The Italian government wanted him silenced – his criticism of the Pope was causing considerable discomfort in the Vatican.

Now FIFA want to ban him for five games in the hope that it will silence him.

Look to history and learn, decision makers of FIFA. You have no chance.

It is a year to the day that Diego Armando Maradona faced the press for the very first time as the Argentina national team coach.

It has been nothing short of what we expected, so to honour El Diez, here’s a look back at the first 365 days of the Diego Era in the words of the Little Big Man himself.

“You can pull out all the surveys you want, but here it’s the boss who decides.”
On not being first, second, third or fourth choice for the job, pointing out that online straw polls don’t make decisions when it comes to football in Argentina. That’s what AFA president Julio ‘The Boss’ Grondona does.

“First things first, Argentina don’t play friendlies. They play international matches.”
Before naming the squad for his first game in charge – a friendly against Scotland. The phrase was met with cheers. In the press room.

“I’m not afraid of my crown falling.”
On whether he was worried about tarnishing his playing reputation.

“It’s Mascherano plus 10.”
On team selection just after taking over as coach.

“It’s Mascherano and Messi plus 9.”
On team selection a few months into the job.

“It’s Mascherano, Messi and Jonás plus 8.”
On team selection after the friendly with Russia.

“Obama got to where he is because he was allowed to choose the guys he wanted in his team, so why can’t I?”
On not being allowed to add Oscar Ruggeri to his backroom staff.

“It seems like he's got PMT. It's got to stop. What does he want me to do? Give him a kiss on the lips? Every time the national team play, I open Olé and there's Checho.”
On why he didn’t want national youth team coach Sergio ‘Checho’ Batista in his backroom staff.

“If Riquelme can’t beat his man, then he’s no good to me.”
Days before Riquelme grabbed his toys and quit the national team.

“Messi is the best in the world. He is my Maradona.”
On Leo Messi.

“What do you expect? Pelé made his debut with a boy.”
Brushing off criticism from Pelé. And he wasn’t talking about the legend’s first game…

“You don’t look like you do much exercise, so imagine if…”
Start of his response to a rather corpulent journalist who audaciously questioned/criticised Maradona over the squad not training in the morning.

“The turtle escaped.”
On Pablo Zabaleta arriving for international duty with an injury after being called up for the first time.

“The pitch I played on in Villa Fiorito was better than River’s.”
On the state of the pitch at River Plate.

“The dressing rooms look like they did in the 1978 World Cup.”
On the state of the facilities at River Plate.

“I am pleased that all Argentines, from any corner of the country, will be able to watch and enjoy football - which offers us so much happiness. This initiative, which permits all Argentines to see big sporting events for free, manages to pluralize the sport, its examples, and its lessons.”
Open letter allegedly written by Maradona in support of Fútbol Para Todos.

“When Peru equalized, I was dead. But I had forgotten about Saint Palermo.”
After Boca striker Martín Palermo’s Shawshank Redemption performance.

“I’m not quitting, nor am I leaving.”
Days after saying…

“I’ll talk to Grondona and see if I carry on, but it’ll be on my conditions.”
In the build-up to…

“To the ladies present, sorry, but to those who didn’t believe me, they can suck it. And they can keep on sucking it.”
Before starting press conference after securing qualification for the World Cup with away win over Uruguay. Moments before…

“You take it up the *rse.”
Interjection while one local journalist was halfway through a question.

“I don’t have to apologise. Those who criticised me and the team are anti-Argentine and don’t want the team to qualify for the World Cup. I can’t forgive something like that.”

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The Half-Baked Mediocre Retirement-Considering Round-up

2009-11-02T16:00:00Z

WEEKEND(ish) RESULTS: Sunday Nov 01: Gimnasia La Plata 2-2 San Lorenzo, Chacarita Juniors 2-2 Argentinos Juniors, River Plate 0-1 Lanús, Rosario Central 2-1 Boca Juniors, Arsenal 1-0 Independiente. Saturday Oct 31: Vélez Sársfield 2-0 Godoy Cruz, Racing Club 4-0 Atlético Tucumán.

Apertura 09 is a particularly schizophrenic and unpredictable affair.

There is no clear-cut favourite to win the title, and 10 of the 20 top-flight teams have been top of the table at some point.

The main reason for this is Fútbol Para Todos, which essentially translates as an interminable relay of matches free on TV.

It is also the reason why this particular round-up falls some way short of its ambition to, well, round up the weekend’s activity.

There simply aren’t enough prime-time hours in the weekend to play the round back-to-back, so as a result round 12 still has two more days to run.

A total lack of suspense and tension, a loss of interest in proceedings, and running out of excuses to watch football are just some of the consequences of Fútbol Para Todos, but there is another one which is upsetting Lanús coach Luís Zubeldía.

Dodgy punditry.

Lanús have been the darlings of Argentine football for some time now – they play good football, regularly produce brilliant young players, and the club is well-organised (i.e. unlike most Argentinian outfits, they don’t have a monstrous debt).

But three defeats this season and a current position of 11th mean the club has come in for criticism. Zubeldía isn’t happy.

"There is too much mediocrity in the analysis of football," declared the lank-haired coach.

"We live in an uneducated society, which only analyses things from an emotional point of view and that infects the players," he said, blaming his side’s not-as-good-as-expected results on ex-footballers talking nonsense at half-time.

"As the coach I want my players to see the reality, which is that they are playing well. We have to keep our heads, and rise above any vulgar criticism."

Zubeldía, who has the best record of any coach currently working in Argentina, feels that his team has come under unfair criticism.

Beating River Plate 1-0 at the Monumental went some way to vindicating his decisions.

In usual circumstances, beating River would be considered quite a scalp, but these are not usual circumstances, and River Plate had bigger things to worry about than a league game.

Ariel Ortega begged his coach not to play him in the game against Lanús, and left the team’s hotel on Friday night.

Argie Bargy can understand anyone not wanting to be personally involved or linked with the unmitigated disaster which is River Plate this season.

But in the case of Ortega it is more about the Little Donkey’s state of mind than personal embarrassment.

Ortega could retire from football this week, having descended into another bout of depression.

If the weekend’s performance is anything to go by, he won’t be the only veteran considering calling it a day.

"The duck drowns in the Arroyito," went Crítica’s headline after Roberto ‘Pato’ Abbondanzieri was single-handedly responsible for Boca’s defeat, having been nowhere near either of Rosario Central’s goals.

Things had been going swimmingly for the Duck: having saved a penalty in the Superclásico, he then kept his first clean sheet of the season against Chacarita...

But two more trademark errors have the fans and journalists alike suggesting that at the age of 37, his time could be up.

At least if Ortega or Abbondanzieri retire and decide they miss football, all they have to do is turn on the TV.

There’ll probably be a game on.

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The Deserved Day Off Weekend Re/preview

2009-10-30T17:00:00Z

Yesterday it was the underground drivers. The day before it was the teachers. Today it’s the footballers.

Unlike their compadres, however, football isn’t on strike.

There was no service on the tube because the workers, in a comunicado that would make Marx turn in his grave, reckon they’re being ‘used’ by the left.

The capital’s teachers are up in arms over pay, saying it’s the Buenos Aires city mayor (and former Boca Juniors president) Mauricio Macri who is to blame.

For football, there is no such wrangle over money. Well, there is, but it’s not the reason there are no games today.

Friday is merely a 24-hour hiatus in an otherwise three-week orgy of fútbol.

In the last 14 days, there have been only three without one of the top-flight teams being involved in either the league or the Sudamericana.

Business resumes on Saturday, and the next round runs till Tuesday.

Hopefully by then, or sooner, things will have cooled down because when Boca took to the field against Chacarita yesterday they did so in 37-degree heat.

So while Argie Bargy works out a way not to pass out in the humidity, here’s a quick guide to who does, and doesn’t deserve the day off.

Deserving

River Plate – The Millionaires grabbed their first away win in 17 attempts on Thursday night, at a stadium they haven’t won at since 1960.

Santiago Silva – The Uruguayan striker is spearheading Banfield’s improbable title challenge with 10 goals in nine games. His header against Gimnasia kept the Drill (as Banfield are known) in the hunt for the title.

Esteban Cambiasso – The last time he played for Argentina, the national side lost to Chile for the first time in 30 years. Maradona hasn’t fancied Inter’s midfielder since taking over the selección, but is set to call him up for the friendly with Spain next month.

Pato Abbondanzieri – ‘Boca’s goalkeeper’ and ‘clean sheet’ are two phrases rarely seen in the same sentence. For the first time in 16 games this term, they are.

Nestor Silvera – Club legend who returned to Independiente this season, ‘Cuco’ scored the first goal at the brand new Libertadores de América stadium.

Undeserving

Racing’s board of directors – "We don’t want to get fans' hopes up of who will be the next coach," announced the Academy’s decision-makers after spending the past week saying how great it was that Lothar Matthaus would be the next man in charge.

Racing, without a win, need to get the house in order pronto. Reinaldo ‘Mostaza’ Merlo is the favourite to get the nod, cueing Friday’s headline of the day – ‘Racing swap sauerkraut for mustard.’

Diego Cagna – Tigre are awful: bottom of the table, and beaten 4-0 by Lanús on Thursday. Apparently the coach will quit after Monday’s game, so he can hardly deserve a day off four days before jumping ship.

Referees – "It’s hard to make a split-second decision," says Vélez coach Ricardo Gareca, having seen his side join the list of teams who've both lost and won thanks to the spat of appalling decisions. "We have to give them confidence," he thinks, "...but I don’t know how."

Argie Bargy would suggest the men in the middle read the rules and make decisions accordingly, and then there would be no problem in the first place.

Juan Román Riquelme – laugh-a-minute Román won’t just be taking the day off, but rather the rest of 2009. The Boca maestro injured his foot, which Olé explain with detailed graphics, against Chacarita and won’t play until next year.

And finally, there’s always one...

If there’s one person who falls into both categories, it is of course El Diez.

Some would say he’s still got a lot of work to do so can hardly afford to kick back, but given that he turns 49 today, Argie Bargy reckons that Diego should treat himself to a day off.

Happy Birthday Maradona.

Enjoy all 29 goals from Round 11, to the dulcet tones of reggaeton, here

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Avellaneda aggro & the marvellous Mrs Matthaus

2009-10-28T15:30:00Z

"God is everywhere, but his office is in Buenos Aires," goes the popular porteño phrase used by locals to proudly point out the capital’s regional and national supremacy.

Perhaps it is with this in mind that the two Avellaneda giants, Independiente and Racing, decided that it was the week to fight back.

As the only two of the Big Five not within city limits, and as the two grandes with the longest wait without a league title, action had to be taken.

Avellaneda is only just outside the capital, but they couldn’t let the jumped-up porteños steal the limelight all the time.

In the case of Independiente it has been a long time coming, but according to the club it is worth the wait – their brand new stadium is ready.

Supposedly modelled on Old Trafford, with a capacity that will reach 43,000, the brand new Libertadores de America takes its name after the club’s finest hour – becoming the first Argentine club to win the continental competition, the Libertadores.

It’s been a tough 1,055 days since they last played at home.

Independiente have travelled to Vélez, to Lanús, to Huracán, and just across the way to Racing’s ground to play their 'home' games.

Ground-sharing at Racing’s Cilindro was particularly controversial.

When it comes to disputes with your neighbours that have been left to fester for years, trying cohabitation for a few months isn’t the most orthodox way of resolving the issue.

So it was that Rodolfo Molina successfully campaigned to be the Academy’s president on the back of the promise that Independiente would not be allowed to ground share while they completed work on their new stadium.

Not content with that gesture and having forced Independiente to look elsewhere for shelter, the Racing barra brava barged into the Libertadores de America yesterday morning just 24 hours before the big fiesta, and threw Racing-blue paint everywhere.

The gesture can only be viewed as a house-warming gift in the form of interior design suggestions.

That minor blip in security forgotten, the party will last long at Independiente’s new stadium.

It doesn’t matter that they’ve got a tough first game against league leaders Colón. The odyssey is over and the Rojo are home.

Seeing their neighbours with a brand-new stadium and doing well in the league isn’t exactly helping the malaise at Racing.

Halfway through Round 11, the Academy have gone the whole season without a win.

In one of the more eccentric and bizarre decisions, Racing proudly announced that German legend Lothar Matthaus was going to take over as coach.

The fact that he had little coaching experience was of secondary importance - when did a lack of experience prevent a legendary player landing a high-profile coaching job in Argentina?!

Of primary importance to Lothar was what the fourth Mrs Matthaus thought of a move to the southern hemisphere.

At the age of 22, she was concerned that a move to Buenos Aires could hinder her flourishing modelling career.

Lothar said he’d travel to Argentina to have a look around, see if Mrs Matthaus was happy and then make his decision.

Racing were more than happy to play along with this given that they’d secured the $900,000, the armour-plated Mercedes Benz and the five-star hotel he requested.

How could he refuse?

Just hours from boarding a Buenos Aires-bound flight in Hamburg, however, Lothar sent a quick text message to his agent.

His agent then called Molina, waking up Racing’s president at 7am with the news that, in fact, very sorry, but Lothar’s not coming.

The Matthaus story will sit alongside the ‘Edgar Davids to Boca’, the ‘Edgar Davids to River’, the ‘Ronaldinho to Boca’ and the ‘Bernd Schuster to coach Boca’ stories - one big publicity stunt.

The office hasn’t moved to Avellaneda.

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The Slightly Shop-Soiled Superclasico Weekend Review

2009-10-26T15:00:00Z

When all was said and done – and Olé considered there was enough saying and doing to fill 39 pages of its Monday edition on the subject – the River-Boca Superclásico was what we all expected.

There was the frenetic hype, the clichés from both camps about the "six-pointer," the 1,200 police watching over proceedings, the fevered atmosphere, and then the football.

Missed penalties, golazos, red cards, pushing and shoving, late tackles, stunningly poor refereeing decisions, salvation in the form of the woodwork… and a highly unsatisfactory football match.

River thought they should have won 3-0 after the way they dominated the first half, while Boca thought that River played too conservatively after the break.

With River having taken to the pitch without a recognised centre-forward, Argie Bargy would suggest that the millionaires played the entire game too conservatively.

Perhaps 1-1 was a fair result.

"Maybe we should ask ourselves if calling it the ‘Superclásico’ isn’t over the top," reckon La Nación.

(Clarín journalist Horacio Pagani, partial as ever to an understatement, bemoaned the "lack of human sacrifice.")

Back at La Nación, the paper went on to admit that "the most interesting thing about the game was watching Palermo deal with the mask he was wearing to protect his broken nose.

"But even that lasted little time. He took it off for the second half."

Clarín pointed out that it wasn’t just Palermo who hid behind the mask in the first half, but the entire Boca side.

One thing that nobody could hide was the appalling display by Ariel Ortega, whose Crimes Against The Superclásico included:

- Missing a penalty to put River ahead
- Clutching his face and rolling around on the ground, having been hit no higher than nipple-height by Boca’s Julio Cáceres, who was then sent off
- Losing the ball in midfield in the build-up to Boca’s equaliser

According to River keeper Daniel Vega, the equaliser was a fluke.

"If Palermo hit the ball like he meant to, it would have come straight at me," complained Vega, who like everyone else saw Palermo’s big toenail scrape the ball with enough power to direct it just inside the post.

So it was that Palermo scored his 14th goal in a Superclásico, cancelling out Marcelo Gallardo’s brilliant first-half free kick – Muñeco’s set-piece stunner coming 15 years after scoring his first in a Superclásico.

It was an afternoon for the veterans – between them the two goalscorers brought 68 years of experience to proceedings.

While River and Boca fought it out, elsewhere there was only the league leadership to play for.

The top half of the table, with the notable exception of Boca, are separated by just four points.

This weekend’s winners were Colón, aided by San Lorenzo imploding at half-time with their right-back Pintos and centre-back Civelli punching each other on the way to the dressing room.

Only Pintos was sent off, but for good measure coach Diego Simeone was also invited to leave the pitch by the referee for his behaviour.

The men from Santa Fé duly won 2-1 to go top of the pile - a place where Boca and River fans can only dream of reaching.

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The Fernet-Drinking Superclasico Preview

2009-10-23T13:00:00Z

Forget the glaciers in Patagonia, the waterfalls at Iguazú, the Andes, sipping on mate, trying your hand at tango or just sitting down to enjoy a XXL steak and bottle of Malbec in Buenos Aires.

When it comes to the real Argentine experience, it doesn’t get any more authentic than drinking Fernet.

Consisting of between 30 and 50 different herbs and weighing in with a minimum alcohol content of 43 percent, it is the national drink of choice in Argentina, despite its Italian origins.

(Given the number of Argentines, footballers included, who claim – in every sense of the word – Italian nationality, perhaps this shouldn’t be such a surprise).

Despite its popularity, anyone who has tried Fernet will have a clear understanding of why it has been described as the ‘liqueur of Hades.’

The creators evidently considered the ‘taste’ aspect of their product to be of secondary importance.

It can be a great starter fuel for a night out, but once you’ve watered it down with cola, it supposedly works a treat at settling dodgy stomachs and can even cure hangovers - presumably the one it gave you in the first place.

Any gringo slurping on Fernet will, despite the grimace on their face, instantly win over the Argentines for fully embracing the local culture and putting up with something which, when it comes down to it, despite the novelty value and dizzying effect, is still pretty disgusting and rather overrated.

And that, in a roundabout way, brings us to this weekend’s Superclásico.

We all know that it’s been rated as one of the must-see spectacles in world sport and is considered one of the most violent derbies in club football.

It ruins friendships, dominates conversations in the build-up and is hyped up with a serious lack of any sense of proportion.

Not even a midweek bout of the Ssshhhhampions League was enough to deflect attention from the game. (In a stunning piece of scheduling genius, both channels televising the live game from Europe decided to show the same game...)

Not even Maradona appearing on TV saying that Carlos Bilardo wanted to kick AFA president Julio Grondona out office could dethrone the fixture from the lead headline in the sports sections of the papers.

Tickets sold out by 3pm on Tuesday. Argie Bargy knows this because having arrived at 2pm, it was approximately an hour after standing in a queue that the news filtered along the line that the tickets had sold out.

Or so said the club.

"I want to speak to a director or I’m going to tear the club down," screamed one particularly irate supporter, whose threat was seconded and thirded by the equally irate supporters within earshot, all of them refusing to believe that more than 35,000 tickets had been sold in just a few hours.

The Superclásico falls on matchday 10 – the midway point of the campaign – although that in itself is not news.

For some years now the River-Boca clash has been conveniently programmed to avoid trouble at the business end of the season should either be challenging for honours.

For now, there is no chance of that happening. Whatever Boca say about challenging for the title, there is one thing that nobody can deny – this weekend’s Superclásico is hardly a title decider – it’s 10th against 16th.

Its Premier League equivalent is Burnley against Wolves. In Spain the tie would be Athletic against Tenerife. Italians would hardly get in a sweat over Chievo-Cagliari.

These are all important fixtures for their respective supporters, no doubt, but they hardly represent the nation’s showcase match.

All the same, Boca’s players have 500,000 (American) incentives to qualify for the Libertadores, which means a win is vital.

They go into the game favourites, having won their last three after a dire start to the campaign.

At River, Leo Astrada is still trying to come up with some semblance of a team from the rubble left for him by Néstor Gorosito a few weeks back.

Without a recognised centre-forward to pick, Astrada is doing the sensible thing and trying to shore up a defence that makes Atlético Madrid’s back-line look thoroughly accomplished.

Given the nature of such games, (cliché alert) anything could happen this weekend.

But if it turns out to be a drab low-scoring match, fear not. In Fernet we trust.

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San Lorenzo play Simeone Says

2009-10-19T13:00:00Z

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It is said to be a major flaw in the constitution of the male of the species that he is incapable of multitasking.

If that is the case, then the Argentine media is perhaps the most macho of them all.

No two stories can be reported at the same time.

Last week it was Suckgate.

Nothing else mattered, nothing else was happening, nobody else was talking about any subject that wasn’t Diego Maradona and his big mouth - or rather, the media’s submissively big mouth…

There was no other news.

The only topic to write or talk about was Diego’s invitation to the nation’s journalists (Argie Bargy understood it not to include the foreign ones too) to perform oral sex on him.

Judging by Monday morning’s front pages, that has all been forgotten.

Suckgate is over. Next weekend is the Superclásico, so it is time to move on.

In a pitiful attempt to buck the trend, for now the references to the Big Two will be reduced to this snippet of build up – at the weekend Boca won their third game on the trot while River drew 0-0.

There will be more blogs on the game later in the week, but Mondays are for dissecting the weekend’s action and deciding who is the favourite to win the title.

And for now, River or Boca must necessarily be excluded from that conversation.

There are eight teams separated by just two points at the top of the table, and neither The Millionaires nor Los Xeneizes are one of those eight.

Approaching the midway point of the season, it is still a free-for-all at the summit of the table, although this weekend it was Diego Simeone’s San Lorenzo who took the initiative.

They won on Friday night, and with Vélez, Estudiantes and Independiente all dropping points, El Ciclón are at the top of the pile.

Admittedly Sanloré’s winner against Rosario Central, courtesy of Bernardo Romeo, was offside.

And sure, there was no penalty against them when centre back Gastón Aguirre decided that an in-coming cross was of secondary importance, turned around, fixed his eyes on the Central forward’s upper torso and performed an aggressively muscular interpretation of ‘the shoulder-charge’.

In light of the decisions made in other games over the weekend, an unnoticed offside or un-awarded penalty were small fry.

And in the grand scheme of things, few (apart from Huracán fans) could argue about a couple of decisions going San Lorenzo’s way.

Since taking over, Simeone has introduced trademark discipline and order to a team that was an outright shambles/disgrace last season.

But then, the Cholo is on a mission.

"I know that one day I will coach Atlético Madrid," he told a Spanish paper last week.

But he said that "the conditions must be right" before he makes the move to Europe, and Simeone has unfinished business – i.e. repairing a dented reputation.

He may have won the league title with Estudiantes with a bit of help from Al Pacino’s speech from Any Given Sunday.

And with River Plate, he may have secured another league title.

With two league titles at two different clubs, things were going swimmingly for Simeone. He was the man of the moment.

But then just months after his success with River Plate, he was out of a job.

He left Los Millonarios at the bottom of the league. Not just near the bottom of the table. Last.

So it is that at San Lorenzo he has a new challenge, and the opportunity to exorcise the memory of that last season at River Plate and relegate it to nothing more than a mere anecdote.

Should he end the season with silverware, Simeone could decide it is time to start earning in euros, and right now there’s every chance it will happen.

They may not play the best football in the country, but right now San Lorenzo are the best side in Argentina.

Results

San Lorenzo 1-0 Rosario Central
Lanús 1-1 Vélez
Gimnasia 1-2 Colón
Atlético Tucumán 1-1 Godoy Cruz
Argentinos 2-0 Racing
Arsenal 1-1 Banfield
Independiente 1-1 Chacarita
Huracán 0-0 River
Boca 2-1 Tigre
Newell’s 2-1 Estudiantes

NEWS: Late Schiavi winner seals Newell's success

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The Suck It and See Weekend Preview

2009-10-16T14:00:00Z

‘Pssst. What did he just say?’

The European journalist, sent over to South America to cover Argentina’s final two World Cup qualifiers, clearly hadn’t brushed up on the leisure activities unit of his Spanish vocabulary book.

While foreign hacks decided how they would best translate Maradona’s tirade at journalists, some entrepreneurial Argentines saw the opportunity to make a quick peso.

These are times of crisis after all.

NEWS: Maradona rounds on Argentina critics

Within an hour of Maradona’s "you can suck it and keep sucking it," there was already a .com.ar domain name registered with the phrase.

Someone with a T-shirt emporium quickly called up a model and photographer to get the catalogue shots for the latest addition to their range, also bearing the legend ‘suck it and keep sucking.’

The whole country was watching.

There were 80 percent fewer passengers on the underground, not a single crime reported in the centre of Buenos Aires, while cinemas suffered a 50 percent decline in business.

Everybody was tuned in to watch the Uruguay-Argentina clash.

NEWS: Argentina book World Cup berth

Fortunately the press conference took place after the Watershed.

After some confusion over its press pass, Argie Bargy ended up watching the game pitch-side, which also meant witnessing the post-match scenes up close and personal.

‘Suckgate’ had yet to take to take place, but it was clear the war with the media had already started.

As players leaped around, there was a testosterone-fuelled mix of euphoria at having qualified, along with untamed aggression towards the journalists and photographers replete with shoving, grimaces and repeated hijos de putaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!

In the fall-out of the press conference, just about everyone is talking about Maradona’s choice of insult rather than Argentina qualifying for the World Cup.

The players are trying to buck the trend by talking about football.

In the understatement of the year, Juan Sebastián Verón admits that Argentina aren’t candidates to win the World Cup.

Captain Javier Mascherano says they have to sort out everything they did wrong, with the implication that there’s a hell of a lot to sort out.

Leo Messi confessed that he hasn’t performed like he should with the national side.

Carlitos Tevez, meanwhile, says he’s considering retiring from the team because the abuse the players get isn’t worth it.

NEWS: Messi admits to under-par perfromances

FIFA have decided to investigate Maradona, but their vice president, who is also president of the Argentine FA, is standing by Diego.

Julio Grondona decided to also criticise journalists for asking ‘insidious’ questions, and said that Maradona was a ‘special case.’

Grondona also said that he’d choose Maradona as his coach again if he had to.

The soap opera continues.

NEWS: Maradona faces five-match ban for outburst

Oh, and this weekend there’s league football. Perhaps next week we can talk about that.

Round 9 Fixtures

Friday

San Lorenzo vs Rosario Central
Lanús vs Vélez

Saturday

Gimnasia vs Colón
Atlético Tucumán vs Godoy Cruz
Argentinos vs Racing
Arsenal vs Banfield

Sunday

Independiente vs Chacarita
Huracán vs River
Boca vs Tigre
Newell’s vs Estudiantes

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NEWS: Argentina buy time for improvement
NEWS: Qualification fails to appease Argentina fans

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Uruguay vs Argentina: Best of mates

2009-10-14T11:00:00Z

Security checks: two
Attire: no club colours
Plastic bottles: prohibited
Flags: allowed, but no poles
Mate: permitted

So reads the official information for home fans ahead of the battle of the River Plate - Uruguay against Argentina at the Centenario Stadium.

The final directive needs it's own clarification. Rather than assuring the Uruguayans that they can go with an amigo, it is assuring the locals that they can take their 'mate' - pronounced ma-tay.

Were it any other way, there'd be uproar.

Both Argentines and Uruguayans drink a lot of mate, basically a type of tea that you drink through a metal straw and share with others, but the thirsty charruas are the heavyweight champions.

They drink it while they drive, while they wait for relatives to arrive at the airport, while they work, while they walk, and perhaps even during more intimate moments, although that's just speculation.

A Uruguayan without a thermos flask under one arm, sipping away on their mate is an embarrassment to the nation.

The receptionist at Argie Bargy's hotel couldn't confirm whether drinking mate had been banned on buses.

He did think it sounded like a good idea, though, because someone could easily do themself some serious damage if the bus braked at the wrong moment.

The story with all the gory details that we were told is clearly the stuff of urban legend then.

So the celestes (light blue) and albicelestes (white and light blue) go to battle.

The two nations almost went to a real war over a papermill not so long ago, but the blockade put up in protest over the mill has been lifted to ensure fans can travel to the game.

These derbies have famously come under scrutiny in the past, when the match seemed more like a kick-about between, ahem, mates, ensuring both got the result they needed.

There'll be no favours tonight though. Both need a win to guarantee qualification. Defeat could leave them out of the play-offs and out of the World Cup.

The bookies have decided that Uruguay are the favourites. Argentina haven't won here since 1976 and Maradona's performance in the dugout hardly inspires confidence.

Neither does playing a back four of centre-backs. Neither does playing a debutant in midfield for this crucial game. Neither does playing Mascherano on the right.

These are all possibilities ahead if the game. Go figure.

Meanwhile, and this isn't a joke, most Argentines want Leo Messi dropped for Martin Palermo.

Uruguay, on the other hand, have the madre of all chances to create one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history by preventing their neighbours from making the finals.

Coach Tabarez will stick with the same side that beat Ecuador at the weekend, and hope that Diego Forlan shakes off all the cotton wool he's been wrapped up in this week to lead the side's attack.

Such is the occasion that a special deal has been struck to broadcast the game live, and free, on national TV, only they got a little excited and now it will be shown on ALL local channels.

Think BBC 1, 2, ITV, Channel 4 and Five all showing an England game...

"Argentina have given me some great moments as a fan," wrote one local journalist this week, "but I really want to knock them out of the World Cup."

They'll never have a better chance.

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Madness and machismo in equal measure

2009-10-13T09:00:00Z

Monday was Columbus Day, meaning a bank holiday.

Five hundred and seventeen years ago to the day, the Americas were "discovered" [sic] by Christopher Columbus.

To avoid infantile jokes about Columbus actually being Colon in Spanish, we’ll stick to the one need-to-know fact about the conquest of the Americas: before the arrival of the Europeans, only llamas had syphilis.

Needless to say, that isn’t the topic of conversation of choice when Argentines, like their Hispanic hermanos, enjoy a day off work to celebrate Columbus arriving.

Instead, they put an entire cow on the grill and mull over the weekend’s football.

First up the Argentina game.

Having managed to stifle a snigger when Peru equalised 11 seconds before the 90th minute, Argie Bargy then saw a full-scale riot in the press room avoided when Martin ‘El Loco’ Palermo scored the goal that you’ve all seen, setting up the greatest belly-flop ever that you’ve also no doubt seen.

It was, indeed, a loco end to the game.

NEWS: Palermo saves Diego's bacon
VIDEO: In case you haven't seen it...

A grinning Boca-supporting compañero strode up to Argie Bargy. "I told you about Palermo!!!!"

Despite having it pointed out that Palermo hadn’t represented Argentina for nearly a decade, once missed three penalties in a single game, and – while he may be a nice guy and a Boca legend – can barely run, the compañero was having none of it.

"He scored, right? He doesn’t need to run."

You can’t argue with that kind of logic. Well, you can, but the torrential rain made it neither the time nor place.

It also wasn’t the time or place to discuss why Argentina still struggled to beat Peru, a team described by one journalist as "the worst side in humanity."

Palermo’s goal gave Argentina the dramatic win, however, and Maradona, never shy of overstating things, declared it was another miracle from ‘Saint Palermo’.

Across the Andes, another Loco is also revered by supporters and has been granted divine status.

To Chileans it's no longer Marcelo, but Saint, Bielsa.

Chile will be at their first World Cup in 12 years after beating Columbia at the weekend, provoking more acts of hero worship of their Argentine coach.

Chile's president Michelle Bachelet said it was an "honour" to have Bielsa coach their side.

Among the disciples of the Bielsa school of coaching is Gerardo "Tata" Martino, manager of Paraguay.

The Guaranies have already qualified for the World Cup, but Martino is still fine-tuning his squad for next year.

Recently-acquired Paraguayan passport in hand, the Argentine-born Nestor Ortigoza made his debut for his new country this weekend.

Now, Ortigoza is one of the best footballers in Argentina.

A hyperactive central midfielder with a stride like Gladstone Small, he's just as likely to produce a roulette a la Zinedine Zidane as he is to violently leap into a career-threatening challenge.

Ortigoza is the driving force behind Argentinos Juniors' midfield, and he could yet play a big part in the World Cup for Paraguay.

He is also the most openly machista footballer you are likely to find.

"I don’t want my girlfriend to work, that’s the man’s job. I want to get home and see the food on the table," he said earlier this week.

"We’ve been together for six years but we still don’t live together. I’m 24 and I still live with my mum.

"When I finish training I call home so the food’s ready when I get back. I don’t want to move in with my chica till I’m 27.

"First I want to buy a house for my mum and a car for my dad – and then think about a family."

And there’s more from a man who makes John McCririck sound like Andrea Dworkin.

"On Fridays I go out with mates and on Saturdays I go out with her. When I’m with the boys she can’t go out. I’m a man and can do that.

"If she wants, she can go to the plaza with her nephews and nieces and drink with her mum and grandmother. But she can’t go out clubbing."

Does she object?

"Most guys ask for their girlfriend’s permission to go out. Not me."

You don’t say.

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The Argie Bargy-tastic Midweeker

2009-10-08T07:00:00Z

‘¿Qué es Arrrrrgie Barrrrrgy?’ a friend here in Argentina recently asked.

After a quick explanation, the conversation then veered into potentially troublesome waters when the amigo pointed out that naming a blog on Argentine football after a byword for a bit of a ruck is, in itself, looking for a bit of argie bargy.

Es posible, we were forced to admit.

It might have been simpler to draw comparisons to comedy screaming matches between couples conducted in public, drunken fisticuffs that come to nothing, taxi drivers in general or a TV studio with more than one politician in it at any one time.

Had they been at AFA headquarters this week, however, they would have seen an exemplary episode of argie bargy with their own eyes.

Things have changed at the AFA. The media used to enjoy relatively free access to speak to players after training, although the situation was essentially a free-for-all and would rapidly degenerate into a maul.

To avoid these mauls, there is now a big barrier and several angry looking young men in pseudo military garb protecting that barrier, ensuring that the media stay on one side and the players stay on the other.

It makes sense, and should make things easier for everyone. Should.

This week, one group of journalists decided they’d found the perfect spot to stand and wait for Maradona to speak after training, only to see a different group set up shop a few metres away.

They then saw Maradona decide to talk to that other group, so predictably there was a maul.

No sooner did Diego start to walk away, Argie Bargy was given a crash course on the Argentine’s preferred choice of insult as a skirmish broke out over mixed zone etiquette.

The whole episode was caught by TV cameras. Photographers snapped away. Security had to step in although in the end it was nothing, just a bit of argie bargy.

Some may have been expecting to see the real trouble out on the pitch after Mr. Messi had to publicly deny that a player with "limited ability" who keeps getting called up for the national team had threatened to break his son’s legs.

With not a shin-pad in sight at Tuesday’s practise match, however, any problems between players must have been resolved.

Or, like Mr. Messi said, perhaps the aforementioned threat was never issued. A high-profile agent thinks that it was.

Back to the maul, those within earshot of Maradona were hearing about more problems. "When Grondona (AFA president) gave me the job, I was the happiest man alive, but things have happened since I took over that I’m not pleased about," said Diego, "and I’ll tell him. If I carry on it will be under my terms."

The injury to Pablo Zabaleta is partly the problem. The Manchester City right-back was due to start against Peru, but is ruled out through an injury picked up in Monday night’s Premier League match at Aston Villa.

"Argentina have got two really tough games now and Manchester City have 100 more," reasoned Diego. "Someone should have gone (to Manchester) and got the players earlier. The turtle escaped," meaning that they were too slow.

Zabaleta and Carlos Tevez arrived later than most after playing for City on Monday.

The Apache was in belligerent mood when he landed in Argentina (a literal translation is needed here, so we are not accused of sensationalism).

"I’m a millionaire because I play football and I break my *rse every day," said the Manchester City forward to accusations of not playing well for his country.

"Saying I don’t care about playing for the national team is b*ll*cks."

All in all it was a bit of an argie bargy-tastic Tuesday.

Diego’s not happy, the players may be on non-kicking terms but are just a tad miffed at the media suggesting they don’t perform for the national team, while the press are fighting amongst themselves.

It goes without saying though that if Argentina fail to make the World Cup (which this blogger doubts will happen), that’s when the real argie bargy will kick off.

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The 40-Yard Header Weekend Round-up

2009-10-05T10:00:00Z

River Plate have won 23 of the last 35 competitions.

In the tournaments they didn’t win, they either ended second, or plummeted to the unheard depths of a disgraceful third place.

The last five trophies on offer have all ended up at the Monumental. True to the legendary 1950s side’s nickname, the team are a machine.

"It is basically because we have the best players," offers the coach by way of considered opinion and ingenious insight into the team’s success.

Pablo Sanitowski went on to explain more about why his team was doing so well, but by then people had stopped listening.

He may be in charge of River Plate, he may have been a legendary player back in the day, but his discipline of choice isn’t exactly the most important sport that River Plate put a team out for.

Mr. Sanitowski is the River Plate handball team coach.

While River Plate wipe the board at handball, and celebrated winning yet more silverware just last week, the situation for the real River Plate – i.e. the football team – is catastrophic.

Despite claiming to have ‘big enough balls’ to deal with the dismal situation just two weeks ago, and despite having enough confidence and faith in himself to pull off a hair style – a luxuriant mattress of springy curls – not seen since the 70s, Néstor ‘Pipo’ Gorosito decided that enough is enough, and quit as River Plate coach.

It wasn’t the weekend’s result that made up his mind, however. He decided to leave last week.

He even told his players that the clásico against San Lorenzo would be his final game.

Perhaps he thought that by telling his squad the news just 24 hours before the clásico would inspire them to win.

All of a sudden passes would go to feet, chances wouldn’t be comically blasted wide, tackles would actually win the ball and the team would take three points. It would be the perfect adiós.

What’s more, the team would avoid setting a club record for consecutive away matches without a win.

Much like his stewardship of the club, however, things didn’t exactly go to plan.

1-0 up and the game entering the final quarter of an hour, River’s centre-back Gustavo Cabral decided he’d had enough of his opposite number, the equally thuggish Jonathan Bottinelli, and landed him a full-blooded haymaker in the area.

The spot kick was duly converted, and the predictable winner for Diego Simeone’s side came just three minutes later.

The defeat to San Lorenzo was the 16th away match without a win for River Plate.

Club record to his name, Gorosito informed the press he was leaving, which everybody already knew, and he made for the nearest exit.

Since taking over the side last December, Gorosito managed to win just 38 percent of the points on offer in the league, while also failing miserably in the Libertadores and the Sudamericana.

The worst part of all this is that the end of the nightmare is not yet in sight.

Presidential elections at the club in December mean that whoever replaces Pipo will probably only be given a two-month contract.

Unable to sign players, confidence at an all-time low… the gig is hardly what Gorosito described it as just 10 months ago – a dream job.

Elsewhere, beyond Estudiantes suffering their first defeat of the season and Huracán winning their first of the campaign, the big story was at the Bombonera.

Not only did Vélez fail to go top of the table, not only did Boca put a miserable run of form to an end, not only did the half-fit Riquelme score a brilliant equaliser, but the winner came via a an outrageous 40-yard header from Martín Palermo.

The win was made all the sweeter, needless to say, by the news from down the River…

Results

Colón 0-0 Banfield
Independiente 2-1 Tigre
Huracán 3-1 Racing
Argentinos 1-0 Estudiantes
Arsenal 1-0 Rosario Central
Newell’s 3-0 Atlético Tucumán
Gimnasia 2-0 Chacarita
San Lorenzo 2-1 River Plate
Boca Juniors 3-2 Vélez
Lanús 1-0 Godoy Cruz

The weekend’s goals, along to some Spanish ska, here.

STATS: Argentina results, fixtures and table

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The Football and Sex Weekend Preview – Round 7

2009-10-02T14:00:00Z

"In Argentina, people only talk about football and sex," says Argentinos Juniors coach Claudo ‘Bichi’ Borghi.

"And they think they are good at it."

"Good at it" could refer to their ability to talk about it. It could also refer to having a flair for one, the other or indeed both of the world’s two favoured pastimes (whether enjoyed as participant or viewer).

Bichi’s statement is open to interpretation, but given that this blog is freely available on the web, Argie Bargy will refrain from commenting for the sake of maintaining a number of valued friendships.

Bichi Borghi is something of a legend. He was the leader of the mid-80s Argentinos Juniors team that won league titles, the Libertadores, and came within a whisker of beating Platini and Laudrup’s Juventus in the Intercontinental Cup.

Bichi claimed he was useless with his left foot, which is why he became known for the rabona – kicking the ball by wrapping your favoured foot behind the weaker one – a move which he perfected to the extent that one journalist wrote he deserved the copyright.

He was the first “next Maradona,” "until they realised it was never going to happen," as he himself admits.

Arrigo Sacchi's AC Milan could have been built around Van Basten, Gullit and Borghi, only some Dutch guy called Frank got in the way.

"I tell my players I wasn’t a bad footballer," he says, "but I know they look at me, see a fat guy, and don’t believe me."

To complete the picture, he is a Mormon.

Anyway, Borghi’s comment about football and sex this week was particularly appropriate, given the timing: summer's just around the corner.

That means lots of things. Months of perfect afternoons for coronary-inducing asados. The country’s buses turn into mobile saunas. Pasty white-legged gringos traipse around Buenos Aires looking for a couple dancing the tango.

And Argentines discuss just two things, only more excitedly than normal.

The men don’t stop talking about how many stunning chicas there are around, while the chicas do their best to make sure that the men don’t stop talking about them.

And then there’s football.

We are in the Fútbol Para Todos era, after all, so football is free and available for all to enjoy. But then, summer’s coming. Matches can’t be played in the heat, so kick-off times have to be later.

So far so good, but here comes the problem.

In most other countries, games would simply be played at the same time. But Fútbol Para Todos means what it says – football for everyone – and if everyone is going to watch games free on TV, you can’t have two matches at the same time.

As a result, in two or maybe three weeks (depending on decisions made by the suits), Argie Bargy’s ‘weekend preview’ will become more of a ‘mini-break preview.’

Games will be played from Friday night through to Monday night.

While we consider the implications of four days of top flight football every week, let’s stick with the here and now.

The Big Two are up against it. The fixtures involving these two sides this weekend would usually look like potential classics, but such is the crisis at River Plate and Boca Juniors that they are simply damage limitation exercises.

River are away to a San Lorenzo side on the back of a nine without defeat. Boca, meanwhile, host Vélez, with Juan Román Riquelme 70 percent fit – at best – going into the game.

Acts of God notwithstanding, the smart money is on another week of crisis for both.

The game of the weekend, then, promises to be at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.

League leaders Estudiantes take on an unbeaten Argentinos Juniors side, and if Bichi Borghi can convince his men to forget about procreation and focus on football for a full 90 minutes, it should be a classic.

STATS: Argentina results, fixtures and table

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The Ten, Big Nose and The Boss

2009-09-30T16:08:00Z

The Ten is angry with Big Nose and The Boss for scheming behind his back.

The Boss knows that The Ten is impossible to control, but puts up with him because he is, after all, The Ten. The people love him.

Big Nose also knows that The Ten is impossible to control, and had been told by The Boss to make sure the whole project didn’t go horribly wrong. But when he did what The Boss asked of him, The Ten made is clear that he was having none of it.

The relationship between The Boss (Julio Grondona), Big Nose (Carlos Bilardo) and The Ten (Diego Maradona) is a marriage of inconvenience.

In some way or other, all of them owe the other two. Big Time. Grondona stayed in his job as AFA president largely thanks to the success of Bilardo and Maradona on the pitch. Bilardo enjoyed the unconditional support of Grondona as national team coach, and then won the World Cup thanks to Maradona’s brilliance. Maradona was a World Cup winning captain with Bilardo, and is now national team coach thanks to the indulgence of Grondona.

So with this backstory of favours and debts, along with the odd falling out over precisely what Bilardo’s job is, plus an international friendly thrown in for good measure, another perfect storm has hit the Argentine national team.

This week an Argentina B side made up of locally-based players takes on Ghana. The Ghanaians have demonstrated the importance of this game by sending a C side. The fans in Córdoba, where the game will be played, haven’t exactly been buying the tickets en masse.

The idea is to take a look at players based in Argentina who will be in the squad for next week’s two do-or-die qualifiers against Peru and Uruguay.

When the planning was under way for the game, however, Diego was in Italy, shedding several kilos at an expensive spa and handing over a £3,400 pair of earrings to the Italian tax man.

NEWS, Fri 18 Sep: Tax police seize Maradona's earrings

In Maradona’s absence, Bilardo met with Grondona. Maradona was invited to the meeting but was otherwise occupied. Maradona soon discovered that back in Argentina Bilardo was calling the shots.

"I’m in charge here, and I name the squad list," he declared on returning to the country, going on to suggest that there are changes just around the corner: "Let’s get past the qualifiers, and then we’ll see." The "we’ll see" was taken to be an unveiled threat that Maradona will demand Bilardo stick his nose into other people’s business, not his.

"If Diego wants me to go," Bilardo said, "then I’ll go."

Arriving in Cordoba for the Ghana match, Maradona quickly made it clear that he wasn’t going to talk about the argument. "Don’t ask me about Bilardo," he warned journalists. "I just sat next to him on the plane coming here, so don’t go asking me about any bullshit, alright?"

In the meantime, Grondona – The Boss – watches on. The AFA president was in Rio this week on business. "I don’t like change," he said, denying that he is thinking of sacking Maradona.

Rather than pointing out that his penchant for continuity has kept him in a job he landed a month before Margaret Thatcher became British prime minister, he chose a somewhat cosier point of reference: "I’ve been married to the same woman for 53 years."

Chez Grondona may be a sanctuary of domestic bliss, but how much longer The Boss’s union with Big Nose and The Ten will last is anyone’s guess.

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The Must-Impress-Maradona Weekend Review – Round 6

2009-09-28T14:00:00Z

A fortnight ago, rumour spread that AFA were going to make Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola an offer he couldn’t refuse – to take over the Argentina national team.

Señor Guardiola is, apparently, the only man in the world with enough common sense and ability at his disposal to bring the best out of Leo Messi.

When they’re not busy talking, debating, writing editorials, screaming or fighting over the new media law, Argentines are spending a considerable amount of time worrying about why Messi isn’t beating eight players and scoring wonder goals for Argentina, but turns on the style every weekend for Barcelona.

Cynics would say there are around 12 million reasons a year that explain this phenomenon, but Argie Bargy will leave those kind of comments for others to make.

Perhaps the man AFA are looking for is in fact Independiente coach Americo ‘Tolo’ Gallego, not least after this weekend’s triumph in the Avallaneda clásico.

Tolo’s opposite number, Ricardo Caruso Lombardi, had said that the clásico would be a tough match for Racing, but it wasn’t like they were playing Bayern Munich or anyone stupid like that.

“He was right,” admitted Gallego afterwards. “We played like Barcelona, not Bayern.”

A touch over the top, Tolo? Definitely, but he had just won the clásico, so we’ll let him have his fun.

It was his side that managed to deal with the conditions – toilet-roll snowstorm, that sort of thing – at Racing’s Cilindro, The Coliseum, The Juan Domingo Perón Stadium, or whatever the hell their ground is called.

While Gallego garrulously gathered the glory, the man currently asked to manage Messi for the country was keeping a close eye on the weekend’s proceedings.

Maradona has called up a squad of locally-based players to face Ghana midweek.

The idea is to check out if there’s anyone earning their keep in Argentina who can do a better job than the fancy-Dan exiles in Europe.

So it is that Diego will have winced as Estudiantes comfortably beat Boca (Basile is staying this time) and laughed as River collapsed to a draw from a perfectly healthy 2-0 home lead against Gimnasia.

And perhaps Diego will have understood why Vélez supporters took to throwing onions at the Huracán side, and avoided the thoroughly underwhelming explanation that it comes from a kids’ TV series from years back.

There were brilliant goals to keep him happy, like Jonathan Cristaldo’s second for Velez against Huracán and San Lorenzo’s first against Tigre.

Diego will also have a clearer idea of why San Lorenzo have failed to win in the last six games, when they failed to score after keeper-captain Pablo Migliore insisted on taking the penalty and missed.

So while the weekend left plenty of talking points, and as ever several refereeing decisions that ranged from the bad to disgraceful with everything in between, Maradona will have been taking notes.

If he wasn’t, here’s a quick crib sheet:

Rolando Schiavi – Another reason not to call up the 36-year-old. The pressure’s on for the world cup qualifiers in two week’s time. The team need a cool head at the back. Rolando’s foul and abusive language was nothing compared to the obscenity of the gestures he made after (correctly) being sent off.

Martín Palermo – It’s him, Higuaín or Tevez to play alongside Messi against Peru. Thankfully he didn’t have to take a penalty, but he hit a great volley against Estudiantes.

Ariel Ortega – There seemed little point in calling up the Little Donkey, but any discussion about the pros and cons of Ortega playing for the national team again are null and void. He’s injured.

Gabriel Hauche – Has his work cut out making the starting XI up front, but responding to a call-up with a hat-trick for Godoy Cruz isn't a bad start.

Enzo Perez – Great performance against Boca, and scored the winning goal. Oh, and he also decided that some testicle-grabbing violence-inciting gestures towards the Boca fans was in a good idea. “I didn’t do anything, you can look at all the replays you want," claimed Perez. We have, which is why the previous sentence is staying in.

VIDEO! All the goals here, to U2’s Angel of Harlem. These guys really need a new DJ...

STATS: Argentina results, fixtures and table

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The Huracan Tribute Weekend Preview - Round 6

2009-09-25T10:48:00Z

“There was a talk held in Montevideo last week,” explains Huracán coach Ángel Cappa. “They invited the coach from La U in Chile and Nacional in Uruguay, as they had both won the league title. And they invited me. They presented me as the title-winning coach.”

By rights, the Uruguayans should have given Bill Nighy clone Ricardo Gareca an expenses-paid trip across the Rio de la Plata, as it was Vélez who were Argentine crowned champions last season.

“If we were only interested in the results, though,” pointed out Argentine sports journalism heavyweight Diego Bonadeo, “we’d only buy the paper on Monday."

Any foreigner out here is regularly asked which team they support in Argentina. If you’ve only bought the paper on Monday for the last few years, you would probably support Boca. But if you watched Huracán last season, it’s impossible not to have fallen for them ever so slightly.

This week, Argie Bargy was invited along to hear coach Cappa, plus players past and present, speak at the presentation of The People’s Champions – a book by local journalist Gustavo Catalano about Huracán - known either as the quemeros (burners) or El Globo (hot-air balloon).

The People’s Champions is a tribute to last season. The club, rich in tradition but with multimillion dollar debts, put out a team fresh-faced youngsters mixed in with a couple of seasoned pros. A mid-table finish would have been considered a good season.

Yet they went out and played the most astonishing football. When asked about which teams Cappa likes to watch these days, he talks about Arsene Wegner’s Arsenal and Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona. It shows. True to Cappa’s style and the club’s own tradition of ‘lyrical’ football, as they call it in Argentina, Huracán came within seven minutes of winning the title, playing great football as they went about doing so.

On the final day of the season, their fixture with Vélez turned out to be a straightforward title playoff. Gareca’s team scored a controversial winner to steal the league title. Cappa would say there was no metaphor in that last sentence. “We were robbed,” he declared.

Despite the alegría that Huracán brought with their football, not winning the title has taken its toll on the team. The club are 19th in the table. The stars of last season have moved on. The debt remains. And this weekend it’s time to open up the wound - they return to the scene of the crime to take on last season’s nemesis, Vélez.

Elsewhere this weekend… If Boca are awarded a penalty and you see Martín Palermo grab the ball, look away – or, if you want some comedy, press record. Famous for missing three penalties in a single game for Argentina against Colombia, the Loco did it again this week. It was only in a practice match, but still…

Javier García, the keeper who stopped the two that were on target, has faith in his captain. "I’m sure when there are points at stake he’ll put it away." Argie Bargy isn’t so sure.

Things aren’t good at River Plate, where coach Néstor Gorosito waited till Wednesday to speak to the media after rumours flew around Buenos Aires (he’s staying put).

His assistants, however, weren’t happy with the number of journalists at the press conference. “Hyenas” is what Gorosito’s No.2 called those present. But hyenas only appear when there’s carrion in sight. Gorosito really, really needs a win.

Oh, and there’s an Avallaneda clásico – Racing host Independiente. It’s been clear for some time that the home side don’t really want their neighbours anywhere near the Cilindro. While Independiente wait for their new ground to be completed, Racing refuse to let the Rojo use their stadium. And Racing only allowed 5,500 tickets for the visitors this weekend.

“I can understand teams wanting to let more of their own fans into games,’ said Independiente president Julio Comparada, “but I’m not sure Racing will fill the stadium.” Only River and Boca had more home fans last season, so expect Comparada to hear plenty about his comments come Sunday.

STATS: Argentina results, fixtures and table

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Basile still at Boca? I should Coco!

2009-09-23T15:00:00Z

Argentine sports presenters are always on the phone.

This isn't information gleaned from rubbing shoulders with them in mixed zones, nor from trying to hold a conversation with one of them, nor is it an observation made while frequenting the same expensive restaurants and clubs as the well-known faces from TV. No, this is information free to anyone who forms part of the midday football chat show-viewing public.

The following scenario is what tends to happen. A debate over a solitary offside decision from the weekend kicks off the show at the top of the hour. As the argument and shouting over the decision enters the second half hour block, any number of the pundits on the show can be seen tapping away at their mobile phones.

Often they’ll break up the debate over the centre-forward’s exact position on the pitch. “Hold it, just got a text message. It’s from River/Boca/Independiente/whoever. Big news. Get this…”

And so it is that the viewers have a sense that they’re privy to reliable, up-to-date, insider information, thanks to their midday football chat show of choice (there are several to choose from, which perhaps explains this phenomenon of ostentatious texting in the first place).

So far so good. That is until Boca Juniors sporting director Carlos Bianchi comes out and says that the whole fuss being kicked up about his club is, in fact, a load of porkies.

Contrary to reports, the biggest club in the country hasn’t just had to convince its coach not to resign, everything is fine (could be better, but fine), and nobody at the club understands why everybody else is talking about these ‘stupid things.’

In Bianchi-speak, ‘everybody’ is the journalists, and ‘stupid things’ is the news that Alfio ‘Coco’ Basile resigned as Boca’s coach on Sunday night.

After losing at home to Godoy Cruz, Alfio went to a swanky hotel and met with a couple of club’s vice-presidents, sporting director Bianchi, and his son, Alfito. (Yes, in plain English, Basile is Alf. His son? Alfie.)

Outside the hotel, reporters were on their phones, receiving text messages, making calls, busy discovering that Basile had resigned. ‘It was the responsibility of the press,’ wrote Olé, using the opinion section to justify the mobile phone bill to the accounts department, ‘to know if the dead had stopped breathing.’

“We talked about football, nothing else,’ Bianchi would later claim. ‘We talked about why things are going wrong. That’s all.”

So despite the reports, there was no resignation. Nothing happened here. Basile is still alive.

Whatever did happen, Basile will probably still feel like there’s not much life left at Boca. Looking at the plight of River Plate won’t help the gravel-voiced coach and alleged whisky connoisseur.

The team are playing badly. Basile had promised to return from the preseason European tour with a fixed starting XI, but for now he doesn’t even have a fixed back four.

A quick peek at the upcoming games won’t help his mood, either. Next Saturday his side travel down to La Plata to take on the table-topping, South America-conquering Estudiantes. The following week it’s current champions Vélez visiting the Bombonera.

For these two games, Basile will be without the man he considers central to his team – the playmaker, chirpy Juan Román Riquelme.

There will be no left-back Morel either, although that’s probably not a bad thing. There's also no Ricardo Noir, as the striker ruptured ligaments when shoved into the advertising boards at the weekend.

The outlook is bleak.

Put into context, this is a club that was crowned league champions eight months ago. Over the past decade Boca have won 18 trophies. Some say they're the most supported team in South America.

In Basile’s first spell at the club, he won five trophies in the five tournaments his team took part in. Right now Boca are 13th in the league, out of the Sudamericana and with a real possibility of not qualifying for the Libertadores.

So, Basile is staying at Boca. He never left. If he were to leave, is Bianchi, the sporting director, planning a return to the dugout at some stage? After all, the Viceroy was the ubersuccessful coach at Boca not so long ago… ‘The coach in me is having a siesta,’ said the Larry David look-alike.

The saga will continue. But by the creed of Bianchi, don’t believe everything you read in the press, and especially don’t believe what you see on TV.

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Traditional Big Five not so "Grandes"

2009-09-22T09:59:00Z

If you’re tired of the EPL's Big Four, or whether it’ll be Barcelona or Real Madrid, or whether Inter will win the scudetto again, fear not, there is hope.

Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez has a dream of 21st-century socialism in Latin America, and it’s already alive and kicking – in Argentine football.

The last six tournaments have been won by six different teams – a kind of power-sharing that goes strictly against the prevalent Peronist tendencies.

Traditionally it has always been the Five Grandes who have enjoyed a stranglehold on success out here, with Boca Juniors, River Plate, San Lorenzo, Racing and Independiente battling it out for the silverware.

That’s all changed though, given that the Grandes aren’t that, well, big anymore. For all their tradition, former glories, pesos and favourable decisions, nothing can save the Grandes right now.

None of them won at the weekend. San Lorenzo and Racing cancelled each other out in a simply horrendous match with no goals and no fun. The match commentators declared that both coaches – Diego Simeone and Ricardo Caruso Lombardi – should go away and think about their actions. The less anyone thinks about that game, the better.

Independiente have stooped so low that they celebrated a draw like a win (although in fairness they’d pulled back a two-goal deficit against the current champions Vélez).

The big story, however, is the Big Five’s Big Two – Boca Juniors and River Plate.

This blog was going to be about some iffy refereeing decisions. Boca were awarded a goal that suggests the linesman has Russian lineage, while River had a goal against them disallowed for no other reason than it being the second goal against them in as many minutes. And that can’t happen.

Despite these decisions, both clubs still managed to lose - Boca at home to Godoy Cruz to a late goal, and River away to Arsenal to an early one.

The season may be just five weekends old, but heads are already rolling.

News filtered through late on Sunday night. Alfio ‘Coco’ Basile, the man who made way for Diego Maradona to take over the national team just a few months back, had already had enough and resigned as Boca coach – but sporting director Carlos Bianchi refused to accept it.

Whether Basile stays or not, Boca have huge problems. Their two main players, striker Martín Palermo and playmaker Juan Román Riquelme, refuse to pass to each other. The defence is a mess, and the club’s enormous debt makes it impossible to strengthen the squad.

So far this season they’ve scraped one win out of five, and although being knocked out of the Sudamericana may be a blessing in disguise, the club basically need win the title to guarantee qualification for the Libertadores. Five games in, Boca are already eight points off the pace.

River Plate are in a similar situation: out of the Sudamericana, nowhere near qualification for the Libertadores, in massive debt and poor in the league.

River have, in fact, taken to breaking club records, but not the kind to sing about. Just a year ago they came last in the league in the Apertura ’08 – the first time ever that they’d finished bottom.

Sunday night’s defeat was their 15th consecutive away game without a win. Not since 1978 have the club travelled so poorly.

Gorosito has been in the job for nine months, and believes he’s got ‘balls big enough to handle the situation’. Those must be big balls then, because the situation is dire.

Like Boca, they have no money to buy new players. Inexperienced youth team players are promoted too quickly to the first team, while the side depends on the ageing legs of players like Gallardo, Ortega and Almeyda, who – put simply – are past it.

Gorosito may be saved by the club’s presidential elections in December. Candidates to take charge at the Monumental will all have their coach they want to bring in, making it virtually impossible for River to find a replacement for Gorosito between now and then.

All of this plays into the hands of Estudiantes – not one of the Grandes – who kicked off the weekend’s action with a 4-1 demolition of Huracán, and can laugh at the mess below them from the comfort of the top of the table.

VIDEO! See all the weekend's goals, this time with a backing track courtesy of Mick, Keef & Co
NEWS: Weekend round-up from Argentina
STATS: Argentina results, fixtures and table

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The Slimfast Weekend Preview – Round Five

2009-09-18T08:48:00Z

Get some exercise, detox, cut out the carbs, avoid mindless eating, eat slower, eat less, try old favourites like stapling your stomach, or steal a trick from (Brazilian) Ronaldo and get some liposuction...

Whatever stratagem Diego Maradona is employing to bring his waistline back under control, it promises to be a body-changing experience. The Argentina coach is currently enjoying the delights of a luxury spa in Italy, with the intention of returning to the patria on Tuesday five kilos lighter.

The timing of Diego’s mini-break in Italy hasn’t exactly thrilled his employers in light of recent problems on the pitch. But before working out just how he’s going to turn the seleccion’s problems around, Maradona has a friendly just around the corner.

A team of locally-based players will take on Ghana at the end of the month. Why? Good question.

With Maradona away, the national team ‘coordinator’ Carlos Bilardo will name the squad. The extra workload of deciding who is paying well won’t require too much leg-work for Bilardo, given that every single minute of top flight football is shown live on national TV.

For the average viewer, watching 10 games a weekend would turn your brain into mush. It is also a problem for Maradona and fellow dieters – it seriously limits potential exercise time. To avoid cerebral and muscular atrophy, here's the weekend’s best and rest.

Friday's best: Central (1st) vs Banfield (3rd)
Back in the old days, i.e. last season, this would be your classic Friday match - low attendance, low TV audience rating, low expectations and, basically, not the best way to kickstart your weekend. Central and Banfield would also be ideal candidates to play Argentine football’s graveyard shift.

That’s all changed. Central are the kings of the hill, two points ahead of the chasing trio, which includes this weekend’s opponents, Banfield.

"Don’t tell the grandes we’re doing well in case they wake up," said Banfield boss Falcioni earlier in the week. What other teams do is irrelevant - if his side beat Central, Banfield with leapfrog the kids from Rosario and go top of the table.

Saturday's best: Independiente (6th) vs Vélez (4th)
Fresh from knocking Boca out of the Sudamericana, Vélez are firing on all cylinders. "The way they're playing now, I’m not sure I want to turn up," admitted Independiente coach Tolo Gallego, in a quote that could easily refer to how he feels every day of the week before going to training.

Still without a stadium, El Rojo are at least showing signs of improvement under Gallego this term. Vélez, meanwhile, are current league champions and have only conceded one goal in the first four games of the season. Pick of the Saturday games.

Sunday's best: San Lorenzo (7th) vs Racing (16th)
This week, Racing’s coach Ricardo Caruso Lombardi was given the chance to talk about non-sporting conquests. "I was a bit of a smooth talker," he said of his younger self. So how do you look after yourself, Ricardo? "I don’t worry about what I eat and I don’t go jogging. I’ve had beautiful skin since I was born," he declared before admitting, "...even if it is a little stretched now ‘cos I’m fat."

If the clásico goes San Lorenzo’s way, which it has every chance of doing, the impeccably groomed, sharp-suited Diego Simeone may well suggest to Caruso that he takes a leaf out of Maradona’s book and gets himself in shape.

The rest
Huracán (18th) vs Estudiantes (2nd)
Lanus (13th) vs Newell’s (5th)
Boca (12th) vs Godoy Cruz (11th)
Arsenal (15th) vs River (14th)
Colón (10th) vs Chacarita (20th)
Gimnasia (19th) vs Tigre (17th)
Argentinos (8th) vs Atletico Tucuman (9th)

NEW! Upcoming fixtures in Argentina
NEW! The latest results from Argentina

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It's time for the Shampions League!

2009-09-17T08:30:00Z

It's the week everyone’s been waiting for. Glitzy, glamorous and guaranteeing gazillions of Euros, the world’s top club championship got going.

A mouth-watering Inter-Barcelona in week one, Ronaldo and Kaká kick-starting the Galácticos II dream, Rooney kicking the bench...

Over in Argentina, the start of the Champions League has been given something of a boost after a change of rights-holders, so for the past four months or so we’ve been regularly informed that something apparently called the Ssshampions League will be on a different channel.

For those used to the more modest South American competitions, budgets, players and quality of football, this is a brave new world of club football, and you can tell from the commentators’ puppyish excitement.

“Just look at the replays! How many cameras have they got out there?! Look at how expensive Real Madrid’s players are!! I can’t believe how much they spent this summer. Still, amigo, this is Europe. Oh, and get this. González Blanco scored his... what?

"Oh, yeah, sorry. Raúl scored his 224th Liga goal in Spain against Depor and is now two behind fourth-placed César Rodríguez on the all-time top scorers' list. Athletic Club Bilbao legend Telmo Zarra is first on 251.”

You’ve got to love those UEFA press packs.

For all the star names, the Ssshampions League does have one problem over in Argentina.

To watch a game you are going to have to invoke a non-existent union rule about football belonging to The People and stage a mass walkout at half past three to catch the game down the local bar.

Calling strike action is something of an Argentine speciality, but doing so in the name of the early rounds of the Ssshampions League would be a little excessive.

The other potential problem is the prospect of Messi, Agüero and Mascherano and company scoring goals, making tackles, beating players, completing four-yard passes, looking happy, knowing what they are doing and generally going about their business in an orderly fashion.

The sight of that, in comparison to what happened with the national team a few days ago, could be too much for some to handle in these trying economic times, especially when they see what’s on TV when they do actually get to finish work.

The Copa Sudamericana.

It’s not the Ssssshampions League. It’s not even the South American Ssssssshampions League – that’s the Libertadores.

The Sudamericana is the equivalent of the Europa Cup or whatever it's called. It couldn't be further removed from the Sssssssshampions League.

Representing Argentina in this year’s Sudamericana are the previous season’s overall top four.

‘Overall’ because, like in other Latin American countries, Argentina have two seasons for the European one.

Don't think 2009/10, think Apertura ’09 and Clausura ’10.

Argentina has six places in the Sudamericana. Four go to the teams who would have finished 1st to 4th if they were to play a normal season like everyone else.

And because Argentina is something of a big hitter on the continent, there are also two special invitee berths.

These are for any two teams in the country, any at all, who have the right combination of ‘Juniors,’ ‘Boca,’ ‘Plate’ and ‘River’ in the their name.

So it is that Lanús, Vélez, San Lorenzo and Tigre, along with the fortunately-named River Plate and Boca Juniors, are representing the Albiceleste.

The six are paired up in the first stage, though, meaning that only three will make it to the last 16.

Orchestrated? Staged?

There’s more to the farce than meets the eye. The two South American continental tournaments do not run simultaneously.

The Sudamericana fills up the first half of the season, the Libertadores the second.

Given that qualification for the Libertadores, the real tournament, is reliant on the performance in the league – the one played at the same time as the Sudamericana - it should be no surprise that most clubs prioritise the former and put out a load of youngsters for the latter.

Got all that?

So next time you’re grumbling about a pointless group game in the Ssssssssshampions League, just remember one thing. It could be worse.

It could be the Sudamericana.

NEW! The latest results from Argentina
NEW! Upcoming fixtures in Argentina

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Argentina deals with fantasy and reality

2009-09-15T08:30:00Z

More than ever, Argentina has become a nation of football managers.

After the national team’s debacle in the World Cup qualifiers, there’s not a taxi driver, aunt or random acquaintance on the tube who doesn’t know exactly where Diego is going wrong, or can’t pinpoint the exact cause of Leo Messi’s split footballing personality disorder – a problem suffered by the pulga that brings a whole new body of evidence to the table in the club/country debate.

It’s reasonable to say that the sight of Messi scoring for Barcelona just 22 minutes after coming on as a sub at the weekend, having mustered one off-target ‘effort’ against Brazil and Paraguay, hasn’t exactly cheered the mood of the 40 million would-be managers over here.

The main man in Argentine football, AFA president Julio Grondona – Don Julio to his friends – will have had more reason than most to feel aggrieved on Monday morning, however.

Maradona was due to meet with Don Julio, along with general team manager Carlos Bilardo, to have a not-so-amicable chat about what the carajo is going on with the national team.

‘Was due’ is the operative phrase here. Without informing Don Julio or Bilardo, Maradona decided to fly over to the Old Continent on Sunday.

One version has it that he is going to tell Messrs Heinze, Gago, Maxi Rodriguez, Zanetti, López and Milito that their services are no longer required for national team duty.

Another has it that he’ll speak to Messi and Mascherano to find out why they are playing so appallingly for the national team.

Another has it that Diego has, in fact, booked himself into a swanky spa in Italy.

Diego and Julio: "Quick! The handcuffs!"

Whatever it is that Maradona has gone to Europe to do, he can count his lucky stars that people have something else to talk about this week.

One of the great institutions got under way over the weekend: Gran DT, the Argentine fantasy football league, momentarily distracting people from the national team.

The paper that organises the league, Clarín, is in the middle of battling out World War Three with the nation’s current and ex-president, who both happen to go by the surname of Kirchner.

That hasn’t stopped Clarín using valuable anti-government article space with the latest news on Gran DT. It’s good business, after all.

The game regularly has more than two million participants – from aspiring coaches to people with too much time on their hands to people who could do with the IMF debt-busting prize money of £2,000.

Falling comfortably into all three categories, Argie Bargy did the right thing and signed up.

And so it is that there is an extra spring in this blogger’s step this morning after a couple of managerial masterstrokes at the weekend.

Shunning the overpriced River Plate and Boca Juniors players paid off. Neither of the two grandes even managed to score a goal this weekend.

The smug factor was upped only when its Uruguayan striker Santiago Silva scored a brace to grab a surprise win for Banfield in the clásico with Lanús.

Despite a couple of dodgy risks at the back, we weren’t feeling brave enough to gamble on any of the Rosario Central squad, for three sound reasons.

Firstly, the team were rubbish last season, and escaped relegation by the skin of their teeth.

Second, that as favourites to repeat last season’s form and drop down a tier, a number of important and experienced players showed Emanuel Adebayor-esque loyalty and jumped ship.

Thirdly, we hadn’t heard of their players. Some don’t even have Wikipedia entries. That’s how unknown they are.

Four games into the Apertura ’09, however, the team that Che Guevara supported as a lad grabbed their fourth win in four games.

They’re the only side in the division with a 100 percent record, and they’ve done it with a team whose average age is 22.

You would have thought that the team captain, Jorge Broun, would have stayed around to celebrate the win over Chacarita in Buenos Aires on Saturday night.

It is, after all, 30 years since Central won their first four games of the season.

The team captain raced back to Rosario though. During his team’s 1-0 win, Broun became a father for the first time.

Although we’re not sure quite what Señora Broun thinks of her hubby heading off to play football while she’s giving birth to their son, it’s certainly commitment to the cause.

40 million would say it’s the kind of commitment the national team need. That debate, however, can wait for another day.

NEW! The latest results from Argentina
NEW! Upcoming fixtures in Argentina

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Olé have Heinze for breakfast

2009-09-10T11:00:00Z

Wednesday night was business as usual for the Albiceleste against Paraguay.

Another game, another defeat, another woeful performance, another team celebrating qualifying for the World Cup at their expense, and another endless list of unfathomable decisions made by the coach.

From FFT.com's World Cup News section, September 10: Maradona defiant after Paraguay defeat

Although Conmebol qualifying is tight – with two rounds left, Argentina are one of five teams within three points of each other squabbling for one automatic place – it's looking like the play-offs for Diego Maradona’s team.

There's a chance it may not be Maradona’s team for much longer, but that particular subject can keep for the time being.

For now the knives are out for what promises to be a fairly bloody post mortem after the 90 minutes of hell in Asunción.

Yet while everyone moans that Leo Messi isn't the player he is with Barcelona, that Maradona was always a disaster waiting to happen, that a team like Argentina can’t possibly be in this situation, there are two words that add yet more light on the reason that Argentina are where they are.

Gabriel.

Heinze.

Argentina’s must-win World Cup qualifier in Paraguay was a full 48 seconds old when the ‘defender’ bundled over the man he was ‘marking’.

The following 89 minutes and 12 seconds would prove to contain the full repertoire of Heinze’s game.

We were delighted with the full display, which includes over-hit crosses, hospital passes to team-mates, clearances straight to the opposition, and an assortment of fouling techniques that range from the not-so-subtle push in the back to the knee-high studs-up lunge.

All that was missing was blaming a team-mate for conceding a goal (he covered that base at the weekend) or the bulging-vein eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation with the match referee for daring to give a decision against him.

It's not news that Gabriel Heinze is not a technically gifted player.

The coach Jorge Griffa is widely regarded as something of a legend in Argentina, taking the credit for bringing through players such as Jorge Valdano, Roberto Sensini, Gabriel Batistuta, Nicolas Burdisso and Carlos Tevez amongst others.

He is, however, also the man to blame for discovering Gabriel Heinze.

On the eve of his professional debut, Heinze got a call from Griffa: "Congratulations, but remember one thing. You can’t play football. Keep it simple."

On paper, Heinze kept things simple enough to rack up a decent CV - over 50 caps for his country, once voted Manchester United’s fans’ player of the season, Premier League winner’s medal, la Liga winner with Real Madrid…

And if Heinze himself is anyone to go by, he is still worth big bucks.

When Real Madrid told Heinze to pack his bags over the summer, a move to Marseille was put on hold as he wanted €4.5 million a year [that's roughly £75,000 a week - mildly astonished Ed.].

Perhaps Jorge Griffa had a word in his ear, and he lowered his demands.

Heinze now struggles to make ends meet with the €1 million a year he makes in France, but he can find comfort in still counting as a favourite with the national team.

Ever since Marcelo Bielsa first called up the ‘Gringo’ in 2003, Heinze has always been in the Argentina set-up.

And while Diego Maradona kept repeating that his team is "Mascherano plus 10," Olé picked up the coach earlier in the week on this point, declaring that the team is, in fact, "Heinze plus 10."

After the defeat to Brazil at the weekend, Heinze seemed to be let off by the sports daily.

"It’s not your fault that we don’t have other left-backs and you have to play there," wrote the paper.

"Its not your fault that Dunga marked Zanetti, knowing you’d waste the ball if you went forward," it added.

"It’s not your fault they blocked you and made you lose your man in the first goal."

Clearly, Olé were in a forgiving mood.

"It is your fault, though, for blaming a team mate on the pitch."

After the first goal, Heinze had screamed at debutant Seba Dominguez, when replays suggested it was in fact the Argentina vice-captain who should have been there.

"It is not your fault that you just watched as Luis Fabiano scored the third."

And then came the final thrust of the dagger... "Heinze is a symptom of not being as good as we think we are."

Olé may well be on to something there.

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Little optimism after Diego's derby disaster

2009-09-07T16:00:00Z

To avoid the possibility of accidentally forwarding them to local friends, Argie Bargy spent most of Monday morning deleting the deluge of emails that, with varying degrees of abuse and humour, poked fun at the Argentina national team after their ‘match’ against Brazil.

From FFT.com's World Cup News section, Sun Sep 6: Maradona says qualification is now "complicated"

After giving Dunga a helping hand with some tips on how to beat Diego’s men, however, it felt like a sensible thing to avoid the outside world.

Gauging the national mood would be done strictly via TV, radio, and the world wide web.

BLOG: Fri Sep 4: An Argentinian explains how Brazil can win
BLOG: Fri Sep 4: An Brazilian explains how Argentina can win

Most presenters and commentators had given up on the national team by half time on Saturday night, and there’s no change this week. The blood-letting has begun.

One fan's face tells a thousand stories

In the scientific laboratory of online surveys, recent results show that public opinion is swerving violently away from the optimism that had filled the newspaper pages in the build-up to the game with Brazil.

Half of La Nación’s readers don’t think that the team will qualify for the World Cup. 65 percent of Clarín’s clients agree. 33 percent of Olé’s onliners don’t think the team will take a point from the game in Paraguay on Wednesday.

Everyone’s agreed on one thing. This is a total disaster.

When they reached for the Ideas Thesaurus for tips on how to hype up the clásico even more ahead of the game, much of Argentina's press went along cinematic lines.

Most Saturday morning headlines went along the lines of ‘It’ll be a blockbuster clash!’, ‘Who’ll take the Oscar - Kaká or Messi?’ and ‘Will there be a Hollywood ending?’

After watching the drubbing that Dunga’s men dished out to Argentina in Rosario, it’s fair to say that the Argentine defenders' performance could provide ample material for a feature-length production in any of number of cinematic genres – suspense, crime, horror, comedy...

Given the desperate nature of the situation – fourth in the qualifiers, playing dreadfully, just been trounced by your neighbours, can’t score, can’t defend – some people are daring to suggest that the reason for all this is Maradona.

"We're all behind you, boss"

They say that his team selection is all over the place, he has no notion of team tactics, he is totally out of his depth in international management, he didn’t prepare the players enough, it was a mistake all along to think that he could manage the national team, and is that REALLY Fabricio Coloccini in the squad?

That said, going into a game with Brazil, Diego probably didn’t bargain for Javier Mascherano and Maxi Rodriguez having one of their most ineffective games ever, for Carlos Tevez to not shoot at goal once in the first half, for the wide players to keep firing in high crosses when the Brazil defenders were on average two feet taller than Argentina, for Heinze (56 caps) to blame Dominguez (debutant) for the first goal…

The outlook is bleak, but one thing's for sure.

If they don’t sort this out pronto they’re not going to the World Cup – for the first time in 40 years.

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"Why we'll never tire of beating Argentina"

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A Brazilian explains how Argentina can win

2009-09-04T10:00:00Z

INVASION ALERT! Ahead of the crucial Clasico qualifier between Argentina and Brazil, Celso de Campos Jr – writer of FourFourTwo.com blog The Noise From Brazil – gives his view from the other side. Including how Maradona's men can beat the Seleçao...

I know, I know...

You Argentina lovers out there are asking, what the f*ck is this Brazilian b*stard doing here in the sacred Argie Bargy territory? Right on the eve of Saturday’s Clásico?

Chill out, hermanos... I come in peace, invited by FourFourTwo.

Since the Albiceleste have been struggling lately in crunch-time professional matches against the Seleção (by the way, kudos to the youth and Olympic squad's recent triumphs), I thought I would pop in here to offer some advice to help Diego Maradona beat Brazil in this crucial World Cup qualifier.

I know the red alert light is flashing for Messi and his mates. There's a real threat of watching next year's World Cup on TV, and I honestly think there’s no point in rooting for Argentina falling short of the ultimate football party.

Besides the titles I celebrated in 1994 and 2002, some of my fondest World Cup memories are related to the arch-rivals' defeats!

And there is hope, of course.

Just because Brazil routed Argentina in the 2004 and 2007 Copa America finals and in the 2005 Confederations Cup, it doesn’t mean you can’t beat us when it really counts.

See, last year in the Belo Horizonte qualifier match you held us to a goalless draw.

WHACK! Baptista goes boom in 2007

So, seriously, let’s get down to business.

First, the basics. Brazil line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with a reliable defence despite Juan’s absence on Saturday – Benfica’s Luisão will join captain Lúcio, the true owner of the team, whether we like him or not.

On the wings, there’s high-flying Maicon and newcomer André Santos.

Then there’s two defensive midfielders, Felipe Melo on the left and Gilberto Silva on the right, behind a trio of offensive men feeding a lone man up front (Luis Fabiano).

During the Confederations Cup, Ramires (right) won a place among those three, alongside stars Robinho (on the left) and Kaká (in the centre).

But for this particular game Dunga has announced he’ll field Elano – a wise decision, since it’s sure going to get physical and Ramires must weigh 40 kg tops.

Also, with defensive-minded Elano on the right, Maicon’s Usain Bolt-like sprints to the attack will be covered.

Having said that, here’s the five keys to an Argentinian win – just don’t tell Dunga you heard it from me.

1 – Go right. Brazil's defensive left side is the weak spot of Brazil’s team. Veteran Kleber, the coach’s first choice, has proved himself a flunk – he lost his place to Andre Santos in the Confederations Cup and it’s safe to say he’s history.

The new starter Andre Santos, who recently left Corinthians to Fenerbahce, is a fairly good player, but rather inexperienced internationally – so much so that Dunga, with an eye on 2010, has already tested right-back Daniel Alves on the left side in the Confederations Cup.

Besides, Andre Santos is best known for his attacking skills, so expect an avenue wider than Buenos Aires’ 12-lane 9 de Julio down Brazil’s left side. With Messi and Tevez there, I don’t even want to think about Argentina’s counter-attacks.

2 – Eyes on the 9. The Battle of Rosario Reloaded is one of those close games that are likely to be decided by an implacable centre-forward who doesn’t forgive that one slight defensive mistake. (Remember, the original one, in the 1978 World Cup, ended in a bloody 0-0.)

Brazilian Luis Fabiano shone in the recent Confederations Cup – not to mention that he’s the team’s top scorer with seven goals and usually grows in big games.

Double-teaming him is mandatory, especially when one of your defenders is Sebá Dominguez – who embarrassed himself in Brazilian football during his brief stint with Corinthians in 2005.

I haven’t seen him since, and I don’t want to be unfair, but I don’t believe the 29-year-old veteran can have learned in the last four seasons what he hadn’t already gleaned in a quarter of century.

(Oh, and don’t even think about handing the infamous “Holy Water” to Luis Fabiano. If something happens to him, there’s Adriano behind him – I won’t be mean enough to remind you what the Emperor has done to Argentina in the past.)

The Emperor: Waiting in the wings

3 – Hit us. You can’t let the Brazilians “like the match,” as we say here. In our last game, against Uruguay at Centenario, the opposition was soft and we rolled them over 4-0.

So – and I can’t believe I’m suggesting this – Argentina can stop Brazil with a spot of violence towards the brain of the squad, our offensive midfield.

If they're made uncomfortable, Robinho, Kaká and Elano tend to disappear from the game. Unfortunately.

(Note: This doesn’t apply to Luis Fabiano, who’d be delighted to engage in a quick fight. Stay away from him.)

But, please, keep violence at a reasonable level – and since Mascherano is out, we’re half-way there.

NEWS: September 4: "We will strangle Brazil" – Maradona

4 – Don’t tease us. The old Argentinian catimba [provocation] has lost its power. Clubs may still fall for it in the South American tournaments, but the Seleção is experienced enough to dodge it – and will actually take advantage of it.

Don’t forget the lesson of the 2004 Copa America final in Lima.

With minutes to go, Argentina were 2-1 up against Brazil's B squad – Ronaldo, Ronaldinho & Co. were sipping caipirinhas at home – when Tevez and D’Alessandro began to tease the Brazilians, doing little tricks with the ball.

It enraged the Seleção, who went forward, tied the game and took it home on penalties.

5 – Pray. Since the Argentina coach is himself a god, according to the straight-edged fellas of the Maradonian church, this one should be already covered.

But, just in case, the gaffer took his army on Thursday to a private chat with the almighty of the Christians too, in the AFA chapel, in the Ezeiza facilities. Wise man...

So good luck to Argentina! Hope to see you in 2010...

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Joel Richards: How to beat Argentina...

Have Huddersfield swung the clasico?

2009-09-03T11:00:00Z

It’s the victors who get to write history, or so the saying goes. That certainly seems to be the case when it comes to internationals between Argentina and Brazil.

The clásico is just around the corner, and the underhand tactics to grab an early psychological advantage have started in earnest.

Historically, there’s nothing between the two powerhouses of South American football. That’s what the Argentines believe.

AFA offer proof on their website, pointing out that a quick perusal of the history books suggests a stalemate between the two footballing giants. 23 draws, and 33 wins each. All square.

Their opposite numbers in Brazil, meanwhile, have other ideas.

According to the CBF, Argentina have indeed fluked 33 wins, and been lucky to hold the Samba Boys to a draw in 23 encounters, but ultimately the southern neighbours are the losers: in total, say the Brazilian Federation, 36 clásicos have gone their way.

So where do these three games come from? Argentine stattos have been quick to denounce the three matches as disproportionate embellishments of quarter-truths.

One 1920s win the Brazilians are happy to count as a ‘full international’ was, say the Buenos Aires historians, against an Argentina ‘B’ team. The real Argentina national team was playing Uruguay in Montevideo on the same day.

Furthermore, two 1960s clashes in which the Samba Boys ran riot were indeed against the full national team from Argentina – but the victors were a Rio de Janeiro select XI, not the national team. They don’t count, say the Argentines.

We’ll leave the History Today argument to one side, because Maradona is less concerned with historical one-upmanship than other matters – namely that he is without one of his key men.

Ever since taking over as Argentina coach, Diego always stated that there was one player who would always be in his team. “Mascherano is my captain. My team will be always be Mascherano plus 10.”

A few months later, Diego decided on another player to join the Liverpool midfielder as one of his proverbial ‘first picks.’

“It’s Mascherano and Messi plus nine,” said El Diez, bowing to the undeniable fact that the Barcelona forward Leo Messi is light years ahead of any other player in the world right now.

So far so good: everything was running smoothly, mostly because the media had forgotten, or stopped talking about, the 6-1 loss in Bolivia and the 2-0 defeat to Ecuador.

Preparations were being made for the must-win game against Brazil, but then came a friendly in Russia that few wanted to play.

After a tough test against Guus Hiddink’s men, Diego penned in another name. One player had been simply brilliant.

“Jonás Gutiérrez was fantastic. My team is Masche, Messi and Jonás plus eight," confirmed Diego, fast filling in a teamsheet with an undisputed first XI.

Maradona watches a lot of international football, but with the clash against Brazil just around the corner, you could forgive Maradona for not remembering to set the DVD to record the Carling Cup second round ties.

A midweek clash between teams from the second and third tier in the second most important cup competition in England might not have topped his Tivo list.

That is, of course, until the 92nd minute of the 4-3 thriller between Newcastle United and Huddersfield Town.

The Geordies' lank-haired winger was on his back. The hamstring injury to Jonás Gutiérrez suddenly took on slightly wider implications.

Argentina are currently fourth in the CONMEBOL qualifiers, and have a tough run-in for their final four games.

For the visit of Brazil, Diego already has to do without one of his key centre-backs – the man who once had to deny having had botox operations, Martin Demichelis.

Now there’s no Jonás. The winger may not be the most high-profile absentee, but Maradona knows who and what to blame if Argentina don’t defeat Brazil at the weekend... Huddersfield Town, and the Carling Cup.

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The Rock-Dodging Weekend Review – Round Two

2009-09-01T15:00:00Z

With a punctuality that would make AFA proud, Argie Bargy is up and running once again.

The season is barely two weeks old but already shaping up nicely – an open title race, lots of goals and plenty of skill and scandal to keep things lively.

We’ve already had arguably the best piece of showboating you’ll see all season – Eduardo ‘Toto’ Salvio showing why he’s earned a call-up from Maradona, while also reminding Rafa Benítez why Liverpool did well not to stick with Gabriel Paletta.

Now you see it: Salvio pwns Paletta (watch it here)

At the other end of the spectrum of the Argentine football experience - sublime skill being at one, crowd violence at the other - Chacarita fans have had two matchdays back in top flight to demonstrate why they are the most feared set of fans of all.

So far the Undertakers have a 100 percent record, with disturbances and arrests at two games out of two.

As for the early-season form guide, last season’s champions Vélez are setting the pace at the top of the table, along with the Libertadores-winning, Juan Sebastián Verón-inspired Estudiantes.

The Rosario sides - Central and Newell’s - also have two wins out of two, but neither are expected to challenge for honours come the end of the championship, barring several acts of God over the next few months.

River and Boca, meanwhile, both chalked up their first wins of the season in round two thanks to their veteran 35-year old forwards.

River’s Ariel Ortega enjoyed not one, but two moments of clarity at the weekend – he set up the equaliser for 3-3 against the recently-promoted Chacarita, and then won the game with a brilliant lob, ensuring Nestor Gorosito’s natural perm will be sat in the dugout at the Monumental for at least one more week.

Up and under: Ortega lobs the keeper (watch it here)

At Boca, Martín Palermo could be forgiven the badge-kissing after his winner against Lanús.

Boca’s barra brava – or in English, ‘thugs’ – turned up at training last Friday to verbally abuse Palermo and call him a ‘traitor’ after the striker had been quoted (out of context) as saying he’d like to play the Club World Cup with Estudiantes – the club where he started out.

Perhaps scoring his 207th goal for the Xeneize will keep the barra brava quiet...

"Traitor, eh?": Palermo scores – (watch it here)

Of course, the fact that there is any football in the first place is a minor miracle.

Just days ahead of the scheduled kick off, the Players’ Union had the barefaced audacity to complain about clubs not paying their players’ wages.

Clubs being massively in debt came as news to nobody, but strike action called by the union brought it to a head.

A titanic round of pass-the-buck ensued: the union blamed the clubs; the clubs said they were in debt and blamed the TV rights deal; TV rights holders blamed AFA and the clubs; AFA whispered something about the clubs and the global financial crisis, but shouted about the (lack of) money paid for TV rights.

The upshot of the madre of all rucks between AFA, the government and big business is a series of lawsuits that will keep the nation’s lawyers occupied for several months, if not years.

The clubs should be able to clear their debt and pay their players, and football has returned to the people under the banner of fútbol para todos – ‘football for everyone’.

The government has essentially nationalised the sport, doubled the money paid for TV rights and made sure that the whole country can watch football.

Pay-per-view is now a thing of the past – all 900 minutes of top-flight football are broadcast live every weekend, kicking off on Friday night and allowing people to get on with their lives late on Sunday evening.

It used to be said that with so many clubs based in and around the capital, Buenos Aires was the perfect city for the football fan.

If you were lucky with the fixtures you could squeeze in at least three games a weekend. Now you can see them all, and you don’t even have to leave the living room...

Round 2 results
Tigre 1-2 Rosario Central
Racing 1-1 Colón
Vélez 3-1 Arsenal
Estudiantes 3-0 Gimnasia
Argentinos 1-1 Banfield
Godoy Cruz 1-1 San Lorenzo
River 4-3 Chacarita
Atlético Tucuman 2-4 Independiente
Lanús 1-2 Boca
Newell’s 1-0 Huracán

To see all 33 of the weekend’s goals in their glory, with the Beatles backing track included for some reason unknown to Argie Bargy, click here.

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20-team league witnesses 24th sacking of season

2009-05-31T11:00:00Z

River Plate may have been getting all the attention recently for their poor plight, but even further down the table lie their arch rivals Boca Juniors.

The Argentine media, never ones to hold back an opinion, have labelled Boca’s current campaign the worst in recent history, with Argentina’s most popular team 14th having won just five games all season.

But for a Boca fan, most South American supporters in fact, the Copa Libertadores is the holy grail.

And, as the cooler weather swept in, Boca’s bid ended early at the last 16 stage, ultimately costing coach Carlos Ischia his job.

Boca bow out to unfancied Uruguayans Defensor Sporting

NEWS: Boca coach to quit at end of season
NEWS: Velez inflict more misery on Boca
NEWS: Boca eliminated from Libertadores

Ischia’s departure will delight Boca fanatic Diego Maradona, who until being appointed the national team coach embarked on a fairly abusive mission to undermine his position.

While further speculation was rife when fan-favourite Carlos Bianchi, under whom Boca won the Libertadores, returned to the ‘non-coaching’ staff.

One subject Maradona and Ischia may agree on is the stubborn character Juan Roman Riquelme.

After walking out of the national squad saying he and Maradona didn’t see eye to eye, the Boca playmaker has reportedly had problems with Ischia.

While Martin Palermo, Boca’s all-time leading goal-scorer, has also allegedly disputed many areas of Ischia’s management.

"Fine, have it your way..."

Ischia has said he will leave the club at the end of the Clausura championship which has three games left to run.

Incredibly, he is the 24th coach to be sacked in the Primera this season – a league with only 20 teams in it - with Claudio Borghi also leaving Independiente to replace Claudio Vivas at Argentinos Juniors.

And with Argentina’s ‘Big Five’ – Boca, River, San Lorenzo, Independiente and Racing – all enduring crisis upon crisis, it is again likely that the league’s smaller teams will shine at the end of the season.

Lanus lead the way ahead of Velez Sarsfield, Huracan and Colon.

Problems continue to pile up for River Plate

"You’re going home in a Buenos Aires ambulance..."

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"You’re going home in a Buenos Aires ambulance..."

2009-05-21T08:00:00Z

It doesn’t quite have the same ring to it as some of it's English equivalents on the terraces (especially given the woeful healthcare service – but that’s another story), but it still isn’t a pleasant sentiment.

Yet Argentinian fans, as you would expect from the home of the tango, wax a more lyrical insult – my particular favourite being "Tu hermana en tanga," translated as "Your sister in the G-string."

River Plate fans have become a bitter lot in recent years, but the boiling point I predicted a month or so ago appears to be steaming at least, with the head of chairman Jose Maria Aguilar still to fall.

Tickets for the upper-tier were snapped up in seconds...

Now the fans are also turning on the players, with these choice insults heard in recent weeks:

"Que se vayan todos, que no queda uno solo" – "That everyone goes, and no one is left."

"Se va acabar, esta dictadura de Aguilar" – "It’s going to end, this dictatorship of Aguilar."

However, the one that is really sending the shivers through the River changing rooms is:

"Jugadores, si los vemos en un boliche, los mandamos al hospital" - "Players, if we see you in a nightclub, we are going to send you to hospital."

Empty threats? Well, considering members of River’s violent barra brava have been killed in the past, if I were a player I’d be spending more nights at home.

And why the vitriol? River are currently seventh, and sinking quickly. They are already out of the Copa Libertadores – the most important competition in South America – after crashing out in the first round, winning only one game.

They then they lost 4-0 to Huracan last weekend.

Huracan! I am now a Huracan supporter. They have always fitted in neatly with my other team, Scunthorpe, in terms of division yo-yoing. So to beat River 4-0... wow.

Huracan celebrate humping River

It was the shock of the weekend, even in a particularly high scoring couple of days.

Results:

Argentinos 2-4 Godoy Cruz
Lanús 2-1 Rosario Central
Huracán 4-0 River
Newell`s 1-1 Banfield
Gimnasia 3-1 Vélez
Tigre 2-1 Colón
Boca 2-1 Arsenal
Racing 1-2 San Martín (T)
Independiente 1-5 Estudiantes
Gimnasia (J) 0-3 San Lorenzo

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Boca barra brava set up sightseeing service

2009-05-09T11:00:00Z

Now that’s service...

Usually, service in the Argentine capital can be a little brusque. Steaks, stunning though they are, are usually dumped before you by a 130-year-old waiter in a dirty tux, and wine swamped in ice (you know the wine is bad when they don’t even ask if you want ice).

But it appears things are on the up in the most unlikely place of Buenos Aires... La 12.

That’s right, Boca Juniors' hooligan group are unofficially offering services to tourists, taking them into the stadium and keeping an eye on them.

And then the next day… following up with a courtesy call to make sure they had a good time.

A recent story from a German tourist reveals how effective the tour is.

"Thank you, please come again..."

Approaching La Bombonera on the morning of the Superclasico a couple of weeks back, the said tourist and a friend were sold ‘entrance’ to the game.

For AR$300 – about £50 and substantially lower than the usual ‘there’s a tourist, lets fleece him with a fake ticket rate’ - a member of the barra brava invited the German to enter with La 12.

Barra bravas in Argentina don’t pay an entrance fee (in fact they are usually given tickets to sell on around the stadium), they just barge past helpless police carrying streams of banners, fireworks and wine in a box (ice essential) to their usual position in the ground.

The tourists were invited to help carry the flag – a hallowed position in the strictly hierarchal barra brava – and taken into the centre position, before watching the game surrounded (and protected) by the hardest guys in BA.

And the next day? The phone call comes: "Can’t wait to see you next week."

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Simeone in to save slumping San Lorenzo

2009-04-23T15:00:00Z

Yes I know I say it a lot, but there really is no league in the world quite like the Argentine Primera.

Why? Well, lets take a peek at San Lorenzo, one of the most supported teams in the country.

After crashing out of the Copa Libertadores, they flew all the way back to Buenos Aires only to lose 3-0 at home to Tucuman, resulting in fans attempting to storm the hotel where the team was staying, scuffling with security guards.

Coach, Miguel Angel Russo has already gone, so who is to step into his shoes? Step forward Diego ‘El Cholo’ Simeone.

Simeone: Back in black

However, the plot thickens – the guy who is thought to have orchestrated this move is none other than Marcelo Tinelli.

Tinelli is Argentina’s biggest TV star. He is the Jonathon Ross of Argentina. He is also San Lorenzo’s most famous fan (although Viggo Mortensen, who played Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings movies, may beg to differ).

And such is his fanaticism and power over the club that he even set up an investment fund to help the club – a private endeavour.

Simeone will, if he manages to win a few games, stay at the club for 15 months, taking on to the touchline in his trademark black outfit in two weeks' time against struggling Racing, a team he has previously coached.

Speaking to Ole, he insists he understands that an uphill struggle lies ahead. “I’m more motivated when things are a right mess. And all I’m asking for is order, order, order.”

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Marcelo magic ensures Superclasico spoils shared

2009-04-21T11:00:00Z

As the taxi drivers huddled around bar windows, deftly ignoring anyone wanting to go anywhere, they watched as the cheers went up, firstly, for those in blue and yellow and then red and white.

However, it was the River fans feeling relieved at full-time having seen their team draw 1-1 at La Bombonera.

After a lousy run in the Copa Libertadores (down but not out), utter failure last season and an unconvincing campaign so far, River fans are finally beginning to lose their patience.

Palermo bags opener

In the biggest game of the season, it was an ecstatic Martin Palermo who edged Boca ahead after 59 minutes in front of an even more elated crowd.

However, Marcelo Gallardo’s 25-yard free-kick soon put an end to the celebrations.

“We could of won it,” coach Nestor Gorosito said afterwards, or something similar. “River finished with a good image. I would have liked more of the ball, and not lose it so quickly… we had few chances that meet our potential.”

Boca, without the injured Juan Roman Riquelme (who will also be out of their Libertadores clash with Ecuadoreans Cuenca on Wednesday), remain in 13th position.

Under-performing they may be in the domestic league, but this is a team who have been together for several seasons, have some talented youngsters at their disposal and have a proven, but not stellar, record.

Gallardo levels

Elsewhere, Velez leapfrogged Lanus and Colon to top the table. However, Huracan are fourth, their highest position in years, giving this correspondent reason to be slightly over-excited.

OK, they are still five points behind Lanus but Los Quemeros haven’t had too much to cheer about for, well, lets just say a long while. They walloped bottom-of-the-league Argentinos 4-1, each one of them a GOOOAAALLLLAAZZZOOO.

And if you're new to the Superclasico, the clips below provide a taster of what you've been missing out on.

River fans in the stands
Boca supporters stoke up the atmosphere

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Problems continue to pile up for River Plate

2009-04-16T14:00:00Z

It appeared for a while that River Plate would bounce back from the horrors of last season's pathetic performance.

After finishing bottom of the Apertura last time out, they started the new campaign well and are in a perfectly respectable fourth position with 15 points – Velez, Colon and Lanus above them are all on 18.

But numbers can be deceiving. River’s crisis continues.

Argentinian fans are known for their vocal opinion-making, but River’s fans were unusually muted during last season's shocking display. However, now they are making their feelings known.

After coming from behind to draw at home with Gimnasia de La Plata, the players were jeered.

River skulk off after disappointing draw

On the back of another draw against Nacional de Uruguay that could see them crash out of the Libertadores (San Lorenzo are already out, leaving Boca as the country's main hope), the fans began to fear that River may not be a team at all.

With a single in-form striker in Radamel Falcao and poor defensive play plaguing every game, Néstor Gorosito's team are, for the fifth season running, struggling to find form and cohesion - and even when they won the 2008 Clausura it was far from convincing.

However, the real test is next Sunday in the Superclasico… at Boca’s indomitable fortress.

To fail on this stage could be the final straw for the River faithful, who may call not only for the head of coach Nestor Gorosito, but the far from illustrious chairman José Aguilar.

90 percent of River’s members are believed to be against the guy, voted for in 2005 by 51 percent of the members (and the barra brava). Now could be his time to fall.

We’ll see after the ticker tape clears next Monday morning.

Gorosito: Great hair, great suit, not so great results

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Shrinks, spats and Superclasicos

2009-04-10T11:00:00Z

Argentine football is a distressingly uncaring rollercoaster of a ride.

The ups are up and the downs are subterranean. And if you are an Argentine, who are not generally known for their reserve and stiff upper lips, it can be an emotional affair.

Here I’d like to add my own reason as to why there are more psychiatrists per muddled head in Buenos Aires than anywhere else in the world, including neurotic New York.

The answer is simple: New York doesn’t have football.

Despite a crushing 6-1 defeat to Bolivia at altitude (La Paz is at 3,700 metres up – although Maradona couldn’t complain as he has previously campaigned with Bolivia president Evo Morales to stop FIFA banning games at altitude) they did drub Venezuela 4-0 scoring goals like these.

Bolivia deliver a battering

Who needs Riquelme? Well, Boca do.

Maradona doesn’t rate him, and Riquelme has decided he won’t play under El Diez (which for an Argentine is the equivalent of telling St Peter at the gates of heaven: “Well, whatever, I never believed in God anyway, I choose hell"), so no one really knows who will end up with egg on their face.

On Friday, Boca play Paraguay’s Guarani Asuncion at the Bombonera in the ever-important Copa Libertadores.

They are currently at the top of their easy mini league group, and are faring better than fellow Argentine outfits River, Estudiantes and Lanus, despite the latter currently topping the domestic league.

And then on April 18 it is the Superclasico – Boca vs River at the Bombonera.

Due to Boca’s lacklustre season – they are 9th – their focus must be on the Libertadores. But River’s season is not faring so well either, although being fourth in the league must be making them reasonably content considering last year's implosion when they finished bottom.

Who’d be a River fan eh? Who’d be an Argentina fan for that matter? But given this correspondent's Scunthorpe United fanaticism (damn you Luton), Argentine football’s unpredictable rally of successes and failures may suit me just fine.

La Bombonera awaits...

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The best Argentina goals ever…

2009-03-09T11:00:00Z

Style, that’s what Argentine football players do well. Oodles of style.

They may struggle as a team, but Argentine football has never been about the team, more individual brilliance.

So here are a selection of the best goals ever scored by the Argentine national squad, in no particular order, and not including the obvious contenders by Diego Maradona.

Javier Zanetti: One of the cheekiest, and classiest, free-kicks ever, and on the grandest stage of all to boot as England concede at the 1998 World Cup.

Zanetti catches England cold in St Etienne

Esteban Cambiasso: Again, at the World Cup - this time in 2006 against Serbia & Montenegro - and when I said Argentina never play like a team, I lied.

Hernan Crespo: The Inter Milan striker finishes in remarkable style against Colombia in 1995. The build-up to the goal isn't bad either.

Maxi Rodriguez: Stunning volley from the Atletico Madrid man sends Argentina into the 2006 World Cup last eight at Mexico's expense.

Aimar: The former Valencia midfielder converts from close range against Bolivia, but in some style.

Maxi: "Have a bit of this"

Sergio Aguero: ‘El Kun’ stakes his place for a call-up to the senior side and impresses future father-in-law Maradona with this cracking effort at the U20 World Cup in Toronto against Poland.

Lionel Messi: 'The Flea' chips in against Mexico at the 2007 Copa America.

Missed any? Add your favourites in the comments section below.

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FourFourTwo’s April issue, out now, is a South America special.

It features the 10 best new wonderkids from that continent, including exclusive interviews with Manchester United’s twins Fabio and Rafael da Silva plus Sao Paolo’s £100m-rated “new Kaka” Hernanes.

There are also interviews with Zico and Socrates; a look at the Boca Juniors academy responsible for Tevez, Burdisso, Gago, Banega et al; and the Lord of the Rings star so dedicated to Argentine outfit San Lorenzo that he bunked off a film set to see them play.

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Argentina vs Brazil.... a (biased) potted history

2009-03-05T12:00:00Z

Unlike many national rivalries, England vs Germany, Turkey vs Greece, USA vs Iran, there is little history between Argentina and Brazil that goes beyond football.

The Portuguese-speaking Brazilians and Spanish-speaking Argentines fought over land while they were dividing up the riches of South America.

And although the Argentina–Brazil war during the 1820s resulted in Uruguayan Independence, these land snatches are largely ignored by football loving South Americans. The fierce rivalry between the two countries is almost entirely because of footballing superiority.

Despite recent poor performances by both national teams, Argentines and Brazilians still consider themselves the best in the world. A glance at the FIFA rankings sees Brazil in 5th and Argentina a place below them.

But Spain? "fluke." Germany? "Good but no style." Netherlands? "Who?" Italy? "We taught them everything we know."

Diego takes a tumble in '82

Brazil and Argentina are not only the best teams in the world, they do it with style. And when these teams meet, the so called ‘Battle of South America’ consumes their nations.

We’ll skip over the Pele and Maradona argument that was so brilliant dissected in this month’s FourFourTwo and, instead, look at the history of the sides' rivalry that's been intense and full of incident, scandals and violence.

They have played a total of 93 games, with Argentina winning 34 and Brazil 35, Argentina scoring 149 goals and Brazil 145. Although the national football confederations have disputed some of these results, the relative parity between the arch rivals is not up for debate.

The first major talking point took place was in 1937, in less PC times when a section of the Argentine support were allegedly racist. The Brazilian players walked off before the end of a game that Argentina won 2-0 after extra time.

In 1939 it was the turn of the Argentine team to storm of, after Arcadio López had been sent off for barracking the ref. Brazil waited until the goalkeeper had walked off and then popped one into the net. The game couldn’t be restarted, so Brazil won 3-2.

Caniggia rounds Taffarel to slot home in 1990

1945 and 1946 witnessed violence spread from the pitch to the terraces and back again. Two games in particular saw broken bones, fractured egos and pitch invasions. Argentina's captain, Jose Salomon, was so badly hurt he never played professionally again.

But then in 1990, one of the most bizarre and infamous incidents in international football took place: the so-called ‘Holy Water’ scandal.

Argentina defeated Brazil 1-0 after Diego Maradona released Claudio Caniggia to score a wonderful goal. But the controversy was only just about to begin.

During a pause in play, the Argentine staff gave Brazilian Branco a water bottle, from which he took a swig, that allegedly was laced with tranquilisers. Not even Branco was aware of this until the Big Mouth struck again and Maradona informed a shocked press about the incident.

Branco threatened to sue the Argentines, but the Argentinian Football Association denied any wrongdoing (of course). It has further intensified every meeting since.

In a 1991 meeting, five players were sent off and one of the finest free kicks you will ever see was scored. Argentina won 3-2.

By now, cheating was almost an accepted ingredient of any clash, with Brazil seeking revenge for the ‘Holy Water’ scandal.

Branco (No.6) takes a 'water' break

In a thrilling 1995 Copa America quarter final, Tulio Costa (clearly) controlled the ball with his arm, but the referee decided it was on the chest and Brazil went on to win on penalties. The Argentine press dubbed it the ‘Hand of the Devil’.

Their last meeting was at the 2008 summer Olympics, a match-up which Argentina won comfortably.

But with both teams suffering from lacklustre form, especially during the World Cup Qualifiers, they now have more to prove than ever. Not just to each other, but to the world.

And it may be Argentina, under the leadership of ‘El God’, who have turned the corner given their recent performance against France.

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Argentina vs England... a (biased) potted history

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Argentina vs England... a (biased) potted history

2009-03-04T10:00:00Z

History has an ugly habit of rearing its head in football.

Diego Maradona is fond of stating that the Mano de Dios (Hand of God) was revenge for the Falklands/Malvinas war. And as an Englishman living in Buenos Aires, it's been the words ‘Mano de Dios’ that I've heard on a daily basis.

Of the 14 meetings between England and Argentina, each has been a tense, fierce and often ill-tempered affair.

Case closed

The sides first met at Wembley in 1951, the second team after Scotland to play England at the stadium, with the Three Lions winning 2-1.

Next it was England’s turn to tour Argentina. Although the team was officially called an FA XI, the 3-1 win for the hosts was largely considered a victory over England, with one Argentine politician commenting afterwards: "we nationalised the railways [built by the British], and now we have nationalised football."

The second game in Buenos Aires saw Alf Ramsey and Nat Lofthouse take to the pitch, before leaving 36 minutes later as the match was abandoned due to torrential rain.

While the first competitive meeting took place at the 1962 World Cup in Chile, with England triumphing 3-1 in an unremarkable affair.

But then they met again, in the 1966 World Cup quarter-finals.

A heavy-handed Argentine team were battering the English in the first half, but then German referee Rudolf Kreitlein sent off Antonio Rattin who eventually left the pitch accompanied by police. England won 1-0, manager Alf Ramsey said the Argentines behaved like ‘animals’, and a bitter rivalry was born.

"Don't do it George, you've never looked good in stripes"

They met three times more in friendlies in both Britain and Argentina, resulting in two draws and a win for England thanks to Keegan and Johnson goals, although it was Maradona who was named man of the match with his dazzling runs forward.

But it was the next encounter that would become one of the most famous meetings of all time. Mexico 1986.

There isn’t, of course, one English person or one Argentine who doesn’t know what happened that day in Mexico City. But if you are still bitter (Terry Butcher) then you'd better watch this. While, for everyone else, there's this. Nuff said.

England’s next meeting with Argentina was at Wembley in 1991, ending in a 2-2 draw.

In 1998, one of the most eagerly awaited clashes of the World Cup was England vs Argentina. An 18-year-old Owen ‘did a Maradona’, Beckham got sent off for ankle-tapping Diego Simeone and Victoria disagreed with the ref as Glenn Hoddle's "Heroic Lions" lost on penalties.

Becks atones for '98 mistake

By 2002 it was time for revenge as "Stupid Boy" Beckham, who by now was captain of his country, finally became the hero from the penalty spot.

And it was another three years before their next - and last - meeting, 39 years after the violent 1966 World Cup encounter that began the rivalry, as England left it late to win 3-2 in a Geneva friendly.

It was reported in The Times as thus: "By the unpleasant standards of previous confrontations, the skirmish between England and Argentina edged towards the saccharine, although the concept is deeply relative. The latest encounter featured punches on the terraces, songs about the Falkland Islands, jibes regarding players’ sexuality and general churlishness that, believe it or not, represents a significant thaw in diplomatic relations."

Owen late show seals England win in Geneva

But Argentina don’t hate the English, they are surprisingly anglophiles. Maybe it is more respect. One high ranking member of Boca Junior’s ferocious hooligan group once told me: "I like the English. We fought them in Sardinia in 1982. They were tough and great fighters. I respect that."

For Argentines, England are just a starter. Their real hatred is reserved for Brazil…

To be continued.

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FourFourTwo’s April issue, out now, is a South America special.

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Racing lose a coach, Independiente gain a hero

2009-02-22T12:00:00Z

It's in the big games where heroes and legends are born, and Saturday was Lucas Pusineri's day.

The 32 year old played the game of his life to help Independiente beat bitter rivals Racing 2-0, with the chants around the stadium echoing the elder leader's name: "Pusineri, Pusineri."

At the opposite end of the ground, the cries of of "Llop, Llop" could be heard but for very different reasons.

After the loss, Racing coach Juan Manuel Llop quit. Llop had previously been backed by the fans, as he was appointed while the club was going through a grave financial crisis that saw the company that owned them go bankrupt.

But after a meeting with the board, he decided to hand in his resignaton. However, Llop had earned a lot of respect and shouldn't be without work for long.

Montenegro celebrates scoring in derby

Playing in Huracan's stadium while Independiente's new home is being built, Pusineri headed the first after only three minutes and went on to punish a woeful Racing until the final whistle.

The second came after 65 minutes, with Gabriel Mercado tugging Ismael Sosa in the penalty area, allowing Independiente stalwart Daniel Montenegro to neatly slot the ball home.

The Avellaneda Derby, named after the neighbourhood they share, was typically dramatic, with a vast ticker tape entrance providing a red hot atmosphere for one of the most thrilling derbies in the world.

And this is what it feels like to be under one of the largest football flags ever made.

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Argentina's big boys make stuttering starts

2009-02-19T13:00:00Z

The new season's underway in Argentina, with last weekend seeing the second round of fixtures completed and a few surprise names topping the table.

Newell's Old Boys lead the way, while Huracan lie in second and Arsenal third.

You can't read too much into the table at such an early stage, but Huracan's 4-1 drubbing of Racing must have caused some glee among the Quemeros ('Burners' - their stadium is near a landfill) who have had very little to celebrate for several years.

Newell's not only went straight to the top of the league, but did so by beating Boca 2-0 in the Bombonera. Maybe Boca's youngsters do have a little more to learn.

Boca slip up at home to Newell's

With losses for Boca, Racing, San Lorenzo and Independiente, River were the only team of the big five to win, beating Central 2-1. Even more incredible is that they still had some fans left after last season's rock bottom-placed finish.

Early days it may be, and I once again predict Boca to run away with the league, and possibly the Libertadores although my Brazilian friends may have something to say about that.

Next weekend is one of the biggest derbies in Argentina: Independiente vs Racing.

I've covered one of these games for the More Than Just A Game feature in FourFourTwo and can vouch for its intensity. There is a deep divide between the fans of both teams despite their stadiums literally being less than 400 metres apart. Here's a clip to wet your appetite (plus another of a wonderful goal from new daddy Sergio Aguero).

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Maradona's moans ahead of French examination

2009-02-10T15:00:00Z

Before Wednesday night's game in France, Diego, sporting greased back mullet and half of Sierra Leone's diamond deposits in his ears, relaxed on the Med.

He told Ole, Argentina's daily sports paper, the importance of the game against France - a team they could meet in the latter stages of the 2010 World Cup - with it being a good opportunity to test out the defence against an aggressive, attacking team.

Mascherano was singled out as a particular favourite. "He is the emblem of the team and that's why I made him captain."

Captain Mascherano gets Maradona's message across

He also explained that being the manager was much more difficult than he thought.

"I thought that when I got to the 'seleccion' they gave you everything. But I asked for an assistant and they didn't give it. They put us in a game in Cochabamba (Bolivia) at 8pm, and the plane leaves from Argentina at 8.30. This could wind me up, but it's the opposite.

"I chose to be here and I believe the kids need me and they need each other."

He also complained that Roman Riquelme couldn't be released to play in the side. Instead he will travel to Jujuy with his domestic team Boca Juniors – although a stomach bug may stop him playing anyway.

"I'm not going anywhere until I get my assistant"

Messi is, of course, central to his plans. "I'm a donkey," Maradona explained. "If I don't play Messi where he is best, I think the best position for Messi is where Barcelona are moving him, going to the right and going in diagonals. You have to give him the ball with the frequency that Leo wants and then leave him to play."

France is Argentina's first major test with a young team – no Riquelme and Veron injured – and now a certain amount of the surprise has fallen away, its time for Maradona to prove his worth.

I, for one, back the decision of appointing him. There isn't one person in Argentina (OK there might be one) who doesn't worship the guy, despite his flaws.

As for the players? Well if you were confronted by god, you'd play your best right?

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River ripped asunder by Boca babies

2009-02-02T14:00:00Z

With only seven days to go until the beginning of the season, it's surely time to hit the big red panic button on the River Plate chairman's desk.

Morale in the camp is at an all-time low. Having finished bottom of the table last season, River have lost most of their summer friendlies – including two defeats against hated rivals Boca Juniors.

The latest loss, against a Boca team so young and inexperienced they were known as los Pibes ('the kids'), was a disaster. In the blazing sun of Mendoza, Argentina's wine-growing region, River's team were not so much vintage as vinegar. There was no urgency and no leadership.

Boca: Kicking rivals River while they're down

The contrast with Boca's 'kids' couldn't have been more acute: they were there to have fun. A confident B team humiliated Argentina's other supposed powerhouse. Like a children's team who were winning by a vast margin, they almost decided to take it in turns to shoot.

Under the circumstances it was quite amazing they only managed to get two past the keeper, via Pablo Mouche and Facundo Roncaglia.

River looked on, without emotion. Boca sat back and admired their next generation.

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In-house hostility hampering Boca & River

2009-01-22T15:00:00Z

Having occupied antipodean places in last year's Apertura league table, Boca and River appear miles apart. But, in fact, their plights are far more similar than it may appear.

River all but imploded (although the administration remained strangely calm) during their disastrous season in which they finished bottom. Diego Simeone is long gone, and now with a team full of young pretenders, and the papers full of rumours, there have been no major signings.

Simeone: Long gone after leading River to rock bottom

Even Ariel Ortega, on a break for alcoholism treatment, looks more likely to go north to Peru than return to the Monumental. So there is little reason to believe that River's next season will be any more delightful than the last.

Boca, despite winning the title, have still had their fair share of turbulence, most of it caused by the appointment of former coach Carlos Bianchi as general manager, who is in danger of undermining namesake Ischia's tenure as coach.

Bianchi waded in to diffuse his first spat this week. Mauricio Caranta, Boca's former first-choice goalkeeper, was dropped from the squad – allegedly for the whole season - by Ischia, and told he must find a new club.

The apparently confused Caranta told the press: "When did I make a mistake? Where did I lie? It is a personal problem of mine, of my daughter, is it much less than a game of football? If having a problem with my daughter and trying to solve it is a sin, I don't understand, and if that doesn't allow me to play, I understand it even less."

What the problem was with his daughter is anyone's guess. "I never spoke about my problems with the players," he continued. "I never talked bad about anyone, perhaps Ischia thinks I killed a person, and I don't know about it."

Caranta: "I didn't kill anyone... honest"

It all culminated in a bizarre scene at a hotel in Tandil, a small town outside Buenos Aires where Boca stage their summer training camp. Caranta wasn't even allowed into the hotel where the players and Ischia were resting, instead leaving Bianchi to turn him away at the door.

Boca vs River may be one of the biggest games in the world, but both teams must sort our their own problems first before they can even think about taking on their arch-enemies.

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Summer loving for rejoicing Racing

2009-01-15T10:00:00Z

OK, so it's only a win in the summer tournament. But when you've had a couple of seasons like Racing, any win is a glorious one or at least an extreme relief, especially when it is against San Lorenzo.

This is a club where, only two years ago, a Playstation and a TV were the prizes on offer for players scoring a goal in the relegation battle. Man City, it ain't.

Racing are now back in the hands of the fans, who voted in Rodolfo Molina as Chairman, who - in turn - kept Juan Manuel Llop on as coach. And although they have had some tumultuous seasons in recent years, it is Llop who has maintained a level head and, most importantly, integrity throughout the debacle.

So it will have come as a massive relief to win the opening match under the new regime, a first in six games.

A sublime header from Matías Martínez put Racing ahead and the celebrations say it all (which include a little lesson in folk dancing if that's your kind of thing).

Llop shouted, screamed and the assembled Racing fans, mostly the barra brava, dared to believe a corner had been turned.

It probably hasn't yet, but Racing fans haven't had a thing to celebrate for years. So please, let them dream for now. They deserve it.

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All work and no play for Argentina's Big Five

2009-01-13T10:00:00Z

The Argentinian Football Association don't believe in giving their players much of a break.

No sooner have they hit the beaches of Uruguay after driving across with their model girlfriends in their moderately priced cars (there are no supercars in Argentina), than they will be back on the pitch playing in the pesky summer tournament.

Independiente, Boca, River, Racing and San Lorenzo, or the Big Five, will all meet in various destinations such as Mar del Plata - Argentina's version of Blackpool - and Mendoza in the wine-making region.

Mar del Plata... a bit like Blackpool apparently

And in the couple of weeks since the end of the season it has been all change.

Boca have brought back Carlos Bianchi, a former very successful coach to work 'behind' Carlos Ischia. Despite his reassurances he wouldn't step on Ischia's toes, he has already waded in to talk about possible signings. They are particularly desperate for a first team goalkeeper, and Bianchi (noticeably not Ischia) wants Roberto Abbondanzieri.

River had their worst season, well, ever, finishing comprehensively bottom (they don't get relegated because demotion is based on a three year average, basically safeguarding the bigger teams from going down).

Néstor Gorosito, who replaced Simeone via a temporary coach has said cheerio to Sebastián Abreu - sending him out on loan to Spain's Real Sociedad - without, as yet, bringing in a replacement goal-scorer.

Only the Colombian Radamel Falcao made any major impact in front of goal. However, Gorosito has said that "we all would like to see Ortega back." The star is currently in treatment for alcoholism.

Ortega: Return to River on the cards?

But the biggest change has taken place at continually-troubled Racing. Following the Blanquiceleste's demise for financial 'irregularities' the club, like most in Argentina, returned to being a civil association, whereby the fans vote in the club's chairman.

In the last couple of weeks Rodolfo Molina was handed the reins of the club with 43 percent of the vote.

Among the sweltering heat of the Argentine summer, we'll soon begin to see the effects of the changes – starting with River vs Independiente on Tuesday January 13 – the unluckiest day in the Argentine calendar (Friday 13th is actually lucky).

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Bianchi back for third term at Boca

2009-01-07T16:00:00Z

It's a time for reflection in Argentina. The season has ended and now is the time to uproot, leave the stinkingly hot city and head to the beaches of Uruguay.

Entire football clubs decamp to Argentine resorts such as Mar del Plata, Carmelo and across the River Plate to South America's self-styled St Tropez of the South, Punta del Este.

Here the teams strut their stuff on the beach with expensive haircuts and cheap speedos, getting papped coming out of night clubs with either models or a black eye. It also welcomes the return of daily football paper, Ole's Diosa del Dia (Godess of the Day) but I digress.

Bianchi: "Guess whose back... back again..."

The season came to a close with Boca winning a three-team play-off, despite losing to Tigre in the final game.

However, the celebrations have been overshadowed by the startling news that Carlos Bianchi is back at the club as 'general manager' while the other Carlos, Ischia, remains head coach of the squad.

The hugely popular Bianchi is Boca's most successful coach ever, winning nine titles during his two stints as manager. And now in a move that Peter Mandelson would be proud of, he's back for a third spell.

He has reassured Ischia at a news conference that, "Carlos is the chief of the first team. He manages the dressing room. If I have to talk to the players, I'll do it, but the dressing room is his property." Whatever that means.

Ischia: "Don't ask me, I'm just the head coach... I think"

His contract also stipulates that he can't take over the head coach job if Ischia goes. The current coach, despite guiding Boca to the title, has been unpopular with some of the Boca aristocracy, not least Maradona, who called him a 'big fat steak'.

What Bianchi's actual role is, is still unsure, but one of his first jobs is to find a new goalkeeper after Javier Garcia - who let in a horrendous goal against Tigre - was rendered surplus to requirements.

Isn't that the coach's job? Who knows?

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Title race gets uglier

2008-12-22T08:00:00Z

And so the plot thickens.

Boca Juniors beat San Lorenzo in the second game of the three-way play-off. Lowly Tigre remain in third place, and now play Boca Juniors on Wednesday with a win, draw or even 1-0 defeat for Argentina's most supported side handing them the title.

On Saturday night, it was another ill-tempered affair when Boca beat a nine-man San Lorenzo 3-1. And as usual in Argentina, the match had just about everything: great goals, horrific injuries, red cards and goalkeeping gaffes.

Chavez (centre) celebrates netting killer third

Amazingly, no serious injuries were reported after a shocking first-half clash between Boca defender Juan Forlin and Andres Silvera, although both were taken to hospital. Lucas Viatri opened the scoring for Boca and it stayed that way until a horrendous goalkeeping error from Boca's Javier Garcia allowed a shot from Solari sneek in.

Still, Boca's star striker Rodrigo Palacio added a second in the 77th minute, and a delightful goal from Cristian Chavez, thanks to a superb cross from Riquelme, settled the matter – to the wild jubilation of the Boca hardcore, who surged through the stadium.

In the last 10 minutes tempers frayed and Aguirre and Bergessio were both sent off for San Lorenzo.

Riquelme will now miss the final game against Tigre after receiving his fifth yellow card. But he may not be the only one missing in action. Argie Bargy would never wish to be labelled a cynic, but Tigre are well-known 'friends' of Boca…

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Play-offs, punch-ups and perished pigeons

2008-12-19T15:00:00Z

"Why use two words when you can use 20?" someone once said, I think, probably a politician. But the point was there. Sometimes overcomplicating things is good, more exciting.

Argentine football is a case in point. Well many aspects of Argentina actually. Why queue once for a drink in a bar, when you can queue to pay, queue for a ticket and then finally queue for your drink? You meet more people, have a chat and maybe spark up a beautiful friendship.

Argentine football is certainly not in the business of making life easy. There are currently three teams still fighting it out for top spot: San Lorenzo, Tigre and Boca. It would have been too easy to just settle everything on the final day of the league season, instead we have an elongated series of finals to, well, make it exciting. And no doubt it is.

So, as of today this is how it stands. All teams finished on 39 points out of 19 games, so it goes to a play-off because goal difference is not taken into account.

Bergessio celebrates doubling San Lorenzo's lead

On Wednesday, San Lorenzo beat Tigre in an ill-tempered play off game on a scorching day in the neutral Velez Sarsfield stadium.

San Lorenzo went ahead after 17 minutes thanks to a goalkeeping gaffe from Daniel Islas. And three minutes later poor defending from Tigre allowed Pablo Barrientes free to cross a perfect ball for Gonzalo Bergessio to power into the net.

Tigre pulled one back with a stunning header after 31 minutes, but then things got ugly. Play was stopped for six minutes when Tigre keeper Islas pushed Barrientos in the face. The referee missed it but he was finally sent off, much to the chagrin of Tigre's fans who bombarded the referee with bottles and coins to the extent that he required a police escort off the pitch.

Tempers flare after Tigre lose their keeper

And spare a thought this Christmas for the poor pigeon who was killed during the game. At least that's Christmas lunch sorted.

So, we're left with San Lorenzo due to face Boca Juniors on Saturday. A win for San Lorenzo would hand them the title, while a draw would mean that Tigre would be out of the running, with Boca needing a win next Tuesday against Tigre to be crowned champions. Otherwise, San Lorenzo win. Got that?

"Not the pigeon, why did you have to go and kill the pigeon..."

After Wednesday's shenanigans, it seems certain that there will be more craziness to come. There is too much at stake.

What will be interesting is if San Lorenzo draw on Saturday, leaving Boca ('friends' of Tigre) needing a win next week.

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Argentinian title to go right to the wire

2008-12-11T12:00:00Z

Three teams tied on 36 points and one game to play. Welcome to the most eagerly anticipated final day in Argentine footballing history.

San Lorenzo, arguably the country's fifth biggest team, lead the way on goal difference, with the mighty Boca Juniors, undoubtedly the most popular team in Argentina, lying in third.

And nestling in the middle... the mighty, erm, well, actually pretty tiny, Tigre.

Boca and San Lorenzo (and Tigre) to go head-to-head for title

Who, you may ask? Well, until Club Atlético Tigre were promoted to the Primera at the end of the 2006/07 season, the team from the gorgeous semi-tropical delta two hours north of Buenos Aires were anonymous, even by second division standards.

But during the 2007/08 Apertura – the second of two championships that take place each year – they stunned the footballing fraternity by finishing second. And now they have defied the critics again with an already secured top three finish and the possibility of taking top spot.

"We are hungrier than Boca and San Lorenzo," manager Diego Cagna told Olé. "We are in a historical position. We have never won a title in the Primera, and if we don't get it, it will be bad luck."

When the final whistle blows in all three games at around 7.10pm this Sunday, the Apertura will be done and dusted. Tigre need a 2-0 home win against mid-table Banfield, while San Lorenzo have a trickier test against Argentinos, who have had a poor season but are notoriously unpredictable.

Boca have the undoubted advantage with Colon travelling to play in front of a sell out crowd at the Bombonera.

Jam-packed La Bombonera plotting title party

The bookies have Boca to win, of course, but fans only need to hark back two years when Estudiantes beat them to the title in a similar situation.

The 'two seasons in a year' system, that confounds so many, does have its advantages. With only 20 games to play, the championship race is always much closer than nine-month-long seasons, and sprints over the finishing line are not rare in Argentina.

But as the apprehensive fans of Boca, San Lorenzo, and Tigre now know, this will be the most thrilling finale of any season so far.

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River's nightmare season goes on and on

2008-12-02T10:30:00Z

This has been, undoubtedly, River Plate's worst ever season.

Out of 17 of the season's games (leaving three left to play), the Millionarios have won only two. To say it is a crisis is perhaps an understatement.

Diego Simeone left his coaching position after they nose dived out of the continental tournaments and failed to win games in the opening stages of the campaign.

After winning the title the previous season what on earth could have gone so drastically wrong so quickly? There are rumours, of course...

Party boy Ariel Ortega was unceremoniously kicked out of the squad by Simeone who refused to even speak to the player, who had decided he wasn't hungover and turned up to train.

Understandable many would say. And off he went on loan to Primera B team Independiente Rivadavia, under the proviso he underwent treatment for alcoholism.

Ortega: "Drat, I knew I should have brought a brolly!"

He was a fan favourite, but few could argue for him to stay – on the terraces though, many harbour hopes he will return. Simeone, Argentina's most capped player, walked, leaving the team in the hands of caretaker coach Gabriel Rodríguez.

For many however, the blame lies in the controversial chairman José María Aguilar, elected by mandate, as all chairmen in Argentina are, in 2001.

Since then they have won only four domestic championships, and no continental tournaments. He is known for his interfering hands on approach, something that was probably a factor in Simeone’s departure.

Aguilar: Facing the chop - nice shirt, though...

Today, it is rumoured that 90 percent of the club's members want him to leave. Yet Argentina's system of members electing the chairman, has unintended consequences. The chairman, like politicians, need voters, and the most powerful group among the fans, is the barra brava.

Of course, there isn't a president, chairman, coach who will ever admit that getting the barra brava on side is part of the election process, but the reality is that the barra brava is often used to make the rest of the fans vote for their candidate - often with heavy handed means and dire consequences.

It seems increasingly clear that not even the barra brava, in disarray though they are, will help out Aguilar. His days must be numbered, and in this bloggers opinion it will not only be good for River, but also for Argentine football as a whole.

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Racing's cat curse to blame for goalkeeper gaffe

2008-11-18T16:00:00Z

Kick-off in Diego Maradona's first ever game as coach of the Argentine Seleccion is growing ever nearer, but in the meantime here's a little treat for you... the best, sorry worst, goalkeeping error of the season by former Boca glove-man Pablo Migliore.

Maybe I'm being a little harsh, because there is a darker side to Racing's struggles at the Cilindro, their home stadium in Buenos Aires.

Racing have occasionally blamed a curse on the stadium, in particular the goal where the blooper took place, for their poor fortunes.

Migliore: Expecting the call from Tottenham any day now

Apparently, at the end of the 1970s, fans of Racing's arch-enemies Independiente broke into the stadium and buried seven cats there. Alfio Basile, former coach of Racing (and the guy who Maradona has replaced as national team coach), was very superstitious when he played for the club and ordered the goal be dug up – he thought there were frogs, not cats, buried there.

They found nothing, until a couple of years later when the remains of a cat were found. The other six have never been recovered.

Racing lost 2-0, and now Basile is out of a job.

Coincidence?

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Plus: More goalkeeping gaffes in the video round-up

Pig-Pen Maradona causes stink with his boss

2008-11-17T09:00:00Z

Remember the Peanuts character Pig-Pen? Wherever he went, the poor kid always had a ring of dust and dirt surrounding him.

Similarly, Diego Maradona has a ring of muck the size of Saturn's spinning constantly around him.

God's arrival as the new coach of Argentina created a new maelstrom that whirled around the world. "He's our saviour," believers chorused. "Just a marketing tool," cynics argued. As another put it: "If he can't organise his life, how is he going to organise 11 people on a pitch?"

He flew to England, all shades and bodyguards, and went home. And then he did what Maradona is supposed to do: caused another scandal.

Football managers have been known to throw their toys out of the pram when things go wrong. But most coaches have at least had a game in charge.

Shady character flies into Europe

Maradona's first "incident" happened before what could be his first game, against Scotland. Yes, "could be." Because on returning to Buenos Aires he fell out with his biggest advocate, AFA head Julio Grondona, over the appointment of Maradona's assistant, former team-mate Oscar Ruggeri.

It was an astonishing appointment, and one that could be seen as a dig at Grondona: Ruggeri is a personal rival of the AFA president. Grondona's reaction to Maradona's selection? "I don't like his face, it's a personal thing." Whatever, Maradona has warned he will resign if he can't hire his "own people."

God. And his boss

All Argentines believe Diego is like God, only better at keepie-uppies. Trouble is, Maradona believes it too.

And he might not be in such a strong position has he thinks. Grondona is not a man to be bribed into accepting a sworn enemy in his ranks, and the public support for El Diez's new role isn't quite as strong as he might think.

Whether Diego gets his way, we'll know in a couple of days. But in the battle of egos, neither has the upper hand.

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Diego, God, drugs and lynchings

2008-10-29T11:00:00Z

At the moment it seems a very God-like coup. It was a perfectly executed piece of political manoeuvring that even the snakelike Argentine president Christina Kirschner would have admired.

Speaking in Tblisi, a city that's no stranger to a bit of political intrigue, Diego Maradona, el Diez (10), el Dios (God), announced that he would be managing the national seleccion.

And although there was a slight asterisk in his statement to the ever-loyal press (*he hasn't actually been offered the job yet), Argentina began to celebrate.

If anyone could turn around the squad's poor performances of late, it was God himself. First he created the world, then he created football and now he is coaching some of the greatest 11 players ever put on a pitch together.

And if it doesn't work, well, he can rain down plagues and disease on the opponents.

"You there! Run or die!"

As you can tell, in Argentina, it's hard to overestimate the power Diego holds over the nation.

Despite being a bloated, unreliable, former drug addict with a penchant for shooting journalists (and I'm aware that I may get lynched and hanged from the Bombonera for saying that), he is deemed by the nation as the perfect person to lead the squad.

Let's ignore the fact his previous soirees as manager ended in poor showings at Racing Club and Deportivo Mandiyu, he knows football! He knows how to win! Whatever the, erm, expense!

And if AFA head Julio Grondona instead gives the job on a permanent basis to U20 coach Sergio Batista (who will apparently pick the side for the November 19 friendly in Scotland), then he'll be swinging alongside me at the Bombonera.

The announcement will be made on November 4, but Maradona has already made the decision for Grondona. And if politics doesn't work, there's always the Jedi mind-trick.

Can Diego revitalise vapid Argentina?

2008-10-23T15:00:00Z

Blogs always run the risk of blurring the boundaries between fact and opinion... and Argie Bargy is no different.

A nugget of information here, a misguided prediction there (I recently saw a quote of mine in a magazine declaring unequivocally who would win last season's championship, which, erm, ahem, este, didn't quite happen) and a smattering of opinion everywhere.

I'd like to think I fall on the factual side of the Daily Mail and perhaps the more opinionated side of those more intellectual papers, like the Mirror.

One particular sentiment of Argie Bargy's was directed at the national team management of Alfio Basile. Now I'm certainly not one to blame the coach every time a team suffers, unless it is over a particularly protracted period, but it wasn't long ago I'd called for the coach to go... again.

Coco go-go. Argie Bargy gets it's way... for once

Under Coco (a nickname which doesn't have anything to do with a clown, unfortunately) Argentina's national team have been lacklustre in their World Cup qualifying games – I'm bored of using 'lacklustre' to describe them, how about unimaginative, humdrum, characterless or vapid. Yes vapid seems particularly apt.

With a team that includes Messi, Aguero. Mascherano and Riquelme, it can only be the manager's fault they lost 1-0 against Chile (yes, Chile!). And thank goodness, Coco then finally stepped down and disappeared into the night.

A replacement has yet to be announced, but on paper whoever steps in will start with an easy job. Qualifying still seems a dead cert, no matter how the next games go.

Chile defeat proved one mediocre result too many

Given the calibre of the players, defeat to Bolivia just isn't going to happen (yes, that is a prediction), but harder to please will be the Argentine fans. They want skill, flurry, fanaticism, humiliating score lines, not, erm, vapidity.

And news just in...

Guess who is in line to be the new coach?

Yep, you guessed right...

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Tempers fray in bruising battle with Uruguay

2008-10-13T08:00:00Z

Argentine spectators left the Monumental stadium on Saturday again feeling exasperated by another mediocre performance by their national team, but more-so worried about playing Chile on Wednesday without a raft of their best players.

It was an ill-tempered 2-1 win against Uruguay, one that left Sergio Aguero, Javier Mascherano and Martin Demichelis injured and doubtful for Wednesday's clash.

Coach Alfio Basile's will also be without his playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme for arguing with the referee, something that Boca fans and domestic referees are used to, and Carlos Tevez, booked for kicking the ball away in frustration meaning a one-match suspension.

The Manchester United striker has also been sent off in two of his last three internationals.

Argentina's first goal came courtesy of an inch perfect cross from Riquelme with Messi racing into the box to connect with his head. He had been desperately keen to score, so he could perform his pre-prepared celebration, lifting up his shirt to reveal 'Te amo Papi', I love you Dad.

Seven minutes later, 'El Kun' took advantage of some hesitancy in the box and blasted the ball home.

Uruguay did pull a goal back just before half time, but they rarely threatened to do so again, and a more confident Argentina will be needed to win in the hostile atmosphere in Santiago.

Boisterous though it was, Saturday's battle didn't turn out quite like this game of beach football between the two countries.

Argentina's day of reckoning

2008-10-10T10:00:00Z

Uruguay is a relatively small patch of country that borders both behemoths Brazil and Argentina. Derided as a province by most Argentines, it is often said that Uruguayans have a bit of a chip on their shoulders.

Tango, they claim, began there. They actually eat more meat that their larger neighbours (which is saying something), they drink even more maté (a ubiquitous tea sucked through a straw and shared) and they produce some very fine red wines.

"Everything," a Uruguayan recently told me, "is like in Argentina, only better." It is certainly a warmer country – the people that is – but they are undoubtedly the poorer neighbours football-wise.

"We eat more meat than you, we eat more meat than you..."

Sure, they won the first ever World Cup in 1930 – beating Argentina 4-2 – and they won it again against Brazil in 1950. And they are the only country to have won a World Cup with a population of less than four million. Recently though, they have been a bit, well, rubbish.

Uruguay's national team will make the short ferry ride across the Rio de la Plata to play Argentina at River Plate's Monumental on Saturday. And with Argentina having played relatively poorly in recent World Cup qualifiers, Uruguayans are looking to this game as an opportunity to humiliate their bolshy enemy.

Uruguay are currently fifth in the qualification standings, and are in reasonable form, while Argentina are third, but have been consistently criticised for lacking team structure despite the amazing talent at their disposal.

In-form: Aguero & Messi aim to run Uruguay ragged

It is quite amazing, in this day and age when managers seem to last, on average, about five days, that Argentina's coach Alfio Basile is still in charge. A loss on Saturday, however, would surely hammer the final nail into his coffin.

But he has been experimenting in training, employing a 3-4-3 formation with an irresistible front-line trio of Leo Messi, Carlos Tevez and Kun Agüero.

How can that fail?

Superclasico fever marred by more violence

2008-10-08T14:00:00Z

Well it's that time again folks... when tales of the 'World's Greatest Derby' rear their head ahead of Boca Juniors vs River Plate.

The clash of the titans of Argentine football return in a frenzy of flag waving, chanting, scantily-clad models, mild violence and the odd drug arrest.

Only this season, the managers don't seem that bothered. And the barra brava, as you'll find out later, have other things on their mind.

La Bombonera build-up ahead of Boca vs River

Wins for either team would, of course, be valuable. River could desperately do with the three points to lift them above the utterly dismal 18th place they currently occupy (there is no chance of going down thanks to their high three-year points average).

But they do have their eyes on the Copa Sudamericana as a route to silverware.

Boca, after a good start to the season, have been conceding goals like it was going out of fashion, and have dropped down to 6th. And as we reach the halfway point in the season, its seems increasingly unlikely that they will catch table-topping San Lorenzo.

With the amount of resources and fanbase each team has, the clash remains the most important in Argentine football, but during the last few seasons they have had less and less to argue about. As the smaller teams (Newell's, Tigre and Lanus in particular) have surpassed them the superclasico is no longer the duel it once was.

Of course, the fans still hate each other and pretty much every TV screen in Buenos Aires will be tuned in, but even they seem a little despondent.

The last two meetings between the sides were marred by internal wranglings, culminating in several deaths among the River Plate barra brava.

River fans clash at Velez Sarsfield - March 2008

And this time it seems the same will happen again, only this time in the Boca end. In fact, if anything, it is the superclasicos that spark the feuds within the barra bravas.

A certain rhetoric sprayed around the makeshift walls of the poor la Boca of Buenos Aires warns of the fighting: "Go armed, you'll be safe." "There are bullets to go around."

Following Boca's defeat against Estudiantes last weekend (their third in a row), two of the factions within the Doce (12) barra brava clashed - those behind the current leader Mauro Martin and the others, supporting a Uruguayan called Richard.

They are fighting over their position on the terraces – something that will give them overall control of the barra and the income from criminal activities that take place – before the superclasico.

The battle is about to commence. We can only hope it doesn't result in the horrific pitch-side battles involving River last season.

Diego's shock support of… River Plate

2008-10-03T15:30:00Z

There are few fans in the world quite as high profile as Diego Maradona.

Forever in his blue and yellow shirt, the former player follows his team around the world and is often spotted hanging over an executive box with three bodyguards holding on to his shirt tails. His passion for the club maybe equalled by the disdain directed at the clubs administrators. But he is Boca 'til he dies.

"Just hit it you useless sack of $%^&"

In Argentina, a father's passion for a club is passed on to the son. Usually, before the christening of the kid, a team jersey - usually a cheap fake - is ceremoniously forced upon the baby. What else could explain the huge number of Racing fans?

So often I have spoken to people on the terraces and asked why, after their team had lost the 44th game in a row, are they still fans. "Erm, well my Dad was a Racing fan," is the stock reply. You simply don't jump ships. If you do, it is akin to sleeping with your best mate's girl. No worse, his grandmother.

Yet during River's 2-1 Copa Sudamericana win over Uruguay's Defensor Sporting, one of Maradona's sons, Diego Sinagra born in Napoli, was there screaming on the team.

Ferrari celebrates his opener vs Defensor Sporting

Thanks to goals from Ferrari and Barrado, River should ease into the quarter-finals, a rare moment of happiness in a poor domestic season.

They play the return leg tonight. It is unknown whether Diego Jr will be there, but one thing is certain, he has some pretty serious sucking up to do to dad if he is going to be invited to the next Sunday barbecue.

River goal flurry fails to sink Racing

2008-10-01T16:00:00Z

It was another clasico, another local derby. This time it was the 'millionaires' of River playing the league's paupers Racing (who recently held a prize draw among the players to win a PlayStation 2).

Racing, who barely stayed up last season and are currently lingering in 12th position, would have normally dreaded their trip to River's posh suburbs.

But Simeone's team, winners of the championship last season, are struggling themselves, and are even further down the table in 15th.

Because of the Argentine league's complicated structure of relegation based on a three-year average, Racing must finish very well this season - even a mid-table finish could see them have to face a demotion play-off.

So they wholeheartedly took the game to River, full of confidence after beating Estudiantes on their last outing.

Three times they were ahead with goals from their young pretenders, starting in the 12th minute with an own goal from Quiroga (who later scored at the right end) on an uncharacteristically soggy day in Buenos Aires.

Simeone had rested a couple of players for the Copa Sudamericana, one of them key man Abreu. The Paraguayan Santiago Salcedo, who River had high hopes for at the beginning of the season but pushed out following Abreu's return, gave Simeone something to bite on to with a powerful header and his first goal in a red and white jersey.

But Racing never withered and continued to play well, although they lacked the killer instinct to bury River once and for all. The game ended 3-3 with Racing going home a little disappointed not to have won.

At the top of the table San Lorenzo lead, but Tigre, championship winners in 2007, are proving they can compete with the big boys.

A 3-2 win against Boca, at the Bombonera, puts them in 2nd ahead of Boca with Vélez in 4th, their best start for years.

But again it's proving to be an interesting season for the small provincial teams. San Martin de Tucuman, Lanús and Colón aare all in the top seven. No Independiente, no River, no Racing and certainly no Estudiantes who are rock bottom.

After eight games, the season is wide open and it is the smaller clubs who are making all the headlines.

Disallowed goals, red cards, nine-man draws and tiddlers

2008-09-16T09:00:00Z

Red cards, handballs, good goals not given... ah yes, Argentine football at its best.

Argie Bargy has long said the fascination of Argentine football may not necessarily be its quality but its sheer entertainment value; rare is the game that hasn't contained at least one ejection, scuffle, or moment of controversy – and that's just in the crowd.

This is a passionate society, and football is its vent.

Take Boca 1-1 Independiente on Sunday. Not an inspiring scoreline, but the game contained all that is good, and bad, about Argentine football.

Independiente striker Leonel Nuñez's goal was disallowed, much to the consternation of the Red Devils president Julio Comparada: "Independiente fans are disgusted," he told the press. "The ball went in. I have no doubt it was a goal," with coach Claudio Borghi chiming in that "The ball crossed the line and bounced out."

To disgust Comparada even more, Rodrigo Palacio, on his first game back at Boca this season, scored a lovely goal straight after half-time... but did he use his hand to control it first? Comparada certain thought so. "Palacio carried the ball with his hand," he fumed.

Palacio: handy

Somehow, Comparada failed to mention Daniel Montenegro's foul on Gabriel Paletta – a pity, as again it was an entertaining moment.

Marvellously-named referee Pablo Lunati booked the forward for the tackle, even as he limped off for treatment. So when Montenegro (who had set up Dario Gondin's 49th-minute leveller) injudiciously came back onto the field without a permission slip, the ref had no choice but to show a second yellow, meaning the visitors faced the last 15 minutes a man down – a situation that got twice as bad when Guillermo Rodriguez was sent off for dissent with three minutes to go.

Comparada did admit that the result was just: "Independiente had a good game against the best team in Argentine football" – and the visitors will be happy to have escaped with a point against the league leaders. Resurgent San Lorenzo are level with Boca after beating Rosario Central 2-1.

While there is a certain predictability about first and second positions, Colon in third, followed by San Martin de Tucuman, Tigre, Velez, Lanus and Arsenal are all small teams taking advantages of the disarray at River and Racing, both skulking in the bottom half of the table.

With Boca already proving their squad depth by thriving without major players, it seems unlikely that they'll face much of a challenge for the title – but behind them, it could be yet another good season for the smaller teams.

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Maradona: "Messi's no team player'

2008-09-12T17:00:00Z

Diego's mouth has been uncharacteristically quiet (full of pizza?) for a quite a while now.

But it is with a heavy sigh that we return to our irregular God Watch feature for all things Maradona.

Yep, the number 10 has somehow managed to upset Lio Messi in his criticism of his performance in a 1-1 draw against Peru in Lima on Wednesday. Diego, get this, actually accused Messi of being an 'individualista'. Pot, kettle, black.

"Even I could have scored that one..."

Messi shrugged off the comments telling the Spanish press on his return: "Diego always has something to say about me. It doesn't mean a thing."

Another star studded Argentine team, and another disappointment. Coach Alfio 'Coco' Basile, already on a short leash after his team's poor performances, was full of self criticism after Wednesday's game. "I'm worried about the level of the national team," he solemly said. "The defense was better but attack not so."

For Argie Bargy, it must be time to ask some serious questions about how far this manager can take the team. I have long said that, all things being equal - which of course they never are - Argentina should have a wonderful team.

Instead, they lack the cohesion needed to fend off even the poorest teams. The pressure placed on Riquelme distributing from midfield, in particular, must be questioned.

No one doubts his leadership skills, but the slowing 30-year-old can't be relied on forever as the sole pivot in the midfield. And the opposing team now know 'shut down Roman, shut down the attack' as happened against Peru.

But with Tevez suspended after being sent off against Paraguay and Heinze in an almost-public spat with Basile – rumoured to have ruled him out of any further games – the team is in disarray. And that blame must lie at the coach's door.

Argentina flop again, this time against also-rans Peru

Looking forward to the domestic games this weekend, the biggest is undoubtedly 1st placed Boca versus Independiente in 8th. Known as a classico (as opposed to superclasico, which is against River), it can be guaranteed come Sunday afternoon the cafes and bars of the capital will be full of fans, and it will be one of the most watched games of the season.

Meanwhile River Plate, in 9th place, are complaining that in 29 games there hasn't been one penalty given in their favour. Coach Simeone complained: "It's best not to talk about it, but they just don't happen for us. They don't give them to River."

Maybe Arsenal will slip up this weekend and give Simeone another reason to stop complaining.

Tevez sent off again in poor Argentina qualifier

2008-09-08T21:00:00Z

If it happens again, you could almost say it is becoming a habit.

And while there is no way we could ever prefix the words 'Carlos Tevez' with 'Bad boy' (he is such a nice lad) another sending off in another World Cup qualifier doesn't bode well. Again, it was frustration that led to Tevez's hard tackle against Dario Veron.

Off the back of Argentina's U23 Olympic gold success, they should have gone into the game against Paraguay brimming with confidence, and they did for 11 minutes until Gabriel Heinze's own goal.

Tevez heads for another early bath

Argentina then reverted to the team that has failed to win any of their last four top flight games, and one that has annoyed the Argentine public as jeers yet again echoed around the Monumental Stadium as they humbly walked off the pitch with a point thanks to Sergio Aguero's 61st minute goal.

Argentine football fans are asking themselves 'que carajo paso?' or, more politely, what the hell is going on?

True, they were playing against the World Cup qualifying table toppers, Paraguay, who have had a superb run winning 14 points in seven games. Argentina have 12 points.

Aguero on target again for Albicelestes

It looks good on paper, but on the pitch the disjointed team of truly world-class players fail to gel in any meaningful wey. The pressure is now on coach 'Coco' Basile to engineer a good win against Peru in Lima on Wednesday.

The raw materials are there, but the cohesion has been lacking for too long, and the fickle finger of blame is moving against the previously impervious coach.

While Brazil's excellent 3-0 win against Chile abated the equally angry Brazilians and their poor team, it is Argentina that should be one of the best teams on the planet, taking advantage of Brazil's weakness.

But lets face, they ain't and it hurts.

"You'll win nothing with kids..."

2008-09-01T14:00:00Z

Boca Juniors, it could be argued, are moving into a new era.

No Riquelme, no Palacio and no Palermo. None of Boca's big three were available on Sunday to play Huracan, but the chicos ran away with a confident 3-0 win.

Palermo, who found it difficult not to score in every game, is out all season after surgery on his knee. Such was the perceived gravity of the 34-year-old's injury, Boca's former coach Carlos Bianchi wrote an open letter to El Loco (the Crazy One) offering his support.

"You are a natural winner," Bianchi wrote. "You have a lot of confidence, and a quality that few possess. We know you'll come back and enjoy being the greatest goal scorer of the last 15 years".

Palermo: Gone (for now) but not forgotten

I know you may be choking back the tears here, but frankly Boca seem to be doing OK without him. In fact, the youngsters such as Noir, Gaitan and Lucas Viatri have all expressed their confidence in winning the league.

The real test will come in their upcoming international games, but - so far - the kids are united, and the only team to have a 100% winning record so far.

Racing finally win

Good news too for Racing, before which it is almost compulsory to put 'troubled', who won away from home 1-0 at Argentinos Juniors, for the first time since Noah built his arc, and the first time this season.

It may be scant relief, however, for players who are still locked in a dispute over payment of their wages and uncertainty over the situation of the clubs ownership.

Little guys lead

Former surprise champions Lanus have had a good start to the season, recording seven points from four games.

The winners of the 2007 Apertura confounded the experts to win the championship for the first time. This season fans are hoping for a repeat performance after a strong start.

Lanus: Upset the odds to triumph in 2007

The little team from the poor southern suburbs lack the star quality of Boca, River and San Lorenzo, but their team ethic and 'we can beat anyone' attitude has carried them far.

They currently hold third position, while perennial underachievers Colon (previous best place: runners up in 1997) are in second place. San Martin from the northern Tucuman province are in fourth while Tigre, runners up in 2007, sit in fifth place. River linger in 11th, Independiente in 8th and San Lorenzo 6th.

Other results

Tigre 1-2 San Martin
Lanus 3–2 Gimnasia de Jujuy
Godoy Cruz 1–3 Velez Sarsfield
Colon 1–1 Newell's Old Boys
Central 0–0 Banfield
Estudiantes 2–0 Arsenal
River 0–0 San Lorenzo

Argentina strike gold

2008-08-25T12:00:00Z

Argentina's Olympic squad retained their gold medal in a close encounter with Nigeria.

Beating the African rivals 1-0, Argentina finished off a convincing campaign that saw them fend off fierce rivals Brazil in the quarter-finals. The Brazilians left Beijing with the bronze, and bitterly disappointed with that after what has been a nightmare year for their team.

Di Maria seals gold for Argentina

Argentina, however, seem to have broken their run of losing in the finals of major tournaments and proved that the largely under-23 team can confidently continue the country's class and skill.

As for the elder statesmen, Messi had a good tournament after all the issues of getting Barca to free him. Coach Sergio Batista called him the 'Maradona of the 21st century' and sees him as a future captain of his country.

Riquelme (pictured, below) led well from deep in midfield, but he will now be looking forward to returning to his homeland as Boca's top goalscorer, Palermo, is out for the rest of the season with a bad knee injury.

"What's that Ronnie? You only won bronze?"

But the focus of Argentina has been its successful Olympic run, not only with the men's football, but also a bronze for the Leonas female field hockey and a bronze for the men's basketball team.

Congratulations Argentina. After all the chaos on the streets and in the government, this winter has just got slightly warmer.

Derby day in BA

2008-08-23T08:00:00Z

In the August 2008 issue of FourFourTwo magazine, Argie Bargy reported on the intense rivalry between Independiente and Racing.

At the end of last season Racing were a goal away from being relegated, but survived to live on in the Primera. They are, after all, one of Argentina's most supported clubs, fourth after their arch enemy Independiente.

Both teams are based in the poverty stricken Avallaneda neighbourhood of the city which is split by support for either team.

As Independiente struggle to make an impact at the top of the league, Racing are still fighting for survival; staying up was merely the beginning of their campaign.

Independiente vs Racing: Never a dull affair

Beset by boardroom wrangles and severe financial straits (many players are owed money) Racing, under the leadership of the ever positive Juan Manuel Llop, need a relegation worry-free season, and a win over Independiente would do wonders for team morale.

One interesting footnote will be the reception of Hilario Navarro in Independiente's red jersey. Last season he appeared in Racing's blue and white and played a significant part in keeping them in the first division.

Racing have lost both of their first two games, while Independiente have four points from their two matches.

Meanwhile in Beijing, as the men's football team warm up for Saturday's final against Nigeria, the women's hockey team - known as the lionesses - have won a proud bronze for their efforts, despite an overall performance which lacked their usual bite.

Argentina one win away from more Olympic glory

2008-08-20T11:30:00Z

In Argentina there is only one thing that is sweeter than beating England... thrashing Brazil.

Long the poorer siblings to the Brazilian behemoth, Argentina finally got one over their bitter rivals with a glorious 3-0 win in the Beijing Olympics semi-final on Tuesday.

It was the first time they had beaten Brazil since June 2005, earning the mostly under-23 team a place in the final and the chance to defend the gold medal won in Athens four years ago against Nigeria on Saturday.

Aguero chests home the opener

During the first half the Brazilians focussed on Riquelme's midfield importance, scuppering any chance of the ball getting through to Messi and Aguero up front.

And there were several close shaves for Dunga's side whilst the Argentines created little, with only a stunning solo effort from eventual man-of-the-match Aguero just going wide.

But the second half proved to be their moment of glory. The appearance of Mascherano and Gogo relieved the pressure on Riquelme and opened up the game. Aguero put the Argentines ahead after the ball ricocheted in off his chest. And seven minutes later 'el Kun' – named for his similarity to a Japanese cartoon character – netted again from a poorly defended cross.

The third goal came from a Riquelme penalty after a dubious foul from Breno.

Riquelme scores third from the spot

More than a win over the hated enemy, it was a relief to see what the younger members of the squad could bring to what has been a poorly performing senior side in recent times.

But they will be mindful of recent defeats at the final hurdle, with the national 'seleccion' having lost three major finals - twice in the Copa America and in the Copa Confederaciones - all in the last three years.

Olympic run goes on while domestic season gets going

2008-08-13T16:00:00Z

Another game, another win for the Argentine Olympic squad and with it qualification to the next round.

The game could easily be picked apart and was, again, far from convincing, but it was an overall solid performance in amongst a series of pretty wobbly displays, from Brazil included.

Messi, who is quickly becoming 'God Mark II' in the bars of Buenos Aires, admitted they played "in a slow rhythm."

He may have been talking about his own pedestrian performance, or the team who left it until 15 minutes before the end to look cohesive, when Riquelme and Messi combined to put through Ezequiel Lavezzi to score the only game of the match.

It was, however, a blinder with an amazing build up and perfect finish, showing how Argentina loves to play their football: with exuberant style.

Lavezzi side-foots home vs Australia

The team now play Serbia in their last league game, but they are already qualified. Riquelme, Messi, Mascherano and Aguero (on a yellow card) will all be rested.

But the second team should not fret, because over in Argentina the domestic season has finally got underway with Boca grabbing the headlines with a stunning 4-0 victory over Gimnasia de Jujuy.

Their team included several players who were previously in the reserve squad, but who had beaten the first team in training sessions twice that week.

Palacio, who remained with Boca despite being expected to head off along with the pre-season exodus, is injured but should return for Wednesday's ReCopa match.

Boca's Gracian and Ibarra celebrate vs Gimnasia

Other results:

San Martin 2–0 Huracan

Gimnasia 0–1 Newells Old Boys

Arsenal 3–0 Argentinos

Central 3–2 Estudiantes

Banfield 1–2 Godoy Cruz

Velez 0–0 Independiente

Colon 1–1 River

Racing 0–2 Lanus

San Lorenzo 0-1 Tigre

Bittersweet start for Argentinian Olympic teams

2008-08-10T22:07:00Z

Stood amongst the spectacular fireworks of the Olympic opening ceremony was one Lionel Messi.

After weeks of wrangling that involved FIFA, the highest levels of the clubs and a sports arbitration board, Barcelona finally let Messi play.

In their opening game, before the ceremony, Argentina beat the Ivory Coast 2-1. Defending their gold medal, Argentina showed more cohesion than in many of their recent games, thanks largely to Riquelme's intelligent leadership.

Messi bags opener vs Ivory Coast

However, the women's team fared worse, losing to Canada in the first sporting event of the Games.

But the Argentine's have plenty to look forward to: swimmer Georgina Bardach won the bronze four years ago, Miguel Albarrcin is looking of his first Olympic medal in judo and long-distant cyclists Matías Medici, Alejandro Borrajo and Juan José Haedo will be charging 245 km around the streets of Beijing hoping for a podium place.

The best bet's for Argentina gold medals, apart from the men's football squad, are with the basketball team led by, star of NBA's San Antonio Spurs, Emanuel Ginobili, who carried the flag into the arena.

But no one, particularly Argie Bargy, can forget Las Leonas' female field hockey team.

There are 139 Argentines at the Games hoping to beat the two gold medals they won in Athens.

Messi mess continues to wrangle on

2008-08-07T09:00:00Z

With Argentina making their final preparations for the opening game against the Ivory Coast in the Olympics, the wrangle of Messi shows no sign of abating.

Barcelona at first refused to allow the forward to play as one of the few over 23 players allowed in the Olympic squad, but on FIFA's advice let the player travel to China.

Messi trains ahead of Olympic opener vs Ivory Coast

The 'flea' is currently in Beijing and training with the squad but the sports tribunal at the centre of the fight have now said Barcelona has 'no obligation to free the player.'

The reason is that the Olympics doesn't figure in FIFA's calendar and therefore has no right to demand the player be freed. AFA president Julio Grondona told the press "Messi will stay and play in Beijing" and the national Olympic coach added "tomorrow he will be playing against the Ivory Coast."

With less than 24 hours until their opening game it looks unlikely that Messi will be returning, and Argie Bargy, for one, thinks that he should be there.

Relief for Argentina as Messi boards for Beijing

2008-08-01T10:48:00Z

Did you feel that slight breeze at around 2pm yesterday?

That was the collective sigh of relief from 35 million Argentinians as Lionel Messi was freed by Barcelona for the national Olympic squad. Slight exaggeration? Well yes, but there can't be a man, woman or dog in the country that isn't pleased to see Argentina's new prodigal son in the team.

Argentina in recent World Cup qualifiers and friendlies have been lacklustre, even with Messi. But the Barça player adds a touch of flair, bordering on the genius. His sidekick Aguero is undoubtedly a great player, but has failed to skip past defences in the way Messi can.

Bye bye Barca: Messi departs for Olympics

Fortunately, their rivals, and fellow favourites in the gold medal betting stakes, Brazil have been even worse. Utter failures in World Cup qualifying (they lost against Venezuela for Ronaldo's sake), Brazil are a merely a group of 11 good players without any coherence.

With only eight days until the opening ceremony - which given the heritage of vast displays in China might actually be worth watching for the first hour - coach Checho Batista's team still remain joint favourites.

It all kicks off next Thursday as they take on the Ivory Coast.

Stormy start for Olympic favourites

2008-07-30T11:30:00Z

While the weather may have disrupted the first Argentinian friendly warm up in Tokyo yesterday, the storm continues over Lionel 'the Flea' Messi.

The ongoing dispute between Barcelona and the AFA has got so out of hand that FIFA have been brought in to mediate.

The nation hopes that Messi, still training in Spain, will be able to help Argentina keep the Olympic gold. The win, although paling against a World Cup, is still taken seriously by an Argentinian populace looking for respite from the problems that have dogged their 'winter of discontent', that has seen daily protests, food shortages and rampant inflation. Messi is revered in the country (and by Argie Bargy).

The Argentinians failed to shine in their friendly against Japan despite a skillful goal by Angel di Maria.

Angel di Maria celebrates in the rain against Japan

Both Argentina and Japan hit the post in what was a worryingly close game. A fortunate storm led to the game being suspended seven minutes before the final whistle. Overall it was a reasonable game for the blue and whites, but without the genius of Messi, it seems they might have to work harder to retain their favourite status.

Argentina's group is far from easy with Serbia, Australia and the Ivory Coast, each of whom can be tricky opponents.

Do Argentine players have illegal passports?

2008-07-17T11:42:00Z

When this blogger lived in Argentina in 2001, the rush for European passports was immense.

As the country teetered on the brink of collapse – which came, sure enough – hundreds of thousands of residents looked up their past in an attempt to find a way to attain European passports. Most Argentines (around 60 per cent) are from Italian descent and about 30 per cent are of Spanish origin.

These days the living isn't exactly easy, but it is better. But as protests continually bring the city to a halt the exudos has sped up again.

And it seems footballers are no different.

Dozens of Argentine players are among those being investigated for travelling to Italy on illegal passports, according to a BBC report. The report suggests the reason for footballers buying illegal passports is so that Italian clubs can avoid the limit of non-European players on their team. This does, of course, implicate the clubs. However, they can earn much more money in Europe.

Juan Veron: Investigated for dodgy passport dealings in 2002

Argentinian judge Norberto Oyarbide started the investigation after staff in the Italian Embassy didn't recognise the signature on the passports.

Apparently an illegal passport can be bought in a few days for US$30,000, while the process of getting a real one can last for months. Also the ever-tightening rules mean that only those with close ancestors born in Italy are eligible.

It is also being reported that many of the passports claim the players' ancestors were all born in Fagnano Castello. Current population? 4,194.

Call me a cynic, but...

Mass protests and chaos hit crazy Argentina

2008-07-16T17:00:00Z

Well this blog might not have too much to do with football, but what is happening in Argentina today is quite unlike anything I have ever seen.

My office is located on a wide Parisian avenue that connects the Congress building and, 15 blocks away, the Casa Rosada presidential palace. Outside there are an estimated 60,000 people beating drums, screaming chants and letting off crackers and bombs. I literally cannot hear myself type.

Now understanding Argentinian politics is somewhat akin to comprehending nuclear physics. So why all the noise and protests? Well get this... the thousands of people outside are showing their support for the government. Confused? You will be. 50 blocks north, near my house, there are another 50,000 people, protesting against the government.

Protesters take to the streets in Buenos Aires

It is all over a debate that has utterly polarised Argentinian society. The root of the problem is the dear old Presidenta Christina Kirschner and her decision to whack a huge tax on soya. Less than five years ago, soya was seen as the saviour of the Argentinian economy. It is easy to grow, and much more profitable than beef, the second largest export.

Apparently, to redirect the exported crop to an Argentinian market food in a country where children still die from starvation, the export tax is high. The 'countryside', who even in the UK get off their tractors for a good protest, went crazy. They went on strike. And to understand the repercussion of such a strike one just has to look at inflation (unofficially thought to be around 35% - officially around 9%) of food prices. And you thought Gordon Brown had problems. Perhaps more importantly, Argentina couldn't get its beef.

So on the day of the final senate vote, half the country came out in support and the other half against. But support Argentinian-style means NOISE.

And since I started this blog, it has got even louder, the entire city has been cut off, public transport has come to a standstill, and many people are leaving work. A few days ago a much smaller protest (or was it in support) ended in a riot. Here we hope that the tens of thousands of angry people separated by utterly different ideologies and a mere 50 blocks don't meet.

Farmers gather en masse in Rosario

But on the plus side, everyone out there is thinking about politics, and what does it take for this amount of people to stand up in the UK?

Bloody fox hunting.

Chaos reigns on the streets of Buenos Aires, and will do long into the evening. But by tomorrow a decision by the senate will be made to either approve or disapprove the tax. And no matter which way it goes, it will only exacerbate the problem.

How do I bring this back to football? Well, all those drums and trumpets are being played by hired football fans and barra bravas, some being brought in from more than 2000 miles away especially to bang their drum.

All seater stadiums? Never!

2008-07-10T13:15:00Z

Can you remember how incensed you were when all-seater stadiums became law?

"It's going to lose the atmosphere of the terrace!" they shouted. And well, I think it has. So as FIFA demand that Argentina's Primera clubs do likewise, the same complaints are being heard.

In fact, it should have happened a year ago. The clubs, in true Argentinian style, have merely ignored them. But after the horrendous terrace violence of last season the big clubs are beginning, slowly, to increase the percentage.

Will it kill the unique atmosphere of an Argentinian football game? Well, at least it will give away fans more ammunition to rip up and throw. But it did partly work in stemming UK violence and to be frank they have to try anything here.

Boca fans in their season-ticket spots at La Bombonera

FIFA are asking that 90 per cent of stadiums are seated by, erm, August 8 – the other 10 per cent? Well that's for the barra bravas of course (can anyone else see a flaw in the plan?)

River Plate need to add another 4,500 seats to comply with the rules. San Lorenzo? 8,000. And Boca Juniors a whopping 12,000 seats. Boca have the most difficult problem. Their tiny stadium is already built up vertiginously high, and they are already well over capacity at most games.

There has been talk for years about moving the stadium, but it is a massively unpopular idea and no president has been brave enough to push it through – especially remembering that the presidents are voted in by the fans, strong armed by the barra brava.

For the time being, it looks as though the terrace atmosphere will remain. And for the violence? We'll know when the season starts on
August 8.

Defending Olympic dreams

2008-07-04T11:29:00Z

So now we are in the off-season and have six weeks to enjoy idle gossip about transfers until the first game of the new season on August 8.

Thankfully, this blog won't be filled with such meaningless tattle (well it will, but I'm making a point), because in only 35 days we have the Beijing Olympics.

The Argentina Olympic squad that will defend a gold medal has been selected. It may not hold quite the same prestige as the World Cup - especially not for British teams which can't compete - but it is a source of pride nevertheless for a recently underachieving Argentina team.

Rules dictate the squad has to be mainly made up of players under the age of 23, with a handful of older members allowed. The big name is, of course, Lionel Messi, who Argie Bargy recently watched in a homecoming national game and would like to confirm his status as a footballing genius.

Messi wows FourFourTwo's correspondant against Ecuador

Maybe more surprising, given his slated performances in the World Cup qualifiers, is the presence Roman Riquelme, at 30-years-old the eldest of the squad. But his commanding position at Boca is undeniable, even though Palermo may wear Boca captain's armband. Javier Mascherano, 24, is also included as is Inter defender Nicolas Burdisso at 27.

Several clubs have withheld players (Demichelis, Milito and Coloccini, for example) but squad manager Sergio Batista can be confident with the 18 he has selected. Sergio Agüero, paired with Messi in the World Cup qualifiers, is likely to continue up front.

As ever, very few of the players selected actually play in Argentina, namely Riqueleme at Boca, Buonanette at River (although he is likely to head north) and Fabian Monzon, Boca's excellent defender.

Expect a tantalising performance from the football team but, I'm going to be honest, not quite as sumptuous as Las Leonas, Argentina's women's field hockey squad.

See them here

And here

OK that's enough... probably

Racing live to fight another day

2008-06-30T17:04:00Z

Well all the praying to the virgin and various other, slightly non-authorised saints seems to have worked as Racing stayed in the Primera thanks to a horrendous miss by Belgrano.

Not that anything should be taken away from a gallant Racing. In front of a sold out Juan Domingo Perón stadium Racing were under enormous pressure. They needed a draw, but a great goal after 10 minutes by Maxi Moralez put them ahead. And this is why you
should never stand on the terrace in Argentina - just look at the surge from the crowd when the goal arrives.

Belgrano's Claudio Bustos managed to round the keeper in the second half but somehow tripped over the ball. And on 90-minutes the cafes of
Buenos Aires were packed with football fans awaiting the result. They might not have been fans, but as Racing are one of the largest teams in Argentina, everyone seems to be following their progress.

In fact it knocked Spain vs Germany off almost every screen in the city.

So after a fraught weekend of finals, the next season of Argentine football will take pretty much the same shape as the last one. The only difference is that Los Andes will take the place of San Martin.

The real question, though, is if Racing have it in them to stay up again next season.

Prayers, playoffs and playstations

2008-06-27T10:32:00Z

"I've been hassling the Virgin Mary a lot," Racing's manager Juan Llop told the press before the first leg of the playoffs to determine whether his side stays up.

24 later Llop was back on his knees and crossing himself after a draw against Primera Divison hopefuls Belgrano. The agony for Racing fans prolonged after a late equaliser.

Racing must now win on Sunday if they are to stay up. As the third most supported team in Buenos Aires it is almost unthinkable that they have reached this position, but they have done once before in 1983.

They only remained in the 'B' for a season but it is still something that haunts the perennial underachievers.

The team is now in the hands of the receivers after a disastrous tenure of Blancquiceleste. And they haven't won away all season.

The bottom two teams of the Primera play the top two teams of the 'B', with the winners staying/going up and vice versa. Fighting in the other playoff is Gimnasia and B team Union who also drew the first leg.

Racing players have said in the past that they say a little prayer to whoever they believe is listening. The receivers of the club also offered an incentive to win the last couple of games.

What was it? A TV and a PlayStation 2.

Enough said.

... and that's why we love Argentine football

2008-06-26T10:34:00Z

It's the last game of the season and Argie Bargy drags itself down to La Republica de Boca.

It was all in the name of spreading the word about football. Yep, there are actually people who have not been to a football game and three were with me on this occasion. What do you do when a visitor comes to Buenos Aires? Show them Evita's mausoleum and go to a football game.

La Boca on a freezing night against Tigre (11th in the league) may not seem like an alluring game, but this is Argentina and you never know what will happen.

Eight goals later and we - including three footie virgins - were bouncing up and down with the fans on the most exciting terrace in the world – on Boca Juniors' mighty Bombonera stadium.

La Bombonera in full-on party mode

Let's be honest, the quality of Argentine football here in Argentina is not great. We have the opportunity to see players on their way up or on their way down. Although Boca's team sheet did include Riqueleme, Palacio and Palermo.

Only slightly exaggerating, Palermo hasn't not scored in a game all season. Riqueleme still plays for the national side. And it was Palacio's last game for Boca after an $18m investment from Lazio.

But Boca put six past Tigre who managed just two in replay. We had sending offs, yellow cards, pitch invasions and the club's twelth man - the barra brava - were in full swing.

This is still a stunning experience, one of the most exciting in the football world I would argue, and there was nothing to play for. But Boca played and actually looked like they were enjoying it. The stadium was packed. And I remembered why I liked football again. After a pretty ugly season marred by violence, Argentine football was again doing what it does best... entertain.

River had won the Clausura a week earlier, while Independiente - known as the King of Cups - qualified for the Copa Libertadores after years away. The story now is Racing. One of the most supported Argentine football teams, Racing are playing in the Promoción – a playoff which, if they lose, will see them descend into the 'B' for the second time in their history.

But as the final whistle blew in the Bombonera, my three friends had seen just why Argentine football is so exciting. It doesn't have the smooth play and multimillion pound players, but it has the fans with their whistles, chants, flares and fireworks. It has players who often play for the team they are passionate for. It has a 'nothing to lose' attitude. It is a thrilling visceral experience.

Reading FC it ain't.

Boring Brazil meet average Argentina. The mouth waters...

2008-06-18T14:10:00Z

There may have been no wars and no sneaky handballs. But for Argentines, the 'clasicó' against Brazil is more important than any game against England.

There has been little trouble between the fan groups, instead Argentina and Brazil are united by something else: actually being good at football.

This is a rivalry based on 'which team is the best in the world,' and a bit of local banter, but not bad blood.

Wednesday night's match is unlikely, however, to define the 'Best Team in the World (TM)' mainly because, well, they have been a bit rubbish recently.

Messi & co could only scrape a draw against Ecuador

As Argie Bargy documented yesterday, the team of stars (Messi, Aguero, Verón, Mascherano et all) were incredibly lucky to scrape a draw against Ecuador thanks to Palacio's goal in the last minute.

Meanwhile over the 'Bridge of Friendship' AKA 'The Bridge of drug dealing, terrorist hidings and cheap whiskey' at the frontier between Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina, Brazil's team has been a little... crap.

As fellow FourFourTwo blogger Celso de Campos Jr wrote a couple of days ago, Brazil's loss against Venezuela in a friendly was, and I quote, "pathetic."

Fortunately, they had a more important world cup qualifier game against Paraguay coming up to banish the memories of that surprise upset. And beating a team from a country that imports more whiskey than anywhere else in the world (but funnily enough doesn't consume that much... hmm) should have been a doddle, especially for Brazil.

But alas, no. Brazil lost. I mean lost 2-0. The Brazilian coach, increasingly aptly-named coach Dunga, told the press "We will certainly play a lot better against Argentina than we did against Paraguay. I know the personality of these players and the way they play."

Brazil have faired no better, losing to Venezuela and Paraguay

There was little posturing, though, from the Argentine national team manager Alfio Basile. Behind closed doors the team trained, in the hope they might actually look like a team come Wednesday night.

Verón, for Argie Bargy one of the best players on the pitch against Ecuador, is likely to be out through injury. Mascherano is also doubtful.
But Argentines, with little to cheer about these days among mass protests on the freezing streets, will be hoping the team raise their game. For morale reasons alone, Argentina need a win. And against the Boys from Brazil there is nothing sweeter.

And as a reminder of some past clasicós have a gander at these YouTube clips:

1982 World Cup

Copa America 2007

And a token collection of female bottoms from the above game.

Average Argentina fail to warm the cockles

2008-06-18T06:00:00Z

Argie Bargy recently braved a freezing Buenos Aires evening - is it always four degrees colder on a football terrace? - to watch the national side take on Ecuador in a World Cup qualifier; the sold out River Plate stadium shaking with the excitement of 50,000 gregarious Argentines awaiting the return of the nation's favourite sons.

Once through the rigorous police frisks, I walked out into a packed stadium swathed in celestial blue and white; the balloons, flags and ticker tape an overwhelming experience. Although when fans' favourite 'If you are not English then jump up and down' got an airing, me and my fellow Brits coughed mildly and looked down at our feet – we were so English it hurt.

Fans gather outside River Plate's Estadio Monumental

And then before us: Messi, Agüero, Verón, Riquelme, Zanetti, Heinze, Mascherano. I was, I have to admit, star struck. Only Verón, Riquelme and Palacio - who later made a goal-scoring appearance - play in Argentina and after several seasons of watching players bugger off to Europe it was great to see them back in the country.

Ecuador had, erm, that bloke there and him, you know from Liga de Quito. This was going to be a whitewash.

But 20 minutes into the game hands became colder and the crowd silenced (which takes some doing in Argentina). This was poor. Nay, it was embarrassing, even for an honorary Argentine like myself.

Verón, earlier scorned by Argie Bargy, was playing his heart out even though he was roundly booed everytime he touched the ball - he is still blamed for Argentina's 2002 World Cup disaster among other misdemeanours. Playing in centre midfield he controlled the team, while captain Zanetti, stuck out on the left wing, failed to impress.

Boca's Riquelme, slaughtered in the following day's press, was simply outplayed. But all eyes were on Messi. The 'little flea' barely moves around the pitch, and even when he is jogging it seems to be in slow motion. But then he gets the ball at his feet. And when that happens 50,000 people stand up.

Excuse me for gushing, but the man is a genius. He may not have scored, but his dribbling is consistently stunning. How easy football must be for him, effortlessly beating every defender. But even partnered with the workmanlike Agüero they simply failed. Messi: bored. Agüero: frustrated.

And 23 minutes into the second half Ecuador's Urrutia stunned the home faithful after finishing off a superb move (see 2:09mins). Argentina had constantly threatened but failed to capitalise and it took going a goal down to urge them on. But Agüero's poor finishing and Riquelme's even poorer set pieces were stalling an increasingly desperate Argentine side.

Urrutia celebrates giving Ecuador a surprise lead

However, deep into added-time Palacio, on for the injured Verón, scored a goal (see 4:10mins) that saved some, but certainly not all, of Argentina's dignity.

As Argie Bargy wandered back into the night, no longer quite as star struck, it wondered how a team with such characters could fail, on home soil, against Ecuador. Their biggest test will now come on Wednesday away against Brazil, Argentina's greatest enemy – even more than England.

River fans party around the world

2008-06-09T13:37:00Z

The presumptuous barra brava had the fireworks ready. And with 10 minutes to go, River Plate's jam-packed Monumental stadium erupted in flame.

In the penultimate game of the season the Millionarios extended their lead over Estudiantes and won the Clausura championship; the second half of the Argentine season.

Playing lowly Olimpo, Diego Buonanotte put River ahead on 15 minutes after a goal mouth scramble. But the game was far from over and a determined Olimpo piled the pressure on Ortega's team. 21-minutes into the second half Olimpo equalised and River's fans began to foresee another disappointing night.

Buonanotte edges River ahead against Olimpo

Over in La Plata, meanwhile, Estudiantes' supporters were ecstatic at the news. Their team were playing Colon at exactly the same time and, with River drawing, the title would not be decided for another week.

But they were soon silenced a few minutes later with the news of another Buonanotte goal.

At full time, with the party already in full flow, River's players along with coach Diego Simeone disappeared into the changing rooms to watch the five minutes of extra time in La Plata.

As they watched Veron put his head in his hands after only drawing 0-0, they returned to the pitch swamped by the media and partied like it was 1999, and erm, 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2004.

After the disappointment of losing the Superclasico against Boca and crashing out of the Copa Libertadores against San Lorenzo, all was now forgotten. Fans who were up until a week ago still throwing maize at the 'chicken' players as they ran out were now climbing the fence and throwing fireworks.

It was what is known in Buenos Aires as a 'Descontrol total'. It even extended as far as Neuquen a 15 hour drive away and Barcelona.

Ortega hoists trophy to get global party started

River go top but still plenty to play for in Argentina

2008-06-03T13:30:00Z

River Plate have extended their lead over Estudiantes after a comfortable home win against mid-table Colon, despite playing most of the game with 10 men.

River are now two points clear with two more games to play. However, with Estudiantes on 35 points, Boca on 33, San Lorenzo on 31 and Independiente on 29, there is still plenty of time for a few surprises.

But Simeone, in his first season in charge, needs to redeem what has been an overall disappointing season for the Millionarios, with violence off the pitch and lacklustre performers on the field.

Looking at the remaining games, the favourites have to be River but Estudiantes also have relatively easy games. Both teams play Olimpo, a team even Argentine fans struggle to know anything about. Then River take on Banfield currently in 10th position, while Estudiantes play Colon who are 14th.

Alexis Sanchez celebrates as River go top of the pile

San Lorenzo's boardroom troubles, that will probably see the end of Ramon Diaz's one season tenure, has affected them on the pitch too with two defeats in their last four games.

At the other end of the table, Racing remain bottom. However the Argentine league relegation system is structured on an average score over the last few years.

Racing's demotion is not a given, but they are likely to have to take on other strugglers in a play off, the loser of which will be relegated. It was the blue and whites, however, who came closest to winning a poor 0-0 Clasico against Independiente on Saturday.

Meanwhile the national team have just arrived in San Diego for a couple of friendlies against Mexico and a team made up of local players, before playing their International Clasico Brazil in the World Cup qualifiers.

Boca head to Rio carrying the hopes of a nation

2008-05-29T16:00:00Z

With two games to go the domestic league is wide open, with six teams within six points of each other. But however important it is to Argentine football fans for their team to win the championship, each would gladly lose the title to their arch rivals on the last day of the season 20 times over in exchange for a Copa Libertadores in their dusty cabinets.

The hopes for the Copa coming to Argentina are now in Boca Juniors' hands. And if a team can be convincing while still drawing at home, then that was Boca.

On a bitterly cold night (OK, it was 5C which is bitterly cold for Argentina) against, Brazilian side, Fluminense - mostly wearing gloves - Boca maintained a relentless attack on goal throughout a thrilling match.

When Riquleme scored an 11th minute goal from a lovely flowing build up, it looked as though the night was Boca's. The crowd, packed into Racing's impressive stadium - built for the 1978 World Cup - believed the night was theirs. Fluminese's equaliser three minutes later did little to dampen the party atmosphere as probably the most fluid performance from Boca all season constantly threatened another goal.

Riquleme's second, a free kick, came just after half time and the erstwhile mild mannered number 10 danced around the stadium and kissed the ball before placing it on the centre spot.

But against the flow of play, on the counter-attack, Fluminese's lofty Migliore hit one from outside the penalty area. It slipped through the goalkeeper's hands giving the Brazilian's a potentially crucial away goal.

Boca now have to go Rio de Janeiro in a week with Argentina's hopes weighing down on their shoulders.

Riquelme fires home before going mental, below

Palermo hat-trick sees Boca bounce back

2008-05-22T10:57:00Z

Even in Argentina the Champions League final threatened to push Boca's quarter-final win over Mexico's Atlas off the city's café screens... but not quite.

Anyway, for those not flicking through FourFourTwo's photo archive of recent events in Moscow, Boca Juniors - against all expectations, well, Argie Bargy's, at least - are through to the semi-finals of the Copa Libertadores.

After a worrying 2-2 draw at home, Boca were the underdogs going into the away leg. But Boca dominated from the off and scored three first-half goals, all by the golden boots of who else but Martin Palermo.

For Boca fans it was one of the most important games of the year. And riding high, but not top, in the league and with a recent Superclasico win under their belts, they are finally gathering momentum and confidence which many hope will carry them through to the Libertadores final.

Leaving the pitch, Riquleme said what many Argentines also wish for: that San Lorenzo win on Thursday night and we see a final between two sides from the same country.

Not too unlike some other game recently.

Martin Palermo makes it three to rip up the Atlas

Don't cry for me Boca Juniors

2008-05-21T13:00:00Z

Argentina is an undeniably macho society.

Men wolf-whistle, stare and call out comments at pretty much any female passing. Women generally stay at home - granted this is changing, but we are still looking at 1950s Britain as a comparison - and they earn less.

Oddly, for British minds at least, the Samson effect remains strong in this country with long wet-look hair, preferably in a curly perm or prize mullet, being a sign of machoism and virility. Look at Ariel Ortega. There are also other things on the football field that can make a stiff upper lip quiver. They hug and jump on each other at moments that elsewhere would seem mildly inappropriate.

But to cry? Well, Gazza did it once and England never forgot. Here, dry eyes are deemed almost a detachment from the passion of Argentine football. Maradona did it, and they loved him for it.

The emotion at Boca Juniors' Bombonera stadium is notoriously intense. So when a young Boca team - Palermo, Riquleme et al saved for tonight's Libertadores match - went up against an imploding Racing, there were a couple of debuts.

Ricardo 'Tito' Noir, however stole the show. The young 19-year-old, unknown to many spectators, came on with Boca Juniors drawing 1-1. He immediately took control of the game, getting involved with nearly every attack, and then four minutes into extra time – Gooooolaaazzzoooo. The crowd were ecstatic. Noir wept. What a debut. He was carried off on the shoulders of his team-mates, still crying. Well, wouldn't you have done?

Gooooolaaazzzoooo: Noir scores, and then weeps

It leaves Boca third in a wide-open title race. Estudiantes stay top; River, whose fans still haven't forgiven them for losing the Superclasico or the Copa Libertadores game against San Lorenzo, are in second after lacklustre performances.But within six points are six teams including Independiente, Velez and San Lorenzo. It's going to be an exciting finish.

Tonight, attention turns again from country to continent as Boca Juniors face Atlas in Mexico, needing a win or a 3-3 draw, while San Lorenzo travel to the heights of Quito to play Liga needing a 2-2 draw or a win. The Argentinians will be hoping to display manly, hairy pride, rather than weeping tears of disappointment.

San Lorenzo left with mountain to climb, literally!

2008-05-16T17:15:00Z

Just take a look at this.

There are few bloopers that may have such lasting effects. In the first - and home - leg of San Lorenzo's Copa Libertadores quarter final, the team from the Almagro neighbourhood went one nil down against Liga de Quito with the above goalkeeping disaster from Agustin Orion.

They pulled one back with a great free kick from Adrián González, leaving the Quito goalie looking almost, but not quite, as stupid as San Lorenzo's. Now they are left with, literally, an up-hill struggle for their away leg in the altitude of Quito. Not to mention that, before then, they are playing one of Buenos Aires' great derbies: against Huracán.

Liga can't believe their luck after Orion gifts them the lead

On Tuesday, Boca Juniors fared even worse. An ecstatic sold out crowd were utterly silenced in the last minute by an Atlas goal meaning they drew 2-2. Boca now travel to Mexico needing a win, or at least a 3-3 draw, to progress to the semi-finals.

And another big weekend for football sees two major derbies taking place. The big one, as mentioned above, is Huracán vs San Lorenzo. Undoubtedly the most important game for Huracån this season. And I know it's good to be as independent as possible in the blogosphere but COME ON HURACÁN!!!!!!!!!!!!

The nearby city of La Plata hosts the showdown between Gimnasia de La Plata and Juan Verón's Estudiantes, the latter in second place in the league only on goal difference.

In first place are River, who are not having the greatest of weeks, and it's unlikely to be made better with their visit to a resurgent Independiente in the Mini Clasico.

All hail King Tevez, River players pelted with chicken feed

2008-05-14T14:20:00Z

'He wore the Argentina flag, he wore the Argentina flag,' was a phrase that I think, with only a little bit of exaggeration, was what every one of my Argentine friends said to me on Monday morning.

The photo of King Tevez with a Argentina celestial blue and white flag draped around his shoulders appeared on the front page of every newspaper and was a proud moment for a proud nation.

"The English love me for what I have done with Manchester," the star told daily football rag Olé. "I wore the flag so it would help give an even better image of my country."

Celebrating his ninth title, Tevez also said how the English appreciate his work rate.

"They were shouting "Argentina, Argentina" when I had the ball, and I have seen lots of Argentina flags in the crowd."

He also dedicated his title to his uncle who is suffering from cancer.

Carlos dons his country's colours during title celebrations

It could be called a self-fulfilling prophecy, but since some witty fan threw a live chicken on to the pitch after a dismal losing streak by River a couple of years ago, they have been nicknamed gallinas (chickens).

In the best tradition they took the name under their belt and proudly called it their own. Now it has reappeared, original meaning intact.

Despite being on the top of the table - although there are six teams within four points and they are only separated from Estudiantes by goal difference - River's miserable week involving crashing out of the Copa Libertadores to San Lorenzo and losing the Superclasicó has left fans furious.

On Sunday they comprehensively beat Gimnasia de La Plata (currently in 16th) but, far from appeasing the fans, each goal was met by utter silence from the 40,000-strong crowd. Worse, the players were pelted with corn arrived at the stadium and as they left the changing rooms.

"It hurt," River's Diego Buonanotte said, unclear whether he was referring to physical pain or mental distress. What is clear is that River must win the domestic title if Simeone wants to hang on to his job.

Silence greets Abelairas' goal against Gimnasia de La Plata

Battle of the season lives up to the hype

2008-05-09T14:54:00Z

It was billed as the battle of the season and, judging by the scuffles on and off the pitch, it lived up to its name.

Nine-man San Lorenzo came from 2-0 down against River Plate to draw 2-2 and progress into the quarter finals of the Copa Libertadores.

In an astonishing game at River Plate's Monumental stadium four goals, three sending offs, one penalty and a mini post-match riot made for a fiery event on a chilly autumn evening.

River Plate went ahead 16 minutes into the first half and things appeared to be looking up for manager Simeone, whose week was already a struggle after losing the Superclasicó against Boca on Sunday. Abreu, a former champion with San Lorenzo, put them 2-0 up in the second half.

But it was Bergessio's two audacious goals in four minutes, supported only by eight team-mates, that earned San Lorenzo passage into the last eight of the Copa.

Bergessio celebrates his moments of magic against River

River fans, making up the vast majority, saw their hopes dissipate before their eyes and things turned ugly.

After the game, 150 fans broke into the entrance hall demanding the head of chairman José María Aguilar - or as he is known to Argie Bargy, the 'Muppet'.

BLOG: April 2 Muppet mastery from River Plate president

Police held the fans back, but players had to remain in the changing rooms due to the threatening behaviour of waiting fans.

San Lorenzo and Boca Juniors are now the only two Argentine teams still in the competition after top of the table Estudiantes crashed out along with Lanús.

Goollllaazzzooooo!!! Bouncing Boca in Copa quarters

2008-05-08T13:14:00Z

It's turning out to be a pretty good week for Boca Juniors. On Sunday they beat title favourites and local rivals River in the superclasicó.

And last night, they took on Cruzeiro in Brazil and won 2-1, sending the holders through to the semis. AND WHAT A GOAL! Rodrigo Palacio, who has been far from on form, scored a great goal from the edge of the area on 36 minutes.

Just before half-time, Martin Palermo (who else?) headed in the second with perfect accuracy. Cruzeiro scraped one back, but it was too late.

Boca will now play Mexicans Atlas, who should be comfortable opponents for the team of the moment.

Palermo's post-goal peck for Palacio

Battle of the year

However, the game all of Buenos Aires seem to be talking about is tonight's second-leg encounter between River Plate and San Lorenzo. It has already been called the 'battle of the year' after last week's bad-tempered game, in which dirty laundry was hung out by players reportedly arguing throughout the game about alleged wife-snatching.

But we at Argy Bargy don't encourage scurrilous gossip* and remain sure tonight will all be about the football.

Speakers in the Bombonera?

And in a bizarre move, Boca's administration were accused – mostly, it has to be said, by River fans – of placing speakers on the terraces to make more noise. Hard to believe in what is considered the loudest stadium in the world, but with an ever-decreasing amount of away fans allowed at the superclasicó, could it be symptomatic of the quietening of fans in Argentina?

No, of course not.

* Oh, go on then. The clash was between River's Eduardo Tuzzio and San Lorenzo's Gonzalo Bergessio. Bergessio brought up an old one on Tuzzio. Apparently it was about three years ago that Tuzzio's 'friend' and River Plate teammate, Horacio Ameli, did the dirty on Tuzzio with the latter's wife. Well that's enough to put anyone off their game.

Boca's win over River leaves Simeone stewing

2008-05-06T09:26:00Z

There were fireworks, enough ticker to cover parading liberators of all the wars put together and odd bombs that spurted blue and gold smoke. It was the closing season's superclasicó and it was the home team Boca Juniors who earned the glory.

Sure, it was a scrappy game, as most derbies are. But then again, as in all derbies, this was a fight for the fans. And Boca Juniors' slick fans unveiled a brand new flag, 15 storeys high, for the occasion.

Boca's banner: at least they didn't hold it upside down

Fortunately they had plenty of opportunities to unfurl and shake it like a Polaroid as they celebrated their first win for three years over their uptown rivals. Although nether team were convincing, Boca created more chances but generally failed to capitalise – a problem for them of late. It was a sublime header from Sebastian Battaglia in the 14th minute that set the tone, and then Boca hung on for dear life. Not that River were particularly threatening: Ariel Ortega was subbed early in the second half, and Diego Simeone's side looked lacklustre - much to their manager's disgust. And as he walked off, some witty Boca (or River) fan threw him a rubber ring.

It means Simeone has a tricky week ahead. After a loss against San Lorenzo in a heated Copa Libertadores first leg last week, River need a win on Wednesday to make the quarters. Their league prospects are also dubious, but as with the English Premier League it looks as though it will be down to the wire. Estudiantes lead, but both River and San Lorenzo have the same amount of points, 27; fourth-placed Boca are a point behind, while Veléz and Independiente have 24 and 23 respectively.

Off the field, the superclasicó passed off relatively peacefully, with only 253 arrests (yes, that's low), including 69 from River faction Banda del Oeste, who are largely blamed for the recent violence on the terraces. But apart from a few scuffles wherein Boca supporters mugged River fans for flags and shirts then burnt them, it was a security success, especially amid the most violent season for years.

At the other end of the table, Racing played Rosario Central looking to escape the relegation zone. But Rosario won 3-2, leaving Racing in their worst situation for a decade and a real possibility of going down – a huge blow for one of Argentina's most supported teams.

Argentina gears up for biggest game on earth

2008-05-02T09:45:00Z

Well what a week for football. Champions League antics maybe dominating the European scene, but in this small corner at the end of the world it's one hell of a weekend for football.

Buenos Aires giants San Lorenzo played River Plate in the first leg of their Copa Libertadores last 16. In San Lorenzo's Nuevo Gasómetro stadium, River went down 2-1. Neck and neck until the final three minutes when Baldassi earned a penalty, which was neatly slotted away by González.

Earlier in the day Boca Juniors, who only just scraped through to this stage, won far from convincingly against Brazilians Cruzeiro. They play the second leg next Wednesday on Brazilian soil, but by continuing to earn their passage through to the finals on goal difference alone will not be enough.

Both River and Boca will, however, be mildly distracted by the Biggest Game on Earth (TM) this weekend. Yep it's the Superclasico.

Boca's Bombonera stadium will be shuddering during the most famous derby in the world. Both teams are high up in the league with River second, separated by goal difference from Verón's Estudiantes, while Boca are looking to rescue a little bit of dignity from their lacklustre season by winning the Superclasico and moving nearer the top of the table.

So as a little taster here are three clips demonstrating why Boca Juniors vs River Plate is such a spectacle.

Boca vs River at La Bombonera. Never a dull moment

Juan Román Riquelme, Boca's number 10 and all round saviour – or at least at the beginning of the season – reckons that River, whose recent loss against San Lorenzo in the Libertadores puts them firmly on the back foot, won't be able to score.

"Nobody attacks us in the Bombonera," he said in reference to the intimidating atmosphere the echoing stadium is known for.

"This is the most important game because we are both playing for the championship," he continued. "And we are going to win."

Boca are currently in fourth position, behind San Lorenzo, River in second on goal difference and Estudiantes on top. Only five points separate the top four with seven games to go.

"It's going to be a complicated game on Sunday," Riquelme told local football paper Olé. "It means a lot to many people, but lets be realistic. Its 90 minutes, when 11 players play against 11 other players. It's football. Nothing else."

Violence has traditionally been most intense at Boca-River games with their notorious hatred. However, increased police presence and the very limited amount of away supporters has led to a reduction in the troubles.

But it could be the internal wrangling in both barra bravas that remain the story, preferring to fight their own rather than the 'enemy'.

Well, I have booked myself a spot to watch the game. Not in the stadium – if you don't know Maradona you have no chance. But just to understand how important this game is in Buenos Aires culture, I have had to reserve a seat in the crappiest, dirties, little dive cafe in BA – THREE days in advance.

Man. I had better get on to Maradona's people. Watch this space on Monday for a full report.

If in doubt, pray to the Argentinian Robin Hood

2008-04-29T08:30:00Z

Boca's season is not on fire. Scraping through to the final 16 in the Libertadores, Sunday's defeat by San Lorenzo and struggling (for Boca) in third place in the league – all after this blogger confidently predicted the team would win everything: Copa Libertadores, League, Lottery Polo Championship.

As the less than convincing season continues, Boca fans have turned to that peculiarly Latin American tradition of adopting a saint to whom they can pray when times are less than divine.

Guachito Gil is an obscure gaucho (a cow-killing, gin-swigging cowboy) who became a fugitive character back in the early 19th century after going AWOL from yet another war with Brazil.

As with all good legends, Gil's story is shrouded in mystery but he is believed to have been a simple farmer born Antonio Mamerto Gil Nuñez in the north-eastern province of Corrientes around 1847. The story goes that he became involved in an affair with a wealthy widow. When her brothers found out they told the head of police – also in love with the widow – and Gil was forced to scarper to join the army, fighting in a civil war between the warring 'celestes' and 'colorados' political parties.

Subsequently, he became a kind of Argentinian Robin Hood, stealing from rich land owners and giving tto the poor. Word also spread that Gauchito had received special healing powers from a Guaraní god.

Today in Buenos Aires, red rags, red candles and red flags mark shrines around the city for this folk saint while icons of the moustachioed gaucho are usually surrounded by offerings of wine, cigarettes, crosses and flour.

So it was that with a little splash of wine, I recently saw a couple of Boca fans stopping for a quick prayer – presumably for a comfortable win for the team.

Boca fans: praying for help from a cow-killing, gin-swigging cowboy

Mind you, Boca's troubles are nothing compared with Racing.

A big team struggling badly, they are playing for their survival in the Primera, and some players have taken to making offerings to Guachito Gil in return for rescue from this situation – or at least three points towards it. One has a tattoo of the gaucho. Another has gone as far as saying that Racing are cursed.

It hasn't stopped all manner of odd going-ons in Racing players' homes (though we're not quite at the stage of making voodoo dolls of Independiente players).

In case you think this is superstitious piffle, it's worth remembering that this is a country where a worryingly high proportion of the overwhelmingly Catholic population want Evita to be sainted. And where a recent popular saint is a cumbia singer called Rodrigo who died young in a car accident about 10 years ago.

It's basically like praying to Robbie Williams – if he were dead of course. But no one wants that, even if it helps Port Vale win the league.

Maradona wades into Peronist politics

2008-04-25T15:17:00Z

Peronism. Argentina's dominant political movement is about as easy to understand as geothermal physics.

There are Peronists and then there are Peronists. And they hate each other. Named after Juan Domingo Peron, who had some famous wife or other and became famous with his populist politics, in which he somehow managed to reconcile workers' rights with the harbouring of Nazi war criminals.

And that example is demonstrative of the paradox of Peronism.

Maradona, another tricky cookie to crack, has now waded into Peronist politics with customary confusion. 'The number 10 of Judicialism will be Maradona,' the former president Nestor Kirchner said. Answers on a postcard.

The new number 10 of Judicialism. No, we don't know either

No one will be sure what God's role will be within the government but, understandably, cynics among you maybe thinking it is a cheap ploy to get publicity for the ruling party. The opposition party are also Peronists (naturally). But surely not – apparently 'all of Diego's family were Peronist' which is akin to saying 'all British families like a cup of tea'.

Perhaps he will become the ambassador to the UK, maybe the World Bank's spokesperson, or perhaps Principal Private Secretary to the Minister of Cigar Smoking, Talking Bollocks, and Stirring Up Trouble.

If anyone has any other ideas for Diego's role, we welcome them. And can someone please explain Peronism to me.

Boca scrape through in Copa; Pele & Diego in spat shock

2008-04-23T14:05:00Z

River fans call Boca 'swines'. Last night they became lucky swines, qualifying for the last 16 of Latin America's holy grail: the Copa Libertadores.

They went into the game needing a five-goal win over Venezuelan whipping-boys Maracaibo to assure their place in the knock-out stages. They could only scrape three, despite Anfield refugee Gabriel Paletta opening the scoring in the ninth minute.

But, as is often the case, football is part-mathematics, part good fortune: Chilean outfit Colo Colo could only draw at home to Mexican side Atlas, meaning Boca squeaked through at the Chileans' expense on goal difference, along with table-topping Atlas.

As word of the Santiago stalemate got around La Bombonera, fireworks were lit in the stands, while on the pitch Juan Roman Riquelme started singing and doing a Nobby Stiles jig. The onlooking Diego Maradona took off his top and swirled it over his head. In short everybody reacted as if they'd won the competition, perhaps because they'd experienced something many other fans enjoy more than anything else: the lucky escape from humiliation.

Jesus Datolo and Riquelme's goals beefed up the scoreline but it was a far from promising game from an erratic Boca side. They were the only Argentine team who struggled: although Arsenal had left themselves too much to do in Group 8 after three defeats in the first four games, River Plate topped a strong Group 5 while San Lorenzo got through Group 1 Lanus and Estudiantes had Group 2 sewn up last week.

Colo Colo draw whips Diego up into a frenzy

Pelé on Maradona's doping

As the newly-thin (again) God watched from his Bombonera box, shirt off, hanging from the rafters, the Brazilian God was wondering how come, if other Olympians have their medals taken off them for doping scandals, Diego had hung on to his?

A fair enough point, perhaps, but one that made angry headlines in a fiercely loyal Argentina. He also criticised that goal by arguing "He was a great player, but you just can't hit a ball with your hand, pretending it was your head."

This one could run and run. Oh, it already has...

Where there's smoke, there's a River on fire

2008-04-18T13:32:00Z

Cough, cough, splutter, splutter... as Buenos Aires is enveloped in a soup of acrid smoke from farmers burning land (I can see less than 100 metres across the roofs of the city; see it here

River Plate were on fire last night (sorry couldn't resist) beating whipping boys San Martin de Perú 5-0.

The smoke was so bad you could barely see one side of the pitch from the other but River cleverly used it to their advantage, sweeping the ball up the pitch to Uruguayan Sebastián Abreu who scored three.

River, along with Estudiantes, San Lorenzo and Lanús, are now through to the last 16 with Arsenal and Boca Juniors the only Argentine teams still to qualify.

The latter are only likely to do so through some complicated mathematical equation - and a good helping of luck - which to be fair, they usually have.

Moody Maradona tips San Lorenzo to win Libertadores

2008-04-17T13:36:00Z

Managers come and go, but one always remains a fan of the team. It's the law. And no matter how much you hate the gaffer, you wish the team well.

Maradona, never one to hide his rancor, hates Boca Junior's boss Carlo Isichia (he once called him a 'big fat steak'), but is there week in week out, following them around the world.

However, his mood has considerably dampened in recent years; no longer seen hanging off his executive box in La Bombonera, being held onto desperately by his security guards in case the top-heavy genius topples over. No, now he is more likely to be seen sucking coke (not that sort, he's all clear) grumpily watching his beloved Boca do, well, alright.

Diego: Not as animated at La Bombonera as he used to be

After losing their Copa Libertadores game in Mexico he merely uttered to the press "well, what happened had to happen" implying that Boca have to lose to get rid of Isichia.

Now, after San Lorenzo's emphatic victory over Venezuelans Caracas which saw the centenary team progress to the second stage for the first time in six years, Maradona came out and said "San Lorenzo are going to win the Copa."

Coach Ramón Díaz, an Argentine, and therefore holds Maradona somewhere above Allah and just a bit below the Virgin Mary in deity status, blames the win on his presence, hoping he will come again.

God, who has played for San Lorenzo twice in his life, said, 'I'm just a fan of football.' But it can't sit well with Boca who still have a somewhat slim chance of progressing into the second stage, unlike underdogs Estudiantes and Lanús who both qualified after wins on Tuesday night.

Tonight River play a key game against Universidad de San Martin. As long as they don't lose by two goals they are through.

Independiente sleeping with the enemy

2008-04-16T09:55:00Z

For Independiente, the unthinkable has happened.

The rivalry between Racing and Independiente is one of the most intense in Argentina. It's difficult to express how much they hate each other. And yet, as both teams reach crisis point - Racing are fighting the relegration zone - a die-hard, life-long Racing fan has been appointed manager of Independiente.

The current Colo Colo coach will return from Chile at the end of this season to take up the role.

However, as he was presented to the press and underwent the usual 'here's a red shirt display', Claudio Borghi actually refused to put it on. "It's a size too big, he said with a laugh."

He went on to explain: "They are taking on a manager, not a fan." But it is unlikely to appease Independiente fans who would probably rather have my mum as coach than a Racing fan.

And imagine, the hostility of the fans even if they do accept the idea. Every time they lose, 'Bichi' Borghi is going to get more hassle than the particularly thick skinned Argentine managers are used to.

Paranormal Boca

Boca Juniors have always attracted a wide fan base, covering all social classes and even nationalities, but now it appears that they are attracting fans from the afterlife.

"Sometimes I hear La Doce (Boca's barra brava) singing 'Dale Boca, Dale Booooccaaa' but I walk onto the pitch and there is no one there," claims one cafe worker. "It gives me goose pimples and I leave running."

A security guard has also spotted paranormal activities in the stadium. "Sometimes you hear knocks always in the same places, but we never see anything, but occasionally there is a black shadow moving away."

Argentine Copa failure

It has been a pretty grim time all round for Argentine football, but not even the Copa Libertadores offers a reason to cheer.

Of the five teams who have already secured their places in the next stage of the finals, none are Argentine and only Estudiantes, Verón's team, are leading their four team mini league (Lanus are second) and are almost certain to go through.

Maradona, Rod Stewart and worst miss ever

2008-04-11T09:31:00Z

The Boca wibble-wobble

Boca Juniors' wobble continued during a bizarre Copa Libertadores match against Mexicans Atlas on Tuesday, courtesy of what might be the worst miss in the history of football.

To use a footballing cliché, my grandmother, nimble for a 76-year-old but certainly not Premiership material, could have knocked in the chance that Martin Palermo blazed wide. It was a miss that appeared to defy the laws of physics. A yard out, a gaping goal and Palermo sliced it wide. Not just wide, but miles wide. How?

Remember, this is Boca's greatest ever goalscorer. And it was the moment when the game turned in favour of the Mexicans, who were supported by a vast home audience as fervent in their support as any Bombonera crowd.

The game finished 3-1 in Atlas's favour, complicating Boca's movement into the final stages of the Copa. Maradona was in attendance and uncharacteristically quiet – not that he could do much talking with that missile-sized cigar in his mouth.

Known for his dislike of Boca's coach Carlos Ischia, Diego told waiting press: 'It was something that had to happen.' Code for 'I really hope Ischia does so badly that he'll be fired and they'll give me the job.'

Palermo looks down at the ground, hoping it will swallow him up

River's terrace closed down

After the horrific violence that mars every single River Plate game, the AFA have forced River's management to close their terrace for the next two games. But despite the violence, it is a move that has drawn criticism from many corners.

What's to stop the thugs from simply moving to the seating area? And why punish the guys who aren't part of the barra brava but who simply can't afford seats?

Fortunately River Plate's manager Aguilar (see previous post, 'Muppet mastery') doesn't have a clue who the people who cause the violence are. No idea. Zip. Well, as he said in front of the judge, only the jailed Alan Schlenker, his arch enemy Adrian Rousseau and the murdered Gonzalo Acro – the three protagonists of the troubles. But no one else. Once again for the record: MUPPET.

Thank God for Rod, eh?

Amid all the usual chaos, at least rockin' Rod Stewart had some good things to say about Argentinian football. Arriving in Buenos Aires to subject porteños to dank hits and gruff wailing, he told reporters that he would love to see Messi and Tevez at Celtic. He was also presented with one of Maradona's Napoli's shirts which he promised to wear on stage. Oh, sail away Rod.

River Plate go top, San Lorenzo score goal of season

2008-04-07T13:23:00Z

Well, finally, cause for celebration: A violence free weekend.

OK, last time I hailed a few days like this it was followed by all sorts of trouble. But, nevertheless, lets take this opportunity to talk about ..... da da da da da da da DAAAAA ..... football!

River top of the tree

Time to catch up. After their nightmare start to the season, River Plate sit at the top of the league, ahead of Juan Verón's Estudiantes and a great Boca Juniors team.

Simeone's team have settled into the roles the new coach imposed on them at the beginning of the season. Although they are struggling in the Copa Libertadores – losing in the last five minutes against Mexicans America despite being 3-1 up going into the second half – they made it through to the quarter finals.

On Sunday a great solo effort by Diego Buonanotte over Lanus put them further ahead.

Teenager Buonanotte celebrates winner against Lanus

San Lorenzo score five

The Cuervos (The Crows) as San Lorenzo have been celebrating their 100th birthday. Or at least trying to. Their huge party in their own stadium turned out to be a damp squib, but not as much as Ramon Diaz's team's performance in the Copa Libertadores against Brazilians Cruzeiro.

They lost 3-1 further stifling the fiesta. All this was forgotten, however, yesterday with a 5-1 thumping of Tigre away, including what could quite possibly be the team goal of the season alongside a couple of other contenders too.

Other results

Argentinos Juniors 1 – 1 Gimnasia de Jujuy

Possibly the least appealing fixture in the weekend saw Argentinos Juniors take on Gimnasia de Jujuy in Argentinos Maradona stadium. In joint 10th position, Argentinos were booed off the pitch for a lacklustre performance.

Velez 1 – 1 Racing

Troubled Racing went in to the Velez game with a new manager Juan Manuel Llop, however he couldn't inspire the team to a win. It has now been nine games without beating their rivals and they are bottom of the table after this game, making them firm candidates for relegation.

San Martin de San Juan 2 – 0 Huracán

Arsenal 0 - 0 Estudiantes

Central 1 – 1 Newell's Old Bots

Boca Juniors 1 – 1 Banfield

Independiente 1 3 Colon

Gimnasia de La Plata 4 – 2 Olimpo

Muppet mastery from River Plate president

2008-04-02T16:12:00Z

An email arrived in my inbox this morning from a fellow Argy football fan with the title F.*.*.K.I.N.G M.U.P.P.E.T.

Half expecting an amateur YouTube clip of Miss Piggy in an inappropriate clinch with Kermit, I can't say I was overly surprised to see it was about River Plate's president José Maria Aguilar.

"The members of the barras that were in the papers, I don't know," he exclaimed.

It was in relation to the huge, and bloody fight at the Veléz stadium last weekend, in full glorious technicolour , between knife carrying members of internal factions of River's barra.

"Of the one's in the photos," he continued, "very few are members of River Plate. Of the 25 faces I don't know any of them."

It is quite a claim from a club who has actively employed members of the barra brava, including Acro, a young barra, who was River's pool cleaner....on US $68,000 a year.

With nearly every team being cooperatives, presidents and the board rely strongly on their fans to vote them in, leading to an uncomfortable relation between the barra brava, who they often feel obliged to condemn for their violence, while desperately needing them to retain power.

The clubs are in a tricky situation, no doubt, but it is still astonishing that not even the River president recognises these thugs, when the fans, the police, the newspaper reporters and even myself, does recognise them.

This policy of hear no evil, see no evil, speak evil can only continue to damage River's failing integrity.

And just to lighten the mood a little: Mahna Mahna Hey!

When an Argentine can't eat his steak, expect hell

2008-04-02T09:04:00Z

First there was fear and loathing, now we have chaos and violence. It has been one of the saddest couple of weeks in Argentine football for years.

At the best of times, Argentina feels like a society hanging from a thread, but sometimes it feels as though even this is unravelling. As I write, I can hear massive protests outside my downtown office window to complain about new taxes on agriculture. And then there are the people who have taken to the streets to complain that people are complaining about taxes on agriculture.

As a result of various pickets, milk prices are rocketing and the butchers' shelves are empty. When an Argentine can't eat his steak all hell breaks loose.

It would take a better sociologist than me to make the link between these wider problems and an increase in violence on the terraces but although it might be an exaggeration to say Argentine football is in meltdown, it is clear that there are some deep, unsolved problems.

Two weeks ago two young supporters died in separate shooting incidents. This weekend, however, the true extent of the internal fight for power of the River Plate barra brava became horrifically apparent live on TV with an audience of thousands.

In clear view of the country's media, one faction of the barra brava attacked their rivals with knives and belts on the terrace of Velez's stadium. Around 40 fans were detained on their way out, but why the police let in an entire faction of one barra brava unchecked and unfrisked, most carrying knives, must be questioned.

River Plate barra brava attack rivals with knives and belts

The last week has also seen the resignation of four managers. Independiente, Colon, Banfield and, yesterday, Racing have all replaced coaches. Of those, the most crucial dismissal was at an increasingly troubled Racing.

On the point of bankruptcy and in the midst of a full scale revolt by the fans, Argentina's only privately owned top-flight club (the rest are cooperatives) looks as if it will be changing hands pretty soon.

Their last game was a sad affair, after the Argentinian FA forced them to play behind closed doors due to violence at the previous game. They lost 2-0 to San Martin, and if the same team beat Huracan tonight, Racing, one of BA's most supported clubs will find itself in the relegation zone. Claudio Cristofanelli, a forward with 217 games for the club under his belt takes over.

And finally, some good news... Argie Bargy wishes San Lorenzo a happy 100th birthday. To celebrate, why not check out a few clips and the history of the club here?

The calm after the storm

2008-03-25T09:27:00Z

After a weekend of horrendous violence, leaving two dead, the Easter weekend games were peaceful and mostly sober affairs.

At the Vélez game against a resurgent River, fans packed the stand and held up signs saying 'We will never forget you Emanuel'. The family of the deceased walked around the pitch to applause while asking for 'justicia' for the 24-year-old who was shot in the heart before last weekend's game against San Lorenzo.

Other fans held up posters saying that: 'This doesn't just stop with one minute of silence'.

The reputation of Argentine footballing culture has again suffered, but it is unlikely that this tragic episode will be the 'full stop' in the violence. It has long been a problem in a country where blind fanaticism is seamlessly mixed with organised crime.

Nevertheless, the police, long seen as a problem themselves, are beginning to crack down under public pressure. Yesterday the third highest member of the Boca Juniors barra brava El 12 was arrested, a minor blow to this highly-structured organisastion.

William Richard was taken into to custody under a public order offence along with 24 other members of the barra before their victory against Colon. Mauro Martín, the leader of the barra while Rafa Di Zeo sits in jail, still attended the game.

How far the police can or will punish these people is difficult to say. Allegations are rife that corrupt police work in cahoots with barra bravas and they invest a lot of time building up relations. (At Rafa Di Zeo's wedding a couple of years ago, for example, were several police chiefs, along with Maradona and members of the team.)

To solve the violence requires not a major cultural change in Argentine football because the passion, fanaticism, excitement of the game is what makes Argentine football the most exciting in the world (as I argued a couple of days before the weekend of violence). It simply needs a crack down on those factions who are causing the the trouble.

River's barra Los Borrachos de Tablon (the Drunks of the Terrace) continue to fight among themselves for control of the barra. Why? Its the economy, stupid. These guys earn thousands of dollars by selling tickets, drugs, etc to the terraces they control – and that goes on among every barra of every team.

The problem is: who should crack down?

The police, with its inherent corruption, can't be an effective force, especially when 20 bucks can sort out almost any infraction.

The clubs too are at blame. But in Argentina, it is the fans who vote in the chairman and the board, and they simply can't be voted in without the support of the barra brava.

Mauricio Macri, the mayor of Buenos Aires, was, and still is for a while the chairman of Boca Juniors. And it is with him where much of the power lies. He isn't permitted to stand as chairman and mayor – and the words 'interest' and 'conflict' certainly spring to mind.

Let's leave the Argentine FA for another day, but they are generally seen as of no consequence at all.

Fortunately, the vast majority of fans are well behaved and abhor the violence that affects the game. It still is a beautiful game in Argentina, but the power of the barras needs to be dismantled. Then, once again, we can talk about what we are here for: the football.

Hospitals in Buenos Aires 'on alert' for football violence

2008-03-19T16:38:00Z

In the wake of two deaths related to football violence, a new fight amongt the highly orgaanised Boca Juniors barra brava 'El Doce' has broken out, resulting in the non-fatal stabbing of a 44 year old barra member.

Late last year El Doce leader 'Rafa' Di Zeo, who I once had the dubious honour to meet, was imprisoned for the Argentinan equivalent of GBH and posessing a firearm.

Many believed that this would lead to a violent power vacuum in El Doce, just as is currently happening on the violent terraces of River Plate's stadium. Nothing transpired, many beileving that Rafa was controlling the organisation, which re-sells tickets, drugs and parking spaces, among other activities, for vast amount of money.

On Sunday, a day after the deaths of two young people, violence broke out between rival factions of El Doce. One group of El Doce, known as Los de Lomas, and led by Mauro Martin, are thought to be the agitators. Winners of these fights will control what is basically an effective organised crime unit.

Before Boca Juniors' 0-0 draw against Huracán, fights broke out around La Bombonera, knives and an air rifle were used in the fight. 179 people and nine people under 18 were arrested and taken in a convoy, watched by hundreds of police and a helicopter to a nearby police station. The scuffle even reached the doors of the hospital where a fan was interned.

SAME, the Argentinan health care service have issued an alert to hospitals in Buenos Aires, for the possibility of heightened violence for forthcoming games.

Fear, loathing and death in Buenos Aires

2008-03-19T10:20:00Z

Two young fans killed in seperate incidents, bringing the total number of football violence related deaths to 224.

This has been a sad, sad weekend for Argentinian football. Yet again, football, a sport meant to be enjoyed, has been marred by violence in several games and the deaths of two young supporters.

On Saturday afternoon, 21-year-old Emanuel Alvarez, a Velèz Sarsfield fan, was shot in the heart on his way to San Lorenzo's stadium.

The Velèz fans were in a convoy of 40 buses when they were ambushed by what was thought to be a barra brava linked to San Lorenzo. As is common in Argentina, the fan groups travel with a police escort, flying through red lights and intersections. The buses were shot at and Emanuel Alvarez caught in the crossfire, while passing Huracán's training centre.

The teams left the changing rooms at 4.45 for the 5pm kick off unaware, but as soon as the referee blew his whistle to start, Velèz fans, who had been attacked, arrived and tore down the barbed fence to stop the game.

Velèz players attempted to calm down the group and the game was suspended. The players returned to the changing room, with defender Mariano Uglessich in tears. It is thought the fan was well known to the team.

The barra brava of Velèz returned to the team's training centre to organise their revenge, however, their efforts were scuppered by police.

Director of security at Velèz, Eduardo Capucheti claims that the death was not related to the barra bravas but 'very bad luck' – he claims it was the act of one person outside Huracán's training centre. Another witness claimed the murderer was wearing a San Lorenzo shirt.

Whatever the truth, Alvarez is the 224th fan to be killed in Argentinian football.

Meanwhile, a 17-year-old girl was murdered in the northern Argentinian province of Salta. She was with her boyfriend and other fans of Central Norte, to watch the lower division derby against Gimnasia y Tiro.

Witnesses say she was shot in the head by someone from a fan group of the opposing team. Police, however, are not treating it as a battle between barra bravas.

La Bombonera: Old Trafford on acid

2008-03-14T14:40:00Z

It features in every '646 things to do before you become worm food' list. It is on the itinerary of every visit to Latin America. Machu Piccu. Tick. Guinea pig for lunch. Tick. Football game in Buenos Aires. Tick.

There is nothing I have ever experienced, including visits to derbies for FourFourTwo, to Paraguay, Colombia, Chile and Siberia (well obviously nothing like Siberia – that was a trip dominated by a whiff of vodka and lunacy).

Seeing a game in Buenos Aires is a visceral, enlightening, exciting and thrilling experience. And then go see Boca at La Bombonera and multiply it by 12. Once you've figured out the entrance, been frisked by chain smoking police men with shotguns, head up into the terrace and be prepared to be blown away in a frenzy of drumming, trumpets, screaming, shouting from a leaping crowd: the barra brava.

Their fanaticism, fuelled mainly by various narcotics and wine from a box, is an incredible sight. The thronging mass will attract attention more than the game on the pitch. But even the games are always interesting.

I haven't done any empirical research, but I would wager my season ticket to Argentinos Juniors, (granted, not too much money by the time pesos are converted to pounds) that there are more red cards than anywhere else in the world. Coupled with the selfish individual skill that is prized in Argentine football , and you have one hell of a spectacle.

Cheese and onion chomping grunts in the Theatre of Dreams it ain't. And this is what fascinates me about football in Argentina. But life, or should I simply call it football, continues well after the 90 minutes are over.

Take for example Racing's recent march to get rid of their owning company. Thousands marched through the streets on downtown Buenos Aires on a Tuesday afternoon to demand that the AFA revoke the company's license.

Yesterday, fans of their arch-rivals Independiente also campaigned for their beleaguered coach Pedro Troglio to be sacked. Even the Minister of the Economy Martín Lousteau (a devout Independiente fan) waded in to denounce the team. The Minister of the Economy. This is the equivalent of Alistair Darling demanding the head of Aston Villa, or something.

In other news San Lorenzo climbed to the height of more than 4000 metres to play in the highest city in the world, Potosi (I've been. I fainted walking with a back pack let alone 90 minutes of football). They beat Real Potosi 3-2, no mean feat and one that led the Bolivian press to praise their strong temperament, that left them at the top of their Copa Libertadores group.

Kidnapping, Tony Blair and Michael J Fox

2008-03-11T16:13:00Z

Buenos Aires is a wonderful city.

I, personally, would say it is one of the greatest and most vibrant cites in the world. Of course I'm biased, but ask anyone who has been to Argentina's capital and I put money on it being a similar answer.

But it is far from perfect. This is still a third world country in many ways. Not that any visitors would necessarily notice, but there is a lot of poverty and, consequently, crime.

Worshipped though they are, football players are certainly not immune. The beginning of Federico Nieto's week couldn't have been better. He celebrated his first game in the Primera last Saturday with a goal in a 1-1 draw with Argentinos Juniors. But early on Monday morning, the 24-year-old forward was attacked and held captive for more than half an hour.

Travelling with his girlfriend in a brand new Audi, he was stopped by four teenagers who got into the car and drove them around for 30 minutes before dumping them, unharmed, and making off with the new car. (The thieves were evidently not Huracán fans and didn't recognise the player – perhaps they were San Lorenzo fans).

Despite the trauma it is likely this young player will be in the starting line up when they play Boca next weekend

Meanwhile, Independiente manager Pedro Troglio is attempting to 'do a Tony Blair'. Troglio has announced that he will step down from his role at the end of this season – the question now is, can he survive that long?

Independiente's president, Julio Comparada, denies that he has spoken to other coaches, but the Red Devils have only two unconvincing wins this season plus a draw against 10-man Boca (they haven't won at the Bombonera for 12 years) to go with a particularly dusty trophy cabinet.

Not surprisingly, then, many believe now is the time for a major shake-up at the team from Avellaneda.

"I'd love to go back to the year 1984 night and day, but we need time," says Comparada.

Unless, of course, Michael J Fox rolls up in a DeLorean to transport him back to their Copa Libertadores win. Maybe then a more effective team can be put in place.

Other results
Racing 0 - 1 San Lorenzo
Rosario Central 0 - 0 Colòn
Lanús 0 - 5 Banfield
San Martin (SJ) 1 - 1 Gimnasia
Argentinos 1 - 1 Huracán
Tigre 2 - 0 Olimpo
Vélez 1 - 0 Newell's Old Boys
Arsenal 3 - 3 Gimnasia de Jujuy
Estudiaantes 0 - 0 River

The highest game in the world

2008-03-07T11:46:00Z

Nausea, malaise, swelling of hands and feet (sometimes the brain), shortness of breath, occasionally fatal. Not symptoms you would necessarily want to be characteristic of your football team.

This is what can happen when you rise above 2400 metres (8000 feet). Next week, San Lorenzo will take on the Bolivian team Real Potosí …at a height of 4,800 metres (15,500 feet). Needless to say San Lorenzo aren't relishing the task ahead of them.

They have hired oxygen tanks for their players, put together a strategy meaning they will take several days to acclimatise, practising in the lower Santa Cruz, before riding along the dirt roads up to Potosí on the day of the game.

They have also had to take yellow fever vaccinations, leading to the temporary illness, ironically, of most of their medical staff.

Santiago Hirsig, a San Lorenzo midfielder, has already played in Potosí, but with his previous team Arsenal (who got hammered last night 6-0 by Brazilians Fluminense). "It made me feel terrible," he said. "Lots of the players fainted after the game. And the journey there is also hard work, so you already arrive tired."

FIFA have already tried to ban playing football above 2500 metres (8200 feet), ruling out any games in Bolivia at all, but also Quito and Bogotá. Fortunately for the Bolivian sides FIFA backed down from the proposal after a tongue lashing from Bolivian president, and football fan, Evo Morales.

But given the general quality of the grossly underfunded teams in one of the world's poorest countries, it is the only advantage they have.

Racing bouncing to bankruptcy?

2008-03-06T13:30:00Z

To say it has been a pretty bad couple of weeks for Racing Club is like saying the year 1939 was a bit of a bummer for international peace.

Without so much as a win in weeks, the fans of Racing, marched to the AFA headquarters asking for the resignation of the company that runs the club, Blanquiceleste (after their blue and white colours) to hand over their tenure and call election.

And today, the daily newspaper Olé reported that in the last two months their cheques have been bouncing around more than goals in the teams net. A total of AR$1.5m (£250,000) has bounced, leading the former coach Reinaldo Merlo to call for Blanquiceleste to declare bankruptcy. He himself walked out of the club at the end of last year because he wasn't paid. They finally came to an out of court agreement. If they do declare bankruptcy, the only owners of the team are the members. Something, it seems, everyone wants.

But, as all football fans know, the team come first, and Racing fans still fill the stadiums, to watch their poor performances. As the title of this You Tube video says: Maybe now you'll understand what we feel.