Boca’s defeat to Racing kicks off huge week and spells the end for El Vasco
Since defeat in La Bombonera to Atlético Tucumán, Rodolfo Arruabarrena’s job had hung by a thread and the double winning coach had remained just a defeat away from the chop. The 40-year-old have staved off the inevitable with victories against Sarmiento and Newell’s but Sunday evening’s loss in Avellaneda marked the end for El Vasco.
Roger Martínez’s clever backheel was enough to give Racing a first league win of the season in a game that lacked quality and certainly for Boca lacked any real cohesion. Boca are only six points behind Zona 2 leaders, Lanús and the expectation would be that the side would improve with time but president Daniel Angelici has obviously been concerned by Arruabarrena’s perceived inability against the top sides.
Vasco’s Boca have played 15 matches against the other four grandes in Buenos Aires and won only three despite lifting the league and Copa Argentina trophies. With Guillermo Barros Schelotto waiting in the wings and Boca having to face Racing again on Thursday night ahead of this weekend’s Superclásico, Angelici obviously didn’t want to risk, Arruabarrena extending his unwanted record against his rivals. Rolando Schiavi will take charge of these two games before the expected appointment of Schelotto but it will be a very intriguing couple of weeks for Boca.
Pellegrino could be next after Independiente slump to defeat against River
With neither side having won since the opening weekend, both River Plate and Independiente were desperate for three points; anything less and in this short championship the gap to the leaders may already be too much. Lucas Alario’s late goal in the Monumental handed River Plate a vital victory on Monday night and while Marcelo Gallardo will be hoping this is a springboard for his side’s season, Mauricio Pellegrino faces serious questions after scoring just three goals this season, falling to eleventh and possibly already out of the predicted title challenge.
By the club’s own lofty expectations after another summer of investment, most of the talk surrounding Pellegrino’s Independiente were that they were serious title contenders. After a strong second half of 2015 but missing out on the Copa Libertadores, it was supposed that with no added distraction this Transición could be El Rojo’s best bet for a trophy.
It must be said that Independiente have had a difficult fixture list with matches against River, Racing, Rosario Central, Godoy Cruz and Belgrano but a return of only five points is unacceptable. What is more worrying is that El Rojo have only found the net three times, the joint worst record in Zona 1 with Olimpo. With the players available to Pellegrino this is being attributed to his conservative tactics and his persistance of using a double five to protect the back four. Whatever the reason, Pellegrino must find the solution ahead of Colón’s visit to Avellaneda as he cannot afford more dropped points.
Huracán return to action to snatch late draw in the Clásico
It hasn’t been an easy few weeks for Huracán. Even prior to the bus crash that prompted the postponement of several matches and injured several key players, El Globo were already trying to balance a Primera relegation battle with participation in the Copa Libertadores. After a couple of weeks to recover from the accident, Huracán returned to action during the week and made a losing start in the Libertadores, providing a less than ideal build-up to the clásico against San Lorenzo.
Far from a classic, San Lorenzo were not as open as they have been in recent weeks with perhaps their gruelling away trip to Quito in midweek taking it’s toll. Fernando Belluschi appeared to have sealed victory when he scored midway through the second half but while Edgardo Bauza’s Cuervos may have been able to see out the win, Pablo Guede’s side remain vulnerable.
Into the fourth minute of the allotted injury time and just as he has done on numerous occasions, Ramón ‘Wanchope’ Ábila was on hand to save the home side. Cristian Espinoza volleyed Alejandro Romero Gamarra’s deep cross back across goal and the iconic Wanchope smashed the ball into the net, claiming a point with the last kick of the game. Stealing a point in such a manner will have left like victory for El Globo but in fact does little to help their situation. What Eduardo Domínguez’s side must do is take the momentum forward, winning matches in the Primera over the next couple of months is critical to pull away from the drop zone.
Defensa y Justicia look transformed as the goals flow
The swollen 30-team Primera in 2015 meant Defensa y Justicia were another of those teams that really weren’t very good but could do enough to remain comfortably out of trouble. Only six sides scored fewer goals than El Halcón which makes their start to 2016 all the more surprising. Ariel Holán’s side, with the help of some astute signings and good use of the loan market, have emerged as a well-balanced and dangerous side.
On Saturday, Defensa y Justicia recorded their second four-goal haul victory of the season when Aldosivi visited Florencio Varela and it makes them the leading scorers from the entire 30-team structure. In 2015, El Halcón managed four goals only once, coincidentally also against Aldosivi, shortly after Holán had taken over but they pose a much greater threat now.
The impressive Nicolás Stefanelli and Fabián Bordagaray already have four goals apiece, only one less than last season’s top scorer Juan Sánchez Sotelo managed, and behind them in a midfield five, Horán has found a successful formula with River youngsters Guido Rodríguez and Tomas Martínez and former Independiente midfielder Hernán Fredes.
A thin squad and young players who may suffer from inconsistency over the course of the season, it is unlikely that Defensa y Justicia will maintain this form but three wins on the bounce is an impressive start.
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