Two areas of consistency in the Argentinean Superliga last weekend – Boca Juniors looking imperious and a lot of managers falling along the way
Three early managerial casualties
Monday evening’s clash between Estudiantes and San Lorenzo was the meeting of two interim managers after elimination from the Copa Sudamericana and Copa Libertadores respectively saw both clubs part company with coaches.
Defeat to Nacional in the Sudamericana saw Gustavo Matosas call time on his brief sojourn in La Plata after only seven games in charge while Diego Aguirre finally bid farewell to San Lorenzo in the aftermath of his Copa Libertadores exit at the hands of Lanús.
Claudio Biaggio stole the bragging rights of the stand-in managers on Monday as his San Lorenzo secured a 3-1 win over Leandro Benítez’s Estudiantes – Fernando Belluschi’s almost halfway line lob capping off the victory and laying down an early goal of the season contender.
Both clubs have big decisions to make this week but Lucas Bernardi appears in line to become the fifth coach of Juan Sebastián Verón’s presidency while San Lorenzo set their sights on former Manchester United defender Gabriel Heinze.
However, Matosas and Aguirre were not alone this week as Defensa y Justicia’s 3-1 defeat to Colón on Saturday prompted Nelson Vivas to leave his post even quicker than his Estudiantes replacement. The fiery ex-Arsenal defender lasted only six matches with El Halcón and accused president José Lemme of questioning his team selection.
So with three out after only four rounds, Argentina still proves one of the harshest environments for managers. There were 32 full-time changes last season and while the Superliga is a little off that pace at this early stage, expect plenty more chopping and changing.
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