Apertura 2008: River Plate 1 – 2 Vélez Sarsfield

By: Christian | September 19th, 2008

It’s gone from bad to worse.

After their 2-1 defeat this past Wednesday at home to Vélez Sarsfield, River Plate not only extended their winless streak to 4 games, handing coach Diego Simeone his first home defeat since taking over as manager, but the team’s best forward Radamel Falcao suffered an injury that will keep him out for three weeks. With a meager 6 points out of a possible 18, and the opportunity to challenge for the title slipping further and further away with no reinforcements on the horizon, it appears that River’s Apertura campaign could be coming to a premature end.

Looking back to last season, the squad may not have looked that much better despite going on to win the title. New players like Rodrigo Archubi and Sebastian Abreu didn’t exactly set the world on fire, Gustavo Cabral looked like a boy among men, Diego Buonanotte struggled out of the gate, and then new coach Simeone changed his tactics nearly every week. But what was more apparent last season, as opposed to this, was that spark, that dynamic playmaker who could make a difference on the field and in the locker room. For many, it was Ariel Ortega, who despite his health struggles and internal feuding with the club, was, on his day, the type of go-to player that a struggling team looks to. Juan Pablo Carrizo was a brick wall behind the shaky defensive line, saving the team numerous times, and with the speed of Alexis Sanchez on the flanks and Buonanotte improving steadily week after week, the team had an added dimension that helped to improve its performance and ultimately go on win the league.

The result? Last season after 6 games, River posted a 3-1-0 record, gaining ten points, scoring 7 goals, and conceding only 2. This year after 6 matches, try a 1-3-2 record, 7 goals conceded against 7 scored, and only 6 points gained, 7 away from current leaders San Lorenzo. (Boca, currently second with 11 points, have a game in hand.) The new reinforcements have failed to make an impact, with Santiago Salcedo the biggest disappointment by far, failing to score a single goal, and missing more than one sitter. Juan Ojeda has done an admirable job as keeper, but whether his fault or not, he still has seen 7 goals fly past him.

Against Vélez, all the flaws were on display. Falcao was the lone bright spot in attack, but the midfield was not aggressive, and the defense was poor. During one frustrating counter attack, River pushed forward with 5 men against 2 defenders, only to end up booting the ball high over the opposing keeper. Essentially, the team is short on ideas, short on inspiration, lethargic on offense, and weak on defense.

Is River done then for the season? A lot can change in Argentina, and no one has really run away with the title. If River can produce a few positive results in a row, they can slowly chip away points from the leaders and try to regain some footing in the title race. But with the Copa Sudamericana starting soon with liitle hopes of success, and with our best striker on the bench, River might have to continue to endure what Simeone calls the clubs lowest moment since his arrival. San Martín awaits on Sunday; let’s see if they club can raise themselves from the near-dead.

2008 Apertura Fixture 6
River Plate 1 – 2 Vélez Sarsfield

Scoring Summary:
Jonathan Cristaldo (VS), 37th
Andrés Ríos (RP), 70th
Hernán Rodrigo López (VS), 80th

River Plate:
Juan Marcelo Ojeda
Paulo Ferrari, Facundo Quiroga, Eduardo Tuzzio, Cristian Villagra
Leonardo Ponzio, Matías Abelairas,
Mauro Rosales, Andrés Ríos, Diego Buonanotte
Radamel Falcao García

Substitutions:
Robert Flores for Falcao (injury), 30th
Augusto Fernández for Ferrari, 46th
Santiago Salcedo for Quiroga, 46th

Highlights