Comments on: Copa de Verano: River Plate 0 – 2 Boca Juniors

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 19:26:45 +0000

DMB will be injured for a while yet, but hopefully he will be back before the end of the season, as we are looking strong in the league, but will need a good run in.

By: Albo

Albo — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 04:09:13 +0000

Simeone will play a 4-4-2 this time.
Falcao and Abreu will probably play together.
Alexis Sánchez coming from the bench.
But River, imo, are close to finding the right lineup.
There’s a lot of talent there and I don’t think Ortega should retire at all.
He’s the different player in that team.

By: Christian

Christian — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 21:29:14 +0000

Hey Mark, thanks for the reminder, I completely forgot about the highlights.

Any news on when DMB comes back?

By: Mark

Mark — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 20:37:37 +0000

Any highlights Christian, it will be painful to watch, but i’d like to get a look at this formation.

Rangers and River!

By: Gonzalo

Gonzalo — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 20:15:23 +0000

** I meant in an official match vs. Boca, not friendly (when talking about Ortega).

By: Gonzalo

Gonzalo — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 20:14:08 +0000

I strongly disagree with you Lugo:

- No one is “happy cherry” around here. Just because we are not committing suicide due to a 2-0 loss in a friendly match does not mean we are happy. Then again, you also have to realize that this was the first time these players actually played together as a team in this formation. They have to adjust to it. Not only that, but last year we did amazing in the Torneo de Verano and DESTROYED Boca in both pre-season friendlies. Did we see a good 2007? No. So you can’t really judge the future from these friendly matches.
- Augusto Fernandez is not over-inflated. The guy really is a gem and is one of our best players (definitely was one of the best overall players for River last year). Buonanotte, on the other hand, never really showed much after the game against Boca Juniors, and should not be replacing a player who has been performing very well.
- Ortega retiring?! Wooow. Did you not see him just 2 months ago when we defeated Boca in an OFFICIAL friendly? He was the pioneer of the team and one of the main reasons we clearly dominated that game. As for this game, it may have not been his best, but he did have agood first half and was our best player in the 90 minutes.

Meanwhile, I do fully agree on your Abreu-Falcao comments. Either way I believe that Falcao is eventually going to win over the spot to permanently keep it.

By: Albo

Albo — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 20:11:01 +0000

The system used by Simeone, vertical 3-3-3-1, with pressure across the pitch, takes a toll on the players.
It’s no surprise River ran out of legs in the second half.
Just like it happens to Bielsa’s teams.
Players have to be in top physical shape.
And they’re not there yet.
I have a feeling Cholo will play 4 defenders the next match.

By: Christian

Christian — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 19:56:56 +0000

Regardless of how the media played it up, Ortega threw the first blow. This is River-Boca, and statements like that are never going to be taken lightly.

If you’re going to things like that then you better live up to it once the whistle blows, and I don’t think Ortega followed through. Boca came to win, and River just sat back and watched.

By: Lugo

Lugo — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 19:42:38 +0000

I don’t know why everybody is so happy cheery around here. River’s performance was pathetic agains their rivals and the coach is making decisions that did not make any sense whatsoever. River has players that no one knows what are they playing. Augusto Fernandez, for example, is the latest toy of the Argentinian media machine of overinflating players when clearly Buonanotte is a lot more than him. He is just benched because he’s too short. Unvelievable. And Falcao on the bench?? What are you, on drugs?? Falcao is the fastest and most prolific scorer on the River squad and benching him for a “tronco” like Abreu speaks of tremendous short-sightedness. Say what you want about me being Colombian and defending Falcao but if Simeone was no going to use him, why he didn’t just sold him to Fluminense. But there are more players who failed last night: Rosales was a joke, Archubi showed nothing and Ortega… Please… Do everybody a favor and retire from football. You were once a great one, but those days are gone.

By: Gonzalo

Gonzalo — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 19:10:34 +0000

Well, not like it matters much, but you are wrong about Ortega’s statements. The press spent the whole week exaggerating his words and making him seem like a way-too-overconfident player.

All Ortega had said was that “River has to go out looking to run over Boca”. Isn’t that any teams mission, especially when playing their arch-rivals? Of course the press “edited” the words by stating that “el Burrito” was sure that River was going to do so, when in reality he just said that that was their objective.

- Gonzalo