Mid-Season Report and the Road to the 2008 Clausura Title

By: Christian | April 16th, 2008

river plate campeon

With their 1-0 win to Tigre this past Sunday, River Plate now sit atop the Clausura table with 24 points, and only 9 more games stand between them and their first league title since 2004. Despite playing a football that has ranged from unimaginative to maddeningly bad, new coach Diego Simeone has somehow managed to lead his team to a 7-3-0 record, and so far have conceded only 2 goals.

It’s that last statistic that is most amazing. After leading the league last season with 33 goals against, two more than their own offense scored, it’s a completely different story in this Clausura, all the while still having a shaky back line. Offensively the team aren’t quite as improved, totaling only 12 goals on the season, and having played out their previous 3 matches to rather dull 1-0 victories.

Still, there have been plenty of positives. Diego Buonanotte looks to finally be maturing into the star player we’ve only glimpsed at. Alexis Sánchez is a fan favorite, with chorus’s of “Chileeeeeeeno” raining down from the stands nearly every time he plays. Cristian Villagra, who struggled all last season, seems to have regained his confidence and has looked solid at fullback. And if there is an MVP candidate, it has to be keeper Juan Pablo Carrizo, the player most responsible for River’s current lead.

After managing to not lose against strong teams like Newell’s, Estudiantes, Lanus, Velez, and Racing, los millonarios enter the second half with a much more forgiving schedule, and with all the pressure on Estudiantes and Boca, their nearest rivals in the table. But the next 6 fixtures will be crucial for River, and will need to accrue as many points as they can to widen the gap. Beginning this weekend, they’ll be away to Rosario Central, home to Argentinos Juniors, away to Boca in the Superclásico, home to Gimnasia, away to Independiente, then home to Huracan.

Estudiantes, currently in 2nd place with 23 points, will face in the same time period, Tigre, Rosario Central, Argentinos, Boca, Gimnasia in the La Plata clásico, and Independiente. But even better news is the road that Boca have ahead of them. They have to get though Newell’s, San Lorenzo, River, Estudiantes, Racing, and Vélez. It’s a tough schedule for any team, and Boca hasn’t necessarily shined this season.

But football is not played on paper as we all know, and there’s nothing to suggest that River won’t just get shellacked from an unlikely source in the next few weeks. Who’s to say we won’t go to Rosario this weekend and lose 3-0? Could the team find it within them to regroup and come back strong? Will the injuries and yellow card suspensions leave the already shaky squad even thinner?

Regardless, there’s serious reason to believe that River could be making the vuelta olimpica in the Monumental come the end of the season. If they can continue on their current run, especially over the next 6 weeks, then we can finally do what every River fan across the world wishes when the first ball is kicked every season, to scream at the top of our lungs, River CAMPEON!