The Not-So Superclasico: Examining The Fallout, and Looking Ahead To The Copa

By: Christian | October 21st, 2008

To honestly appreciate what Sunday’s crushing 1-0 defeat in the Superclasico meant to River Plate and it fans, one must consider some of the facts from this most recent disaster.

Consider: A loss to our most hated rivals, against a Boca that had not won in the Monumental since 2003. A team playing with 10 men for much of the second half, and were not even playing particularly well to begin with. And a squad that had spent much of the past international break embroiled in an off-field dispute between two of its star players.

What do all these add up to? Nothing more than River Plate’s worst ever start in the league through 10 games. As in, worst start ever in their professional history. Oh, we’ve seen bad in recent years. But the hole in which River has dug themselves into this year supersedes all that has past before. They have attained a new level of futility that, while not so unexpected considering the results so far this season, given the talent of the squad and the success of the coach, still comes as a shock.

As for the aforementioned Diego Simeone, he seems ready to abandon this sinking ship, telling the press that unless River wins the Copa Sudamericana, which kicks off tomorrow against Mexico’s Chivas de Guadalajara, he will resign as head coach. That seems like a fair proposition, seeing as River have failed in their two other quests this season, defending their 2008 Clausura title, and beating Boca.

But his comments should not be viewed as a gesture of humility. In fact, suggesting that he will leave the team should an early exit in the Copa happen is more of a threat then an admittance of not performing to standards. It should be seen then as an indictment of the squad, which has been almost uniformly bad, and more importantly against the club itself, and reviled President Jose Aguilar, who has had several public spats with Simeone, almost always siding against him. He seems to be saying, “You gave me this mess to work with. Either shape up and win me a Copa, or I’ll leave you twisting in the wind.”

To even discus winning the Sudamericana at this moment seems premature; what is most pressing now is earning a positive result tomorrow against Chivas if we are to have any hope of advancing to the semis. It may not be enough to erase the memories of this train wreck of a season, but it could help to slow the bleeding, not mention restore a little dignity. At this point, it’s to imagine things getting any worse.