Diego Maradona returned to “La Bombonera” after his problems with Juan Roman Riquelme last year. The midfielder resigned to the National team after a series of declarations that were made by Maradona on national TV. Boca supported Riquelme, and they showed their opinion by placing flags against Diego. In today’s match the whole stadium chanted “Para Riquelme la seleccion”, in support of the midfielder and requesting his presence on the National squad.

Albes was forced to make changes on the team after both Hugo Ibarra and Morel Rodriguez were sided with injuries. The youngsters Munoz and Monzon replaced the experienced vets, and what looked like a problem at first became a solution in defense for Boca Juniors. They both played a crucial role on the match, especially Monzon who assisted Medel on the second goal.

In the start of the match, River came out really aggressive with both Oscar Ahumada and Matias Almeyda pressuring on the midfield, creating spaces for Paulo Ferrari to join the attack. The first couple of chances for River came from Ferrari, with two early crosses, one did not connect with Funes Mori the other one ended with Gallardo falling and asking for an inexistent penalty kick.

Alves recognized the tactical set up of River Plate, and moved his pieces. He pushed Matias Gimenez higher into the mid, and dropped Riquelme into his back, this stopped the progress of Ferrari who had to stay and defend. Alves neutralized Gallardo by sending both Jesus Mendez and Gary Medel to pressure his zone. Boca slowly began to control the game by using Monzon and Medel on the flanks, added to this the playmaking ability of Riquelme and the speed of Nicolas Gaitan in the front. Medel was yellow carded for an aggressive foul (take note into this), to show that the tempers of both teams were high.

The first goal of the match came from an innocents foul committed by Oscar Ahumada, after he missed to clear the ball he took down Gimenez for a foul right near the edge of the box. El Maestro, Juan Roman Riquelme, placed the ball right through the wall and found Gary Medel, who tapped the ball into the net with no opposition. The Chilean international, who already had a yellow, climbed the fence and celebrated with the fans, this excessive celebration should have been punished with a yellow card, and in such case Medel would have been sent off.

Minutes after the goal, Marcelo Gallardo broke the defense with a through ball leave Funes Mori one on one with Javier Garcia. The 19 year striker of River Plate took a weak shot that was easily controlled By Javier Garcia; this was one of the two clear chances the youngster wasted. This goal would have made a big difference in the game.

Boca began to control the match, with little to no opposition. In the second half, River displayed no attitude. In my opinion, the team looked more like they were trying to avoid more goals instead of equalizing the match.

The second goal was probably one of the best goals this week, a collective play. Mendez carried the ball to Riquelme into the midfield, Riquelme put a through ball into the left wing to find Monzon (left back), the defender made his way into the attacking third and nut megged Paulo Ferrari, put a low cross into Nico Gaitan, who opened his legs to let the ball through allowing Medel to find the ball in front of him, the shot, with violent force, ended in the back of the net to seal the game.

Medel was having a dream match with two goals against no other than the eternal rivals, River Plate. He had a contest with Marcelo Gallardo; Gallardo head butted and bit Medel, who just pushed him back. But minutes later, Medel would hit Matias Almeyda from behind and receive the red card. That did not stop Medel from receiving a big applause from the local crowd.

Boca Juniors defeated River Plate 2-0 and came out of the bottom of the table. After the match there was a big hug between Riquelme and Alves, to prove that their relationship is ok. Diego Maradona also spoke to the radio and said “Riquelme was phenomenal”.

Boca got three really important point, but most important a moral result. Alves seems to have found his team. He will not be able to repeat the teams against Chacarita on Sunday because he reached his 5^th yellow card.

On the other side, River looked lost, with no attitude. The best player for River was Marcelo Gallardo, who tried but could not break the defense. River has a lot to fix before Monday’s match against Argentinos Juniors.

Medel gives Boca a victory against River Plate

9 minutes was enough for Hector Baldassi to postpone the match. The ball was not flowing naturally, players were making mistakes and Boca almost gave up a goal when Luiz Alberto failed to clear a ball stuck in the water. This was enough for Hector Baldassi to say enough, and postpone the match. And what a decision he made, to postpone the biggest and most important match of the week without hesitating. There is a reason why he is going to the world cup.

Both captains (Palermo and Gallardo) tried to convince the ref of doing otherwise,but it was in vane. We could read into Gallardo's lips "If you end this now, there is going to be trouble", Palermo said "We can play this", but the decision remained put.

We will have to wait until a decision is made in regards to the date of the match, and all fans will have to wait until then to celebrate. It was the perfect atmosphere for the battle, and to have one fallen, but this time the one who fell was not Boca nor River, it was the ball, that sits floating on a puddle in the center of the field.

El Superclasico postponed due to weather

El Superclasico : Boca Juniors vs. River Plate preview

Buenos Aires, Argentina - March 20, 2010

Lineups

Boca: Garcia, Ibarra, Luiz Alberto, Munoz, Morel Rodriguez, Medel, Mendez, Gimenez, Riquelme, Palermo, Gaitan

River: Vega, Ferrari, Ferrero, Cabral, Diaz, Rojas, Ahumada, Almeyda, Gallardo, Funes Mori, Canales

Preview

This has been a rough week for Boca Juniors, as previously stated on my last article "A week from Hell for Boca Juniors" . And things got even worse during the week when a group from "La 12" showed up to training and threatened players with heave consequences if they did not win the match. Added to this, we had the cross declarations between Riquelme and Abel Alves. Riquelme held a press conference denying what was said in the press, however, he stated this could be his last season with Boca Juniors. Riquelme has a poor relationship with the management, and the number 1 candidate to be head coach Guillermo Barros Schelotto does not get along with him, and said that he would not return to the club while Riquelme is still there.

While in Boca Juniors everything is trouble and controversy, River Plate is going through smooth times. Leonardo Astrada confirmed the squad midweek, with only one substitution, Gustavo Cabral (re appears after a knee injury) for Nicolas Sanchez. Astrada arrives into this match with confidence, he knows both clubs are hurt, but believes in his team and wants to take advantage of the defensive problems of Boca Juniors.

Facts

Several players will make their official debut in the Superclasico: Luiz Alberto, Medel, Mendez, Gimenez, Ferrero, Diaz, Rojas, Funes Mori and Canales.

The match will be reffed by Hector Baldassi (representative of Argentina in the World Cup in South Africa 2010).

In case Boca is defeated, they will not fall into the last position, because Estudiantes defeated Atletico Tucuman, however they will only be 3 points away, and they will need to face the needy Chacarita Juniors next match.

The away tickets for River Plate were sold out in 2 minutes (4,000 tickets) through ticketek, a new record in Argentina.

The game will have a serious police check, with more than 3,000 officials at the game.

This is a promising match, and no matter what the result is, it will most likely affect one squad. Stay tuned for more information.

• A week from Hell for Boca Juniors


• Memorable Superclasico Goals: Maradona makes his mark

• Memorable Superclasico Goals: Rojas buries Boca


• Memorable Superclasico Goals: Palermo Returns

El Superclasico: Preview

When Boca’s followers believed they had hit rock bottom, Juan Roman Riquelme and company decided the prove everyone that they were wrong, there is still more ground for the fall. The week previous to the Superclasico always brings out the best and the worst from each club, and it’s not the exception for Boca Juniors, who seems to be having a week from hell. Will they hit rock bottom on Sunday?

Everything started on Sunday, when Boca Juniors visited Tigre. The team coached by Abel Alves was outplayed in every line and returned home empty handed, after giving up three to Carlos Luna. (Boca is currently the team with the most goals against, 18 goals in 9 matches). After the game Boca’s followers demanded a win on Sundays game against River Plate.

After the game Alves held a press conference in which he stated that he was disappointed with the performance of team and concerned in particular with the attitude that the team displays in every match. This infuriated many players in the team, including Juan Roman Riquelme and Martin Palermo, two names that have a huge backing from the followers. Both are still upset at Alves after he decided to wipe both Roberto Abbondanzieri and Hugo Ibarra from the squad. Alves mentioned that Riquelme is not a good example for the youngsters coming up, “I can accept the fact that Riquelme may not run in practice, but I cannot have Gaitan doing the same” said Alves.

Rumors state that Alves tried to exclude both Palermo and Riquelme from the team that will host River on Sunday, but was stopped by the board. It is probably not a smart decision to head into this match without them two, the fans would go crazy if Boca loses the game and Riquelme and Palermo watch it from the stands. But nobody assured that they would remain in the squad after the “Superclasico”. Alves’ main plan is to clear the path for the next coach; part of the process is to let go of some players like Hugo Ibarra, Juan Roman Riquelme, Prediger and Palermo.

To add more fuel into the fire, the former Colombia International and Boca Juniors idol Jorge “El Patron” Bermudez gave his opinion about the situation of Boca Juniors. Bermudez is not someone who holds his opinion. During a recent interview with Espn Deportes , Bermudez said “There needs to be a change soon. The team has no structure; and this is something that was carried from the Basile era”. Bermudez openly criticized Matias Gimenez, for not wanting to play in the reserves as well as Gabriel Paletta for not wanting to travel as a substitute. Bermudez also mentioned that the team needs to change its attitude for the better of the institution. He concluded the interview by saying that he feels he is ready to coach the team.

The board has one name to succeed Abel Alves next semester, Guillermo Barros Schelotto. However, Guillermo said that he will not coach the team as long as Riquelme is part of the squad. This is not the first time these two have problems, this goes back to the times in which Carlos Bianchi was head coach.

The main problem right now seems to be Juan Roman Riquelme. He was excluded of F.C. Barcelona, he had issues with Manuel Pellegrini at Villarreal and with Diego Maradona in the National team. My question is, who is the problem? Riquelme? or Pellegrini, Maradona and Alves? Clearly Riquelme has been questioned through his career, and most falls into his attitude.

Boca entered the week from hell, and Sunday they can find themselves at the bottom of the league table if Atletico Tucuman wins and they don't defeat River. This will most likely not result in the resignation of Abel Alves, but it will create a hard situation for the historic players. Boca did not participate in the Libertadores this semester, and is out of the chase for the league title. Oh and things can get worse, visit Simply Futbol for more information this week.

A week from Hell for Boca Juniors

The Apertura title seemed to have asserted Carlos Ischia as coach, but now there are issues that are once again putting him on the hot seat. A title repeat seems out of the question now, so all of their proverbial eggs are in the Copa Libertadores basket and the pressure seems to mount on all ends for Ischia, even in areas where he least expected them.

Three of the club's most promising players are out with serious injuries. Youngster Ezequiel Muñoz was diagnosed with an ACL tear after Sunday's loss to Rosario Central. Muñoz, 18, was recently called up to international duty by Diego Maradona for Argentina's senior side. What makes news even worse is that young goalscorer Ricardo Noir, who emerged in the absence of Martín Palermo last season, was diagnosed with a leg fracture and will be out for two months. This compounds the situation as Juan Román Riquelme (plantar fasciitis) and Julio César Cáceres (muscle fatigue) are questionable for Thursday's Copa Libertadores group finale against Táchira at La Bombonera.

It is also very hard to work with Carlos Bianchi in the wings. There are also rumors coming from within the club that Ischia has lost the team as well as his focus. He has given very little room for newly hired manager Carlos Bianchi to help out the side. According to various reports, the Ischia-Bianchi relationship has also deteriorated. This is the worst part of it all as Ischia was Bianchi's assistant during his first stint as Xeneize coach. He seemed to be battling different fights that had nothing to do with the handling of the club, most noticeably the situation with Mauricio Caranta. There are certain moments when people can point at and say that this was the beginning of the end. For Ischia it could have been the two-match losing streak coming out of the gate. Others will argue his impotence against an energized Rosario Central side with former Boca coach Miguel Ángel Russo at the helm. Ischia seems to have lost every single ally on the team and there is no way he can get them back.

Right now Ischia will remain with the club until Boca remain in the Libertadores. After that, who knows what will happen. Things are not set in stone and the coach might not end up getting the sack if they do not win the Copa Libertadores. What is guaranteed though is that there has been enough damage done by the Boca coach that his days are numbered at La Boca. So that means that Carlos Bianchi will take over? No. According to his contract, Bianchi will not replace Ischia in the event the latter were to lose his job. The talk of coaches like former Lanús coach Ramón Cabrero and crowd favorite Alfio Basile would be looked at to take over the reings.

The alarm is starting to go off as they do not want to endure the River Plate curse. They do not want to be the defending champ and wend up in last place. Boca currently find themselves in 15th place with 12 points, only three points clear of cellar-dwelling Argentinos Juniors.

Boca Headed For A Crisis?

Juan Sebastián Verón might have called an end to the European leg of his illustrious career a few years back, but he's quality has not diminished one bit. One the eve of 2009, the former Sampdoria, Parma, Lazio, and Inter star was chosen as the South American Player of the Year by the Uruguayan daily El País.



Verón beat national team partner and former Villarreal playmaker Juan Román Riquelme by three votes. Riquelme comes off a very impressive second half of the year where his team won the Apertura tournament and the South American Recopa. He also won the Olympic gold medal with Argentina in Beijing.

Riquelme Ends Second In South American POY Voting