River Plate: El MAS GRANDE de la HISTORIA (Match Thread / General Discussion)

Discussion in 'River Plate' started by locoxriver, Jan 19, 2019.

  1. megamac20817

    megamac20817 Member+

    Jul 9, 2005
    Buenos Aires
    Club:
    CA River Plate
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    This brings to mind the fact that when Gallardo asked for Borré's loan to be made permanent, there were doubts about the Colombian's ability to step up -- and look at him now!

    Gallardo's handle on transfers has improved significantly in the past couple of years. Hopefully Carrascal repays his confidence in him.
     
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  2. locoxriver

    locoxriver Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 22, 2005
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    CA River Plate
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    Robert Rojas has been tearing it up... I wonder if he’ll remain as a starter throughout 2020, but he has started the year on a fantastic note.

    Casco is completing his full transformation into a beast as we speak. What a career turnaround, if I’ve ever seen one
     
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  3. RiverGaucho

    RiverGaucho Member+

    Jan 23, 2010
    Buenos Aires
    Club:
    CA River Plate
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    I agree about Rojas. I also really like the Chilean Diaz. Honestly, the weak link in the defense is Martinez Quarta, who IMO is not in our best XI right now...

    Next week its central cordoba at home. Lets hope that after two tough away games, we can keep the momentum going at home

    Vamos carajo!
     
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  4. locoxriver

    locoxriver Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 22, 2005
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    CA River Plate
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    Third game for Carrascal in the Pre-Olympic tournament, third goal. The kid’s en route to being the player of the tournament...

    He was subbed off with a minor knock today, but it doesn’t appear to be anything serious
     
  5. locoxriver

    locoxriver Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 22, 2005
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    CA River Plate
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    Paulo Diaz could have cost us the championship today with his nonsense...

    Not quite sure about this guy... there's plenty of games that he has left me shaking my head, including the Libertadores final in which he completely lost mark of Gabigol (leading to their tie) despite being fresh off the bench. Hopefully he picks up, but I’ve been far from convinced by him since he arrived
     
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  6. RiverGaucho

    RiverGaucho Member+

    Jan 23, 2010
    Buenos Aires
    Club:
    CA River Plate
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    Agree with what you say about Diaz loco... The performance of the team after the red card was one for the ages though.

    After the red card, I thought we were doomed, but the team really stepped up and Sicario Rojas was immense in defense while Matias Suarez put the team on his shoulders and Borre got another big goal.

    The icing on the cake was Scocco getting a tremendous goal to kill the game when it seemed that we were tired and Central Cordoba was pushing for the equalizer.

    Still many things to improve, and I don't know if Muñeco has our ideal line up locked down in his head yet, but these are the sort of games that champions need to overcome... The only thing that could've made the day perfect would've been if Talleres had been able to take points off the Bosteros, but 3 points ahead is a decent cushion. Next up is Union which will be a tremendously difficult game, I hope Gallardo reorganizes the defense, but keep Rojas in the line up.
     
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  7. locoxriver

    locoxriver Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 22, 2005
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    CA River Plate
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    Jesus... we've missed the last 4 penalties we've taken o_O

    Pero que perro Lollo... no te extrana nadie. Just like Barboza, he took the opportunity of playing against us to prove Gallardo right
     
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  8. locoxriver

    locoxriver Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 22, 2005
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    CA River Plate
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    Rollheiser injured and out for an estimated 6-7 months :thumbsdown:
     
  9. locoxriver

    locoxriver Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 22, 2005
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    CA River Plate
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    Still early in the game, but Mascherano is putting on a good display for Estudiantes. Maybe they should have incorporated him as an alternative for Enzo (considering Zuculini and Ponzio's respective limitations), but I do understand Gallardo's allegiance to the players currently in the squad.
     
  10. RiverGaucho

    RiverGaucho Member+

    Jan 23, 2010
    Buenos Aires
    Club:
    CA River Plate
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    Another huge 3 points... another big step towards the title.

    This was a strange match, but at this stage of the tournament, its not worth even weighing the performances, its only about getting 3 points.

    Borre's goal came at the ideal time to settle the match down, thank god it crossed the line, and thank god the linesman/ref was not corrupt and ruled it a goal.

    Now, we just have to beat Defense y Justicia and Atletico Tucuman. Even if Boca wins their next two matches, we only need four points from these two games to lift the league title.

    If we do win this thing, it will be another nail in the coffin of boca, another massive humiliation for the bosteros.

    I am very nervous, but I think this team has the character to do this... VAMOS CARAJO
     
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  11. locoxriver

    locoxriver Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 22, 2005
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    CA River Plate
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    Rojas has transformed into a demon. It’s incredible the level the Paraguayan is playing at. Tremendous defender.

    Suarez has picked up after the mid-season break and is once again looking like the guy that arrived from Belgrano. His work rate and assists are there like always, but he seems to be finding the net more regularly now. Stellar performance in La Plata.

    Casco is a complete animal and has been on fire game after game for well over a year now. I know I’ve pointed it out before, but it’s really one of the biggest career turnarounds I have ever seen in the sport. Give me Milton every game.

    Montiel also did great. His crosses are clearly more polished now and has thus converted himself into an even more integral piece of the team.

    Borre’s goals in the Superliga have become a classic and his workrate is second to none. Although this will be a golden opportunity for Scocco to start (unless Gallardo surprises us with Oso), Rafa will be deeply missed vs Defensa y Justicia for all the hustle he does to drive the rival defenders nuts off the ball.

    Nacho Fernandez continues on fire. Crack!!

    The Chilean Paulo Diaz started the game on the wrong foot, but by the end of the 90 minutes you could say he put in some good work both defensively and offensively. He’s gotten back on the right path.

    Perhaps the only concerning performance vs Estudiantes was that of Pinola. He wasn’t necessarily bad, but he was the low point in a team of clinical assassins and has been riding a wave of personal underperformance since the Lima final. Hopefully he picks up in the next two games.

    Two finals left. This team deserves the title by a long distance... no one in Argentina is playing even half the futbol we are. Vamos River, sos el mas grande!
     
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  12. locoxriver

    locoxriver Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 22, 2005
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    CA River Plate
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    Quintero is a must for the second half..
     
  13. RiverGaucho

    RiverGaucho Member+

    Jan 23, 2010
    Buenos Aires
    Club:
    CA River Plate
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    Is it time for Quintero to start? I know his fitness isn't 100%, but he is a player who needs a 45 minutes to get into the flow of the game. He isn't a goal poacher who could score his only chance if you throw him on for 5 minutes.

    Gallardo is going to have to think long and hard about how he sets up the team in Tucuman. This 3-5-2 has worked no better than OK IMO. In Santa Fe he had to change the system after 28 minutes, Saturday he had to do it after 45.

    This system hasn't worked well enough to be made into our best system no questions asked.
     
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  14. locoxriver

    locoxriver Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 22, 2005
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    CA River Plate
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    [​IMG]

    No Armani... Bologna or Lux for you guys?

    No Paulo Diaz, who had a great opportunity to start within this alternative side... presumably didn’t fully recover from his knock.

    It’s interesting that we only have one natural CB within the roster, even moreso that it’s Rojas (who was expected to start a few days later in the title match vs Atletico Tucuman). The two possibilities I see with these names are either moving Montiel as a CB and having Franco Paredes as RB (debut game for the sub of our sub of our sub) or keeping Montiel as RB and experimenting with Zuculini/Ponzio as CB.

    Hopefully Enzo Fernandez gets some minutes.. he has been a promising player in the youth setup for a while now and apparently put on a good overall performance in the U20 Libertadores that just concluded. It would be a tough test for the 19-year-old to debut in the Copa Libertadores at a venue situated nearly 3,000m above sea level, but it’d also be good to begin integrating him into the first team.

    Carrascal and Julian Alvarez will likely start and will have a great chance to confirm their good present form. A goal or two might even sneak them in in Tucuman. A bit surprised that Scocco was left out since Borre will return on Sunday, but I suppose Beltran and Girotti will be ecstatic to get a shot.

    Hopefully Pratto is able to lift his form by playing from the start (as one assumes he will).

    Not feeling too confident with these names, but hopefully we sneak away with a good result. I think this group is tougher than most realize: considering how we have two trips to high elevations + Sao Paulo, we really can’t afford to drop points even with the 5 games left after this. If I were Gallardo I would have rested most of the core (Enzo, DLC, Suarez, Borre, Casco), but still included a stronger list for Wednesday (Scocco, Armani, Quintero, another CB). Hopefully we don’t regret this later..

    Vamos RIVER!
     
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  15. RiverGaucho

    RiverGaucho Member+

    Jan 23, 2010
    Buenos Aires
    Club:
    CA River Plate
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    We could obviously regret dropping points, but even with a full side, River could still very well lose at altitude. We need all our eggs in the Superliga basket. If Gallardo is unable to see this through, I hate to say it, but it would be a massive knock on his legacy... Obviously, Ramon Diaz and Labruna lost tournaments too and Labruna never won a Libertadores, but in this era of short tournaments, i really won't know what to say if we let this slip away.

    Hate to be negative, but the team has really been just slipping by even in the games we've won, and this 3-5-2 formation hasn't worked. Get a proper team out there and win. No excuses. I have no doubt that if he plays the 3-5-2 again, it will fail, and we'll need to switch the team and bring in Quintero like against Union and Defensa y Justicia. Truly infuriating that the manager insists on a formation that has failed various times.
     
  16. megamac20817

    megamac20817 Member+

    Jul 9, 2005
    Buenos Aires
    Club:
    CA River Plate
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    I'd be sadder and less furious if we hadn't been so clearly, so blatantly and so decisively robbed in the last game.
     
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  17. locoxriver

    locoxriver Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 22, 2005
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    CA River Plate
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    Absolutely. 2 clear penalties (arguably 3), 1 incorrect offside ruling early in the game that would have completely changed the tempo and pressure, and then all those ridiculous minor calls (like when Pratto put in a cross and the ref gave Atletico a goalkick when the ball was nowhere close to having gone out). Not surprising with Loustau as ref. Remember the infamous 2011 Superclasico?

    However, the fault is also ours.. had we won either last week vs Defensa or yesterday in Tucuman, those ridiculous calls wouldn’t have made a difference. You could also argue that the tournament was lost vs San Lorenzo, in a game we completely dominated but missed two penalties + several clear chances while the cuervos scored their only shot on target. Another 3 accessible points tossed that were decisive in the long run.

    It’s a shame what happened, even moreso with the lingering bitterness of the Libertadores final 6 months ago. The only positive I see from this is that it’s a harsh wake up call ahead of the 2020 Libertadores letting us know that we must pursue fresh blood in the June transfer window. Palacios, for instance, was a fundamental part of the team yet was never properly replaced. Pratto is a historic player for his performances in the 2018 finals, but he has been pitiful for over a year. River needs to have the best CFs in the Americas on both the field and the bench (in case of an emergency like last night), and Oso has proven to be far from the standard consistenly since the Recopa. Scocco is one of my favorite players, but he had a golden opportunity to prove himself these last two games and in the end only showed the whole world why Gallardo isn’t starting him.

    We also need a creative midfielder ala Pity Martinez ASAP. De La Cruz has grown immensely and puts in a lot of hustle/sacrifice every game, but he never fully ends up convincing me. His passes are often predictable and his finishing is very hit-or-miss. Although he has had good games, he has been kind of a pecho in the important games (the Flamengo final, the superclasicos, last night). I still like the kid, but I don’t know if he is the correct player to navigate the team and control the creative strings. I feel we kind of give an advantage with him on the field.

    Carrascal and Ferreira are two other prospects who in the long run could serve the team, but for now are not ready to provide the first team with what it needs. Quintero is a crack and I hope he never leaves, but he clearly hasn’t been the same both physically and mentally since his injury. Hopefully a good pre-season takes care of that..

    The heavy loss in Ecuador also demonstrated how desperately River lacks quality alternatives to the starters.

    It’s not the end of the world and I still think most Argentines would agree River is still the best team in the country, but we clearly have some work to do over the break. Hopefully D’Onofrio doesn’t get all stingy and splurges on a few important players.
     
  18. locoxriver

    locoxriver Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 22, 2005
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    CA River Plate
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    I know Binacional was ass, but Carrascal made a very strong case for himself in the limited minutes he received tonight. This, combined with his fantastic form in the Pre-Olympic tournament, should make Gallardo seriously reconsider De La Cruz’s starting spot.
     
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  19. locoxriver

    locoxriver Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 22, 2005
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    CA River Plate
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    Today, 5 years ago...



    Mora with a 90th minute goal to tie Tigres away 2-2, giving the team life with one match remaining in the group stage. Teo had made it 1-2 just three minutes earlier.... what a historic night in retrospect

    :cry:
     
  20. Ron Mexico

    Ron Mexico Member+

    Jun 27, 2004
    Chicago
    Club:
    CA River Plate
    Nat'l Team:
    Mexico
  21. locoxriver

    locoxriver Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 22, 2005
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    CA River Plate
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
  22. locoxriver

    locoxriver Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 22, 2005
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    CA River Plate
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
  23. locoxriver

    locoxriver Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 22, 2005
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    CA River Plate
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    [​IMG]

    :ROFLMAO:

    Hope you're all doing well, btw...
     
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  24. locoxriver

    locoxriver Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 22, 2005
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    CA River Plate
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
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  25. locoxriver

    locoxriver Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 22, 2005
    Los Angeles
    Club:
    CA River Plate
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    Official Libertadores match dates confirmed by CONMEBOL:

    Sep. 17 -- vs San Pablo (away) -- 19:00
    Sep. 22 -- vs Binacional (away) -- 21:30
    Sep. 30 -- vs San Pablo (home) -- 21:30
    Oct. 20 -- vs Liga de Quito (home) -- 21:30

    It will be nice having 3 Libertadores games in a two week span. The big question is how will the players arrive physically after so many months of not even training together and will team chemistry be there (Argentine clubs still aren't allowed to even practice, while Brazilian clubs, for instance, have already been playing competitive games since earlier this month). Hopefully they let Gallardo set up camp soon..

    It is worth reminding that all four teams are currently evenly-placed in the group with 3 points each, having accumulated one win and one loss each in the matches played before the pandemic halt.

    A win in our first game vs. Sao Paulo could be crucial, since after that we have to travel to play Binacional 3800m above sea level (where they beat the Brazilians in the first group game) and then take on the tough Brazilians again. No room for dropping points...
     
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