Let the season begin!!!!!!!!!!! Finally!!!!!! Tough away game against Rosario Central, but I think we'll get the three points. I'm not 100% sure on the lineup, but it will be something like this (depending on the sub for the injured Ledesma) Caranta Maidana-Paletta-Caceres-Morel Alvaro/Neri-Battaglia-Neri/Datolo Riquelme Palermo-Palacio
I just happened to find this game live right now, and FSE's camera showed some local Rosario female fans. NICE........ ... especially those jumping with their pechos flailing.
Not a good performance at all for Boca. They are very imprecise and look unfocussed. Central looks like they're a threat to take the lead at any second now unless Boca turns things around.
The genius strikes again...never gets old. Gol de Palacio...giftwrapped by your friendly neighborhood magician...Roman!!! 1-0 Boca!
This game had some of the worst passing by Boca I have seen in a long time. Bad pass after bad pass, bad touch after bad touch, stupid turnover after stupid turnover. The players looked like they were half awake out there. Alvaro Gonzalez and Palermo specifically were horrible. And Boselli for Palacio? I thought it had been settled that Boselli would be Palermo's sub? Both Boselli and Palermo are quite slow so that partnership has never seemed to excel. Palermo had to come off not Palacio. Chavez looked good though when he came on.
No way. Palacio has bee playing very bad and if it wasn't for the goal which was mainly Riquelme's doing, he would have been one of the worst players on the field along with Alvaro, Cardozo and probably Battaglia. I thought the sub was a good decision. And yes Chavez managed to win more balls in the midfield than I think Battaglia did the entire game
Palacio was crap as well but I thought Palermo was even worse. He didn't threaten the goal once and he kept giving it away with bad touches. I love Palermo but you know he sometimes has games where he doesn't contribute at all and we all know the reluctance of Boca's coaches to take him out even when he's stinking it up. I still think Boselli should be Palermo's sub and not Palacio's.
The pass from Roman and the cracker from Kily made this game at long last worth watching. We didn't look dialed in at all, some what of a summer hangover. I thought our back line played well but the midfield was pretty poor all the way around. On the bright side, we didn't lose and we got a point from a piss-poor performance. river won so we start out the gate down two points. Better times to come of that I'm sure.
I recorded the match and I was watching it just now. Man, they sucked! Great game by Battaglia, tough. And Riquelme had that nice pass that led to the goal, but he needs to get into the play more, they need to look for him. This is not good, they need to get their shit together.
Are you serious? I thought he had a pretty poor performance. All his passes were inaccurate and Rosario really had the upperhand in the midfield. Kily had a great game
You and I definitely saw the same match. I thought Seba was clearly a step slow and as you stated, his passes were weak. Kily on the other hand was really impressive.
Yeah,I agree that their midfield had the upper hand, especially in the 2nd half, and Kily had a great game, but still Battaglia was the best of our midfield. He made some mistakes and was imprecise, but he was the one putting some huevos. Gonzalez and Cardozo did nothing and Roman did little other than the great assist on the goal. Who would you say was the best player of Boca? Granted the way they all played is not saying much, but I was trying to look for a positive and I still say Battaglia put the best effort out there. Maybe Paletta also in terms of effort. And Chavez when he came in did well. That's it.
Idk to say Bataglia was the best midfielder is like saying you'd take hospital food over airplane food. Cardozo and Gonzalez were pathetic. Riquelme struggled but as he's shown before all he needs is one touch to change the outcome of a game. I think Caranta played well and the best player of the game would have to be Paletta or possibly Caceres. Maidana and Morel didn't play well either. Heck I could even say that Chavez was the best even if it was only 15 minutes. He probably recovered more balls than the whole midfield did the entire game
Dang!, I've been so busy to post earlier. There are a so many points to bring up about this game and the future in general. This was probably the first time in a loooong time that, after having a "decent" nite of sleep the prior nite, I was literally falling asleep ... even after having a cup of coffee. The issues to bring up are: 1) PALERMO is an idol at Boca, yet he SHOULDN'T BE UNTOUCHABLE. Wtf is wrong with Boca's coaches? Why is it that most fans can see something and the DT's can't? Ischia was about to make the Boselli sub for Palacio just before Rodrigo scored. The sub was going to be Boselli for Palacio. Can't Ischia realize that it would be a different game now with the 1-0? When are Boca coaches going to realize that Bianchi left GUILLE out for Delgado, wanted by Roman or not, in an INTERCONTINENTAL? Enuff of this demagogy. The sub should had been for Palermo. It is not about who is playing worst ... it is that Boca entered a counterattacking period. What use is Martin for that? To defend own corners? Common! We got Caceres, Paletta, Maidana and Seba for that (even Monzon- as explained later). Central doesn't have the height of Newells or Argentinos. Now, coming back again to the subs, Pochi Chavez is an enganche. He has some speed. Pochi should had entered for Rodrigo, not Gonzales. Leave Boselli alone upfront and team up Pochi and Roman ... letting Pochi do the running to arrive along Boselli. Now that we are upfront with 17 to play, you take out unprecise Gonzales when his best attribute is his marking (in midfield)? Wtf is that of using Pochi as a back and forth midfielder? Don't this peeps know what it is that Pochi can give the team? He is a mini-Tevez for Christ sakes. (Note: this is the same mistake we had to suffer with Franzoia, who can be an interesting second forward not an enganche ... his own words!) The third sub should had been Monzon for Morel. I will develop what Roman needs next, but Morel was having a poor game and seemed to be tired towards the end ... Neri was the one running the most in that midfield, he needed an extra lung on that left side. Ring, ring, Monzon. 2) Roman requested Clemente Rodriguez to the dirigentes. Why? Because as explained a while back when talking of the NT, Roman needs movility and speed on the left flank. He needs options. "Give it to me and take off, that I will give it back to you with advantage if I don't have a better option to open up the rival". Stretch the opponent's defense. The question will start to be, is Morel the option? Or should it be Monzon, even with his lack of experience? Or should Ischia constantly use this combination as one of his sure subs to ensure both players give 110% back and forth to open up the left flank along Neri? All this clearly unbalances the weight of the team's game to the left. But this is the real value of Roman ... he can cross balls to the right, which would tend to be less populated and take advantage of Rodrigo, Ledesma/Gonzales or Ibarra. Since Roman started playing in 1ra, his left backs have been, for the most part: Arruabarrena, Clemente, Arruabarrena, Sorin and Clemente. There is a constant there all left backs that push all the way to the endline, that are able to play 1-2s ... Roman occupies the left side of midfield and makes the team weave there. And has the goal to his right foot to punish with a goal shot or cross. Lets start being smart about how to use Roman ... 3) Roman wants to go to the Olympics. He offers to go play Guatemala. Ditches the Superclasico in Mendoza. And returns to play against Central with a clear fatigue handicap. It was evident that Roman was not ready for the game. He did not take ONE corner kick early on (symptom he was avoiding an injury when kicking) ... the same man that took a shot on goal against River from every set piece he had available regardless of the distance. I hope Roman understands that the trip to L.A. could be worth a secure trip to Pekin, but it cost Boca 2 points. If he wasn't ready, he should had let Gracian play. I don't want to call him selfish, as he is really GOD in my books, yet it is frustrating to drop 2 points by not having control the game. 4) Nothing against Ischia. But the reading of the subs, of the physical condition of this players and the "mental preparation" of the squad was being distorted with Roman's trip. Bianchi would not line up the player who didn't train in the week. He is showing clear differences with his "ex-boss" Why should we care? Because Ischia has won one derby against Newells and a summer Superclasico against River. He has tied or lost everything else he has played for in his last 15+ games. So he better realize he is now at Boca, but most importantly, that the fans expect from him some of the charactersitics that Boca followed under Bianchi, that is, BE IN CONTROL of the group. In summary, let this game be the start of the debate of some of the chronic problems that Boca has suffered after Basile left. The who played better and who played worst is not important, as we never played as a team. As if the rest of the players need Roman to be ON to play ... that is the way it should be, but there has to be a plan B. There has to be a wise use of the squad now ... getting ready for the 2 competitions and the long trips to Venezuela and Mexico. Sorry for the length. .
Vip, good points made. I watched the match again either I'm a masochist or just in awe at how pathetic we looked in a torneo opener. Just like you I think Roman walks on water but his effort and intensity aside from the brilliant pass was weak. Sure fitness was an issue but he barely looked interested at all. The Roman I know would want to make a statement to open the term yet he never got into it. Not having someone on the left like in years past was obvious. The pre-novia Neri could have been that guy but who knows when he'll pull his head out of his ass. Datolo could do it but his first touch leaves way too many question marks and if that first touch doesn't fail him then his passing and shooting will. Honestly the player I would have like to see out there would've been Gracian. He may not be able to run the show on his own but along side Roman, he could really help open some things up. He can play on the left and he really seemed to make some strides in el verano. Of course two enganches are a moot point if Seba continues to perform the way he did against Central. I'm not going to worry too much right now as it is only one game but looking to the future, here a couple of things I keep in mind. Ibarra and Ledesma are two players imho sorely missed the other day. El Negro with his natural understanding with Roman plus all that experience was missed. I really like Maidana but he is still a pibe in my eyes and definitely a great sub. What Hugo brings is an intangible that can't be coached, it must be experienced. Ledesma can really take a burden off of Seba as I think his defensive abilities are slightly underrated plus he has a maturity level a bit higher than all other options we've tried. Lastly I think the Palacio substitution would only have made sense if it was Castroman coming in. He would've complimented Palermo a lot better. To Palermos defense, no matter how ineffective he can look over 90 minutes, it's what he is capable of doing in the 91st minute is what we cannot do without. Palermo is just that type of player that only needs one touch to turn a match and so long as his fitness dictates, he should be on the pitch. Sorry for the even longer post but I had my first mate' in days
agreed, but neither should Palacio because he has been playing pretty badly lately. I was relieved when he was finally able to finish a one on one I agree that he is more of an enganche, but the sub was actually the best one Ischia made. Chavez played very well and recovered many balls while on the field. He took a lot of pressure of Battaglia because Cardozo, Riquelme and Alvaro weren't playing well and defending at all Neri had a bad game, so it could have gone either way but I see your point. I've said it in the past. i think the starting lineup should be Monzon-Morel-Caceres-Ibarra Russo never was able to establish the team without Riquelme, but I think he knew how to best utilize Riquelme and knew when to rest him and when not to. For example, he didn't use Riquelme for any of the away games in high altitude during the group phase and instead saved him for the league during that period and we were able to compete in both tournaments until almost the end.