From playing for an emergency to staying with the First: what are the Boca kids that caught Russo's attention

Matías Bustos Milla

07/29/2021 17:22

• Clarín.com

• sports

Updated 7/29/2021 5:22 PM

The urgency and need led to a dozen Boca youths having their premiere in the top flight against Banfield and San Lorenzo.

And although now most of them will return to play the Reserve matches in front of Sebastián Battaglia, the coaching staff led by Miguel Ángel Russo made an evaluation of several of the boys who played and showed their faces in the last matches.

Who can join the First team in the short term?

The name of

Valentín Barco

is the one that prevailed the most.

His presentation at the age of 16 had already been good before Unión, a couple of weeks ago.

But the left-back not only played with conviction, personality and skill: he also imposed a different rhythm than Boca was accustomed to.

Is it possible that he will be the owner from now on?

Both Battaglia and Russo agree on one point: you don't have to rush time, but neither should you slow it down if the defender has an advantage over everyone in his sector.

Barco, one of the highlights.

(Photo: AFP).

Before Barco there is another boy:

Agustín Sández

. And the left-hander not only performed very well but also played hot games in the Copa Libertadores. Still with a lot to grow, they will compete for a spot. And Frank Fabra? The Colombian, by experience and career, continues to be one step ahead of the rest, but with a clear message that comes from the Soccer Council and that Miguel Russo validates:

no one is assured of his place

.

In addition to the left back, on the other band

Eros Mancuso

also

showed firmness.

Already older (he will be 22 years old) and with the captain's tape in the last game, the boy from the Reserve was about to emigrate to another club in the country in these weeks to have filming, as happened with Weigandt in the last year.

But barring a change of plans, Mancuso will now stay and will also fight for a site that has the Peruvian Advíncula as a new face.

Ezequiel Fernández, another of those who earned a space in Russo's eyes.

(Photo: Germán García Adrasti).

With

Ezequiel Fernández

, one of the best in the middle of the field against San Lorenzo, something similar to that of Barco will happen.

Russo had already made him debut against Patronato in the last tournament and in these games he confirmed that he has the potential to compete with other boys who are in that place with the first team: Almendra, Medina, Varela or even with Pulpo González and Rolón.

Al Equi, who played both games undercover, will make him rehab and rest.

The idea is that afterwards he joins the practices always with the First, although occasionally he adds minutes in the Reserve.

Boca y los juveniles, a project that is advancing.

(Photo: Gernán García Adrasti).

The cases of

Vicente Taborda

and

Gabriel Aranda

are different. Both left good impressions and even earned personal congratulations. But both the forward and the central defender can have the opportunity to climb a step as long as there are games in their positions, although ahead of both are also other youth of the club such as Exequiel Zeballos (closely followed by PSV of the Netherlands) or Renzo Giampaoli. But if before the market closes the exit of Pavón, Villa or Lisandro López can occur, then both Taborda and Aranda will be the ones who complete the youth Boca that will end in 2021.

Doors inside the Boca Predio are cautious

.

They know that the exposure that several of the boys had in recent days generated an adrenaline rush that now will cost to go down, because from playing in the Bombonera for the first team many will get back on the buses to face lower and reserve games.

That is what they will focus on.

Also in managing the context: there were already talks so that they understood that when playing in Boca they are public people and that each movement of theirs from now on will be observed with a magnifying glass.

In days of constant metrics and measurements, he reflected on all his social media accounts of the boys was notorious: they all quintupled their followers and interactions in a handful of hours.

And that is another pressure that they will have to start living with. 

Look also

One step away from Boca: Juan Ramírez has already passed the medical examination and it only remains for him to sign

Sebastián Battaglia, an old acquaintance who also had his presentation as DT