Matías Bustos Milla
08/30/2020 - 14:53
- Clarín.com
- sports
It will be a different work week in Ezeiza: Boca will start with the first somewhat more formal soccer movements. With the idea of playing a friendly next weekend at La Bombonera and Miguel Russo's plan to start designing the team that has a set date for the restart of the official competition on September 17, no less than for the Copa Libertadores .
It is true: the uncertainty about a transfer market that will still be open until mid-October makes planning difficult regarding the surnames that will be available, but the DT still advances.
And among the evaluations that the coach will initiate, the offensive variants appear in his notebook as the block to sharpen the magnifying glass and take advantage of a range of possibilities. With strong surnames, lethal statistics and with the antecedent of having been key in a champion team that came from memory. But that after five months of inactivity, with some logic, opens several questions.
Tevez, in the Boca practice. (Photo: Boca Press)
The technician anticipated that scenario in June. That is why he insisted to the Soccer Council to retain Mauro Zárate and Franco Soldano . Both renewed their contracts for one more year, although Russo's view of them is different.
The former Vélez started the first official match of 2020, but his injury sidelined him for almost the entire tournament. The former Union, on the other hand, was much more relevant (and praised privately) for his sacrifice in the team pressure task than for what he transferred to the network: he only scored a goal.
Carlos Tevez shone in the final stretch of the Super League. Scorer in the seven dates that were played in 2020, rejuvenated and wanting more, it seems a fixed . But at 36 years old, as happens with Licha López in Racing or Javier Pinola in River, the physical issue is the one that must be addressed before the football player.
⚽️〽️ pic.twitter.com/RgfAji7oTB
- Boca Jrs. Official (from 🏡) (@BocaJrsOficial) August 28, 2020Will Carlitos start the semester as a starter or will Russo take him slowly to avoid an early injury that will take him out of the competition on a tight schedule?
Behind is Wanchope Ábila (he scored three goals in this short cycle from Russo), who was always a substitute in consideration but with a lot of participation in the games.
For the DT, his game is much more relevant in the area but next to him he needs another footballer who moves with greater intensity. It is an alternative to have him with Zárate at the beginning of the game.
Wanchope in Boca training.
In addition, Walter Bou (for now he is training with the squad and the coach will evaluate him) and Mateo Retegui (returned from Estudiantes de La Plata) returned.
Both are relegated in the coach's gaze, but in a semester in which due to the accumulation of matches the risk of injuries is high and may even arise unforeseen due to COVID 19 infections, they can end with minutes.
Eduardo Salvio is perhaps the most important offensive card that Boca had in 2020. Strengthened by the right sector, detached from defensive responsibilities and determined to step on the area, he finished with a very high goal quota: he scored 7 goals in 9 games .
Can you think of it as a second tip at some point? It is something that Russo is going to try, because it is a position that he has known from the beginning in Lanús.
Salvio, scorer in 2020. (Photo: Marcelo Carroll).
The one about Sebastián Villa , another of those who stood out, is a different issue. The football evaluation is very high but his extra-sports conflict due to the judicial complaint of gender violence changed the panorama.
Today the Football Council hears offers from abroad for him and they are willing to transfer him (will an offer come from Europe?). That's why Russo may not design the team with him. On the left is Agustín Obando as an option.
To those variants that Boca was able to retain were added two surnames with similar characteristics but that can be complemented. One of the reinforcements is Edwin Cardona , who can be a decisive player standing from the left (will he enter through Villa?) But with a different rhythm of play than Boca showed in 2020. Less explosion and more pause. Better holding, driving but no speed. For Russo, the coffee grower opens a new possibility to what he had. Even with a higher valuation than Bebelo Reynoso (he emigrated to MLS).
Cardona returned to the club.
And Gonzalo Maroni , who returned from his time in Sampdoria , will also join in these hours . "He is handsome, has speed and can play loose in various positions", they valued him in the privacy of the Soccer Council. For him, likewise, there are also surveys from abroad and they will be analyzed.
Adding to youth like Gastón Gerzel and Ezequiel Zeballos , integrated to the practices, Russo has a dozen of offensive options.
Can you incorporate someone else? The Football Council analyzes offers, has some possibilities in its sights but will only advance if there are any other sales. It is clear: Boca, champion of the Super League, has established itself as a voracious team. And now Miguel will have to choose the correct pieces for what is coming.
FK
