This Saturday,
Avellaneda will split in two again to receive in the
soccer capital
a new edition of one of the
most exciting and spicy classics
of Argentine soccer.
The two protagonist teams in this story arrive with
very different realities
at an institutional level.
Contrary to the
more than 10 million dollars that Racing spent
in the last market to put together one of the most competitive teams at the local level, there is
the Independiente
gasolero
that spent less than half as much as its neighbor
but that with the help of
Carlos Tevez
seems to have found a reliable starting team that will seek to consolidate itself in this weekend's big event at the Libertadores de América-Ricardo Enrique Bochini.
The Red one comes packed.
With two wins in a row, he will enter the confrontation with
more certainties than doubts at the football level
.
After a start with two away victories (against Independiente Rivadavia and Vélez) but without playing well in this League Cup, they lost with Gimnasia La Plata at home and tied with Huracán in two other gray performances.
Carlos Tevez, fully involved in Independiente.
Photo: Independent
Carlitos changed a lot between each date
.
Of names and schemes.
Nothing convinced him and the operation did not appear.
Until he received Rosario Central, the last champion, and achieved the version he wanted.
And there he stayed.
Beyond having played deception in the previous match against Instituto, he repeated the same eleven last Sunday and the team confirmed its good performance by bringing another three points from Alta Córdoba.
What happened?
Beyond having found the right players for a flexible tactical drawing that gives positive results, they say that there was an intimate talk between Apache and their team in Villa Domínico that turned out to be a turning point.
After that strong internal self-criticism that remained inside the premises, the Devil regained his intensity and his posture in the early stages was decidedly different.
"That talk made us stronger and today we are more united than ever," revealed Alex Luna, one of the new faces who earned a place in the starting lineup.
For his part, Tevez said: "I see the team more mentally prepared. I see them calmer and more comfortable in terms of football."
With a goalkeeper like
Rodrigo Rey
, who kept the score undefeated in five of the first six rounds of this tournament, Independiente also grows from the solvency of its last line of four defenders:
Mauricio Isla
,
Juan Fedorco
,
Joaquín Laso
and
Damián Pérez
.
It is sustained by the firmness of its central midfielder and captain,
Iván Marcone
.
He is enthusiastic about the partnerships of his midfielders:
Lucas González
,
Gabriel Neves
,
Federico Mancuello
and
Luna
.
And wait for the goals from
Gabriel Ávalos
, the sacrificed nine who runs, plays and presses.
Independiente receives Rosario Central for the Professional League Cup.
These eleven are the footballers who have been giving confidence to Tevez since their performances and for which Rojo seems to reach the Avellaneda classic better than his lifelong rival, whom he rules in history, at least from the sensations he left the last date in which Racing went back several places in its game in the defeat against Godoy Cruz in the Cilindro.
“We know that the classic is totally different from everything else. I experienced it for many years as a player and I know that as a coach the classics are totally different, nothing changes if you do well or badly in the previous match”
, Carlos Tevez prefers caution.
What Apache is sure of is that their Independiente, despite being very far from
Víctor Blanco
's fat wallet , is building something that, if reaffirmed this Saturday, will begin to seriously excite all the fans.
The club led by Néstor Grindetti spent no more than 4 million dollars in total
on the summer transfer book.
Racing invested that entire amount only in Santiago Solari
.
Independiente's largest purchase was that of Avalos from Argentinos Juniors for 2 million in US currency.
He was followed by that of the Ecuadorian
Jhonny Quiñónez
in one million.
He bought 75 percent of
Juan Fedorco
for 500 thousand dollars.
And he added the charges for the loans of
Alex Luna
(200 thousand) and
Ignacio Maestro Puch
(300 thousand).
Gabriel Neves
arrived on loan without a position and
Adrián Spörle
joined on a free transfer.
The Avellaneda
gasman
does not look at the bills and clings to his good present and his fatherhood to try to keep a classic hinge.
Racing, in search of regularity with Costas
Photo: Matías Martin Campaya - CLARIN
When he returned to the club, after almost two decades abroad,
Gustavo Costas opened his eyes in amazement and smiled
.
“It's another club
,” he says he exclaimed.
And it is true.
That Racing that had to ask permission from judge Enrique Gorostegui to be able to play in the championship or that managed Academy that sought to survive under the administration of Fernando De Tomaso, has nothing to do with this light blue and white news.
This former central defender, mascot of José's team, champion of the 1988 Super Cup and great captain, today can enjoy the joys of a management in which he lacks nothing.
And on the eve of the city classic that saw him born six decades ago, the coach knows that he has quantity and quality.
After all, the millionaires of Avellaneda live in Mozart and Corbatta
.
Far from the turbulent times of bankruptcy, and after ten years in which five titles were won, Racing has one of the best squads in Argentine soccer.
He fights River and Boca.
And although Víctor Blanco was always pointed out as not very loose when it came to investing in players, no one can say that he did not break the bank.
He spent 10 million dollars on additions and Costas himself assures “that there are no excuses” when it comes to competition.
In that sense, his team was irregular in these first six dates.
He went from a disappointing debut against Unión in the Cilindro to a remarkable performance with Tigre.
And from a weak game against Estudiantes he became a great sensation with eight goals in 72 hours and two wins against San Lorenzo and Newell's, no less.
But he fell to Godoy Cruz on his own court.
With 10 points out of 18 disputed, the win does not speak so much of those chiaroscuros that generate some uncertainty.
However, there was a wink from the fan.
Despite the loss against the Mendoza team, the people said goodbye to the players with encouragement.
Perhaps, due to the proximity of the Avellaneda derby.
Perhaps, because he saw light in the games that preceded Saturday's defeat.
There is a distinctive feature in Racing de Costas: intensity is not negotiated
.
Nor, offensive voracity.
The style begins to appear in that team that combines possession and quick transitions.
Who can accumulate passes during a period of the game, but also be vertical.
The pressure and explosion of their attacking men is the maximum asset.
Even though
Adrián Martínez
did not flow in the last game, he showed wisdom to finish with those five goals in six games.
Photo Juano Tesone - CLARIN
Racing has firepower in 'Maravilla', but it also has
Maximiliano Salas
,
Johan Carbonero
(he is recovering from a tear),
Santiago Solari
,
Juan Fernando Quintero
,
Agustín Urzi
and
Baltasar Rodríguez
.
After River, which scored 12 goals, it is the most convincing team in the League Cup with 11 goals.
Also after the red-banded giant, he is the one that generated the most chances (28 against 18).
The full-backs play boldly and with the line of three centre-backs they found greater solidity.
Also, a good long pass in Agustín García Basso.
Racing is the team that completed the most shots per game (28).
The deficit is in the setback because Bruno Zuculini grew in midfield, but when he receives the first blow, until now he made it clear that it is difficult to recover.
The two times he conceded an early goal (Unión and Godoy Cruz), he failed to tie it.
Of course, it is very little time to evaluate a process that aims for four tournaments this year: the League Cup, the Sudamericana, the Argentine Cup and the Professional League.
In this context, Racing believes that the classic will be the platform for a definitive takeoff towards those goals set by the coaching staff.
There is a blind faith for the Sabbath.
Although it is difficult for Quintero to arrive, when the Colombian did not play, the team still flew (against Newell's).
For Costas it is very special
.
Because he does not allow his players to wear the color red, because he is a Racing fan and born on the Puente Pueyrredón side where the rivalry is heavier with Independiente.
Because as a player, and in his first moments as a coach, his lifelong rival was better.
Today, the Academy has an added hierarchy, beyond the fact that the adversaries have won against the Institute in Córdoba.
“It's a separate championship
,” said Costas.
The phrase may be trite, but it is a great truth.
And Racing wants to ratify it in a hostile terrain.