They were days of various rehearsals and deep analysis for coach
Martín Demichelis
.
After the poor 1-1 home draw against Banfield, Micho celebrated that he was going to have a long week to work ahead of tomorrow's
Superclásico
at 5pm at the Monumental.
He tested and rotated the coach, looking for variants thinking about
Boca
.
The probable absence of the scorer
Miguel Borja
is the central issue in
River
.
Pablo Solari
and
Claudio Echeverri
appear as the candidates to replace Colibrí.
Adding to that doubt is another one in the midfield between
Nicolás Fonseca
and
Rodrigo Villagra
.
But these questions are secondary for Demichelis because he is very clear about the main ones.
What does River have to do to beat Boca?
Attack, attack and attack.
The idea has no gray areas for Demichelis, beyond the fact that it does contemplate safeguards.
“I imagine River as the protagonist, because we are going to have the satisfaction of playing with our people and in a packed stadium.
We are very optimistic in every way.
We have to prepare the week with a lot of seriousness, a lot of professionalism and with a lot of fun,” the coach warned after the tie against Banfield.
Photo Maxi Failla - CLARIN
What River will seek is not to give up its principles: to stand in the rival field and grow from tenure.
It is, neither more nor less, what it has been doing throughout the cycle.
Of course, there are small details that cannot be left to chance against Boca, as can be allowed against lesser rivals.
When attacking with many players, River often suffers from defensive setbacks.
It is known: Demichelis demands that the full-backs, Marcelo Herrera and Enzo Díaz, be deep and aggressive.
This arrangement causes defenders Leandro González Pirez and Paulo Díaz to play in long passages one-on-one with the rival forwards.
The weak performances of Rodrigo Aliendro and the poor physical presence of the Uruguayan Nicolás Fonseca increased the chances of Villagra becoming among the starters.
The former Talleres midfielder is intelligent at occupying spaces and has a more defensive profile.
The inclusion of the brand new reinforcement would provide greater balance to the team.
The biggest magnifying glass will be on the attack.
The feeling is that if those from the middle forward are fine, Boca will suffer.
Núñez's cast has a squad rich in hierarchy in the top positions.
Esequiel Barco is the most decisive player, without a doubt.
The greatest hopes will be placed on the former Independiente, who shows the best version of himself when he starts lying down on the left side.
Barco's speed dribble can be key to winning the backs of rival midfielders, to supporting the offensive winger Luis Advíncula and to taking Cristian Lema, a powerful defender who finds long runs difficult, out of his comfort zone.
Of course, for Barco's game to flow, it is essential that the rest of his teammates accompany him.
Photo: ALEJANDRO PAGNI / AFP
Another point to address is the position of Ignacio Fernández: he performs better on the right than playing centrally.
Nacho usually forms a good tandem with the full-back.
And finally, the question arises on the side of Facundo Colidio, who does not like to play between the center backs.
The presence of Solari would cause the former Boca to move a few meters to the left and be closer to Barco.
What happens and weighs on Demichelis is that Solari is the player who best enters from the relief side.
The alternative then would be Echeverri to break with a pure dribble from the center.
The cards are on the table for Demichelis: he has some adjustments left, but he does not negotiate the idea of attacking and being ambitious.