Torneo Apertura 2009, Discussion about 09 Apertura

Fa.... Banfield takes their winning streak to 6 straight, and now Newell's have to follow suit, and against Central no less, or fall behind the pace.


The pressure is certainly on, and I've been feeling it all week long as it is...

It was not exactly the result I hoped for in the clasico rosarino, a 2-2 draw but with the way it started, Central 2-0 up after 12 minutes behind goals from Nunez and Chitzoff, it I thought said a lot about Newell's ability to fight back. Boghossian, (who else?), side footed in a cross to cut the lead to 2-1 and in the 2nd half Achucarro abckheeled in a free kick to tie the game. Formica had a chance to win it but fluffed it wide but overall it was an exciting game, one of the better played clasicos of recent years especially in that first half. The tie puts Newells 2 points back of Banfield with 4 games to play so there is still time to make up the points lost today.

Here are the remaining games for Banfield and Newells:

Banfield (35 points):

vs: Racing (H), Huracán (A), Tigre (H) y Boca (A).

Newell's (33):

Colón (A), Arsenal (H), Gimnasia (A) y San Lorenzo (H).

Newells have 2 games left against teams in the top half of the table, away to Colon and ending the season home to San Lorenzo. banfield have an easier schedule with only Boca away looking difficult. banfield just finished their tough poriton of the calendar and went, as enganche noted 3 for 3 against San Lorenzo, Velez and Independiente.

What rosarino said, though, my friend, I must correct you on one thing. Achucarro's goal was in the 27th minute of the first half. Having rewatched the highlights a couple of times, I think it was a lucky, accidentally back heel on his part. Still a great goal.

I only wish that Mateo wasn't sidelined with his injury for this game. Barrientos had been filling his role fairly well, until this game, when he just seemed to not handle the pressure well at all.

At this point, Banfield will have to suddenly lose form for Newell's to have a chance at the title. Still, this is the best championship for the team in a long time. Four games to play, and they are only one point shy of the total that gave them the Apertura 2004 title.

And, what the hell, may as well do another plug for my blog:

http://leperinastrangland.blogspot.com/

A pretty wild first half between Newells and Central, you guys forgot to mention the knife somebody from the crowd threw onto the field! Both teams had great chances to win that game, Zelaya of Central in the 1st half and Formica of Newells in the 2nd. But a tie pretty much reflected what happened on the field.

Banfield do look like they have a great schedule remaining, Racing, Huracan and Tigre the 17th, 19th and 20th placed teams in the league! Then closing at Boca who are 9th and are an enigma, good some days, like eysterday in beating Gimnasia and disinterested others. The final day of the seaosn, they could well be thinking of their vacations. So Banfield looks to have a very favourable remaining schedule.

Velez are up 2-1 on Racing at the moment.

If the season ended today these would be Argentina's Copa Libertadores entrants:

Estudiantes (defending champion)
Velez (Clausura 2009 champion)
Banfield (best overall record Clausura and Apertura, plus likely winners of Apertura 2009)
Colon
Lanus
Newells (the three next best teams in the combined Clausura & Apertura records)

San Lorenzo are 4 points behind Newells in the combined point total and Independiente 7. Boca are 9 back.

Didn't see the knife on the broadcast, didn't hear about it till later. Of course, I was watching from rojadirecta/justintv, so it could have happened while my feed was buffering...

I did get a good shot of Peratta putting on a pair of sunglasses he found while preparing to take a goal kick, though.

The knife and sunglasses were both thrown at or near Peratta the Newells goalie and apparently came from the canalla group of supporters. Some humor with Peratta putting the sunglasses on but tossing a knife on the field is a very serious matter.

Thanks dafyd for correcting me about Achucarro's goal, don't know what I was thinking when I wrote that! He had a very good game and gave Ambrossi the Central left back a rough time of it. There probably was plenty of good luck in his backheeled goal but maybe Formica should have tried that when he was free in the 2nd half in front of goal and shanked his shot wide of the net! A very costly miss as it meant Newell's earned only 1 point and not 3 and fell 2 points back of red hot Banfield. As we've seen, Banfield has a pretty good run in to the end of the season so all Newell's can hope for is that somewhere, somehow Banfield slips up and gets overconfident. On current form that does not look likely, but stranger things have happened before!

calimocho, thanks for the Libertadores situation, I had been paying so much attention to the current league race that I had forgotten about the Libertadores and it does look possible Newell's, Lanus and Colon can all make the Libertadores. If they do it would be the first time in years at least one of the "Big Five" clubs did not make the Libertadores. But those spots are not a birth right, they are earned (sounds better in Spanish, iNo se nace, se hace!)

Bro, Velez Sársfield is a bigger club than San Lorenzo. They have not only won the Libertadores, but the Copa Intercontinental. Velez is a member of the Big 5.

Can anyone here shed any light on the relegation situation? Are Racing doomed to be involved in at least the play-offs or can they escape? Are there any other teams definitely down to the second division?

As always in Argentina, it is not a simple system to understand, while the Libertadores places for 2010 will be determined at the end of the current season, using as calimocho explained the Clausura 2009 and Apertura 2009 winners plus the nrxt three teams with the best combined points accumulated over those two tourneys. Relegation is determined following the calendar similar to a European one, so it is based on the records from the Apertura 2009 and Clausura 2010, plus the two previous Apertura and Clausura tournaments and is absed on an average number of points accumulated per game over that period, or however long you have been in the first division if your club was recently promoted. Thus we will not know until May which clubs will be relegated and which go into the promotion playoffs.

If the season ended today Chacarita and Atletico Tucuman would descend to the 2nd division while Racing and Gimnasia would go into the promotion playoffs. Rosario Central and Godoy Cruz also have to be careful in the Clausura 2010 so they don't fall into the playoff zone.

Velez did beat Racing last night 4-2 which helped slip Racing even deeper into relegation worries. And Angel Cappa who was planning on quitting Huracan at the end of the season, decided he has had enough and he's walking away from the club. So the brief but enjoyable period of "tiki-tiki" stylish attacking futbol at Huracan is over and they are back to being an ordinary struggling club.

No problem, rosarino, it could be worst. I don't know if anyone else remembers Sam, whom enganche invited into the forum at the same time as myself, but he made an even bigger blunder in describing Achucarro's goal in his blog:

"In the 27th minute, Achucarro got one of his own, getting a glancing header on a left-wing free kick to make it 2-2."

Yes, there was a glancing header, but that's what got the ball to Achucarro's feet.

I'm also a little bit upset with him for calling the article "A Mini Clasico." Stupid Brit. (Said with a smile, wondering if he's still a member of the forum, and comes lurking to see what we've been talking about.)

As for Formica's blown shot, that was an incredible miss. He usually buries those kind of chances, and even the announcers where stunned when, as you put it, Mauro shanked it wide.

Estudiantes crowded calendar to finish their league obligations before going to the World Club Cup is really sinking their title hopes. Last night they went down 1-0 to Colon who won with an injury time goal from Federico Nieto, a player Huracan just let go, it was not a case of selling him to get money, they simply did not want him. Well Nieto is having the last laugh, he's 2nd in the league in scoring, only trailing Banfield's Santiago Silva, his club Colon is in 3rd place while Huracan are 2nd from last!

Anyway Estudiantes now have no chance at winning the title after this loss. Too many games in too short a period of time for them.

dafyd, if it does not have to do with River, that former poster Sam didn't care about it!

Sporting, I think enganche has explained the relegation situation well.

Yeah, but Colon has their own title aspirations. Colon has already qualified for Copa Libertadores. Still they are 4 points off the trot. Don't know if they can gain that ground, but next week they host NOB. Speaking from experience, it's tuff for a visitor to gain a result in "El Cementerio de los Elefantes".

LMFAO... xeneize, your probably right.

Yeah, but Colon has their own title aspirations. Colon has already qualified for Copa Libertadores. Still they are 4 points off the trot. Don't know if they can gain that ground, but next week they host NOB. Speaking from experience, it's tuff for a visitor to gain a result in "El Cementerio de los Elefantes".

Yes that is a very tough place to play and the two clubs are both still in the title race. Added to that is the rivalry between Newell's and Colon, two clubs from Santa Fe province. So this weekend's match between the two will be vital.

Jose Luis Calderon has decided to retire effective immediately. Juan Veron had convinced Calderon who was planning on retiring after the Copa Libertadores to play 6 months more and Calderon agreed but he was not playing much and realized his time was up. A nice career.

The weekend schedule with Central 1-0 up at halftime now on Atletico Tucuman.

Friday 27.11.2009
Rosario Central 1-0 Atlético Tucumán HT
Independiente-Huracán 21:10

Saturday 28.11.2009
Chacarita-Godoy Cruz 17:00
River-Estudiantes 19:10

Sunday 29.11.2009
San Lorenzo-Boca 17:00
Tigre-Vélez 19:10
Banfield-Racing 21:15

Monday 30.11.2009
Arsenal-Lanús 17:00
Colón-Newell`s 19:10
Gimnasia-Argentinos 21:15