On the most important day in Argentine football, the battle between the two clubs’ supporters was as spectacular as ever, with incessant chanting and colorful choreography blanketing all sectors of the stadium. The people of River Plate, treated to a miserable season thus far by their pibes, came out in force yesterday and relentlessly poured out their support and loyalty for the club. La Doce and the Boca people who managed to get inside displayed their usual fervor. And so the elements were once again set for a magnificent encounter.
On the pitch, a different story. Neither side’s game could keep up with the intensity and the passion in the stadium. The reasons are glaringly obvious. It’s not for a lack of desire on the part of the players. Their devotion is unquestionable, their effort transparent. Sadly, it’s a matter of capability.
For a long time the best young players have been exported by the Argentine clubs that raise them to European, sometimes middle-eastern, and even Mexican clubs. The economic problems in the country over the past ten years have accentuated this phenomenon, to the point where it has become a predictable pattern. None of the Argentines want to leave, they love Argentina and want to be nowhere else. Only the money forces their hand. Most don’t return until the end of their careers, when financial considerations are set aside to finish with the clubs they supported as boys or clubs that launched them. Examples include Kily Gonzalez and Veron.
Years ago, after being sold, Palermo and Riquelme had miserable spells in Spain, literally home sick and taking every chance to fly back to Buenos Aires to attend Boca’s matches and be around the club and their family. Battaglia and Abondanzieri had more successful spells abroad, but both could not wait to return home to Boca. For Ortega and Gallardo it is the same story. Both have basically dedicated their lives to the club they love, River Plate. As a result, all of these players are enshrined as symbols of their respective clubs. But also as a result, for better or worse, their personalities often supersede their abilities on the field.
Until River Plate make a delicate, but absolutely necessary, decision to change the culture of the clubhouse, the results will continue to be the same. Now Matthias Almeyda has arrived, another strong presence from another River era. Yesterday Gallardo passed the captain’s armband to Ortega when he was substituted, then Ortega passed it to Almeyda when he was taken off. These three dominate the club’s image, yet they are unable to perform at the expected level.
Even though Gallardo scored on a perfect execution, Astrada was correct to take him off. Only that he should not have been taken off before Ortega, who did absolutely nothing besides missing a penalty kick and fraudulently getting a Boca player thrown out of the game. Those two represent the diminished creative force of a club with tremendous ambitions. Boca were bothered by only one player, Diego Buonanotte, who was a menace the entire match. River will have a hard time scoring goals without speedy, technical players to complement Bonanotte. Ortega and Gallardo must graciously pass the baton and discreetly ease into a respectful retirement to allow River to experience life with two new playmakers.
Boca’s prospects, while not as dire, are also not shining. Riquelme demonstrated once again that he operates on an island within the game. He can do something magical and have a decisive impact sometimes, but between those moments there are long stretches of anonymity. Palermo hardly touched the ball until it fell in his path and he poked it into River’s net, but he often looks off the pace.
River dominated the first half, Boca the second, and both teams finished with 10 men. The super-classico correctly ended 1-1, given what happened on the field, a result that did not help either club. The hinchas and aficionados around the world must wait a while longer for the clubs to assemble players able to put on a worthy display on the field to match the fire in the stadium.
