The prelude to the match between Argentinos Juniors and Vélez at the Estadio Único de San Nicolás, this Sunday at 3:30 p.m. for the semi-final of the League Cup, brings some data to take into account that adds to the history of this “modern classic”, which, according to the pages of Argentine football, was born after those finals – four in total – that they played for Nacional in ’85, in which Bicho de La Paternal ended up winning and kept the trophy. of what was the last First Division National Tournament.
“After the ’85 final, this match is classic,” acknowledged the president of Argentinos, Cristian Malaspina. Both teams meet again in decisive moments with the hope of getting a place in the League Cup final. Both Bicho and Fortín are holders of international trophies (Copa Libertadores, Interamericana) and their resumes highlight a competitive nature and demanding football.
In the 14 games they played in zone A of the tournament, Liniers’ team converted 13 chances and scored 14 goals in their favor. And in terms of results achieved, they won seven games, lost three and tied four. On the Bicho side, they received 14 goals and connected on the rival goal 25 times. One of the teams that scored the most goals during the championship, after River. And overall there were seven wins, two losses and five draws.
That the team led by Gustavo Quinteros has reached this stage of the playoffs encourages fans to dream of breaking the austere streak of ten years without being crowned. Until last year’s tournament, with football crises involved, the biggest fight was to avoid relegation. Now football gives revenge and they are excited about a team that among its pillars has Agustín Bouzat, Francisco Pizzini, Thiago Fernández; Claudio Aquino and Braian Romero.
“It is a very important game for me, because I have been at the club for 10 years and, after having fought relegation last year, we are going to face this game with a lot of responsibility and a lot of desire,” said Thiago Fernández, attacking midfielder for the team. Fortín, at a press conference.
“Being in this instance is a recognition of the great work we have done, it is very difficult to play in Argentine football, until the last date there were many teams to qualify. Luckily we have a highly competitive squad and we can compete in both competitions ( Copa Sudamericana and Copa de la Liga)”, commented Jonathan Galván, Bicho defender.
Argentinos Juniors had a great performance in the tournament and finished second in the standings. But before all that, he had to go through a transition that left him with several questions to resolve. First, get the replacement of its main reference in technical leadership, Gabriel Milito – today at Atlético Mineiro – and rebuild a consolidated squad, which was left without its main figures: Gabriel Ávalos, Federico Redondo, Miguel Torrén and Marcos Di Césare.
To take Milito’s place, Pablo Guede arrived. A coach who debuted in the middle of the 2023 season and had a hard time gaining the trust of the fans: he won his first two games, but then he went nine games without doing so and the impatience of the people of La Paternal began to escalate.
Malaspina, as he did with Milito when he first took over at Bicho, came out to support him. Guede had to reinvent himself and rearrange the chips. He found the game formula in Alan Lescano, Nicolás Oroz, José María Herrera, Luciano Gondou and Maxi Romero, and focused on working with inferiors. From there, he found a team that became vertical in attack, with good combinations in free spaces and an offense with up to five players in the rival area.
“It is a totally new campus. Many players left and came, but we also have a lot of boys. That is a job that Argentinos Juniors does historically. The work that Raúl Sanzotti and Chino Batista do in the youth teams makes a lot of things easier for us. I always say that the most important thing for a footballer who goes up to first class is the sports education he has: arrive early, stay in the gym, worry about your body. From there, a very good synchronization with the boys who came from outside was generated in the preseason. The adults and the children supported each other in their work,” Guede told a television channel a month ago, in order to explain what has been achieved with the youth players in his renewed squad.
The results began to be positive and this coach, a Formula 1 fan, who after taking the technician course, went seven years without using it, established himself through hard work. Admirer of Marcelo Bielsa, obsessive in his way of training, student of Japanese football for his discipline and intensity, he led Argentinos to a tactical respect that is also seen today in his performances in the Copa Sudamericana, where he leads Group F and has just defeated to Corinthians.
Now he is pursuing this challenge that puts him closer to another local conquest, something that has been postponed since 2010, when he was crowned in the Clausura. The dream is two games away.
