River lost his compass. Total confusion in Tucumán: they did not even agree to take advantage of a penalty

Lost the compass River in Tucumán. He was coming straight, in performance and results, but last night he confused the paths. “We didn’t feel comfortable in the game. We were fortunate to go into half-time without conceding a goal. Argentine football does not allow you to relax,” he acknowledged. Martin Demichelis. Was surpassed by Atlético Tucumán in the first half and got tangled up in the execution – and waste – of a penalty, with Esequiel Barco, Miguel Borja and Demichelis as protagonists, which will be the talk of the town for a couple of days. The balance also left him worried about Borja’s injury. River returns from Tucumán with a 0-0 and a grimace of dissatisfaction, despite the fact that the tie was enough to continue as the leader of Zone B.

Nacho Fernández tries to control the ball against OrihuelaFernando Font

Faced with an increasingly demanding schedule due to the series of games, Demichelis made a slight rotation and gave the starting defense a rest: González Pirez and Paulo Díaz. He kept the rest of the formation, the one that had beaten Argentinos and Riestra. The touch-ups were few, but River seemed different, blurred, disoriented on the field. The issue went beyond the fact that the new central duo, Boselli and Ramiro Funes Mori, seemed insecure and hesitant. All of River was out of tune, far from the collective fluidity that it had been showing.

Atlético Tucumán made of necessity and urgency –He arrived without wins and with the technical duo Gómez-Orsi on a tightrope– a motor to exit to press entry. Against a passive River, the Dean created three goal situations in just six minutes. Surprise at José Fierro. The local tension was evident in the lack of serenity for the last touch. Either he was going off course, or he couldn’t handle Armani.

Highlights of Atlético Tucumán 0 – River 0

River was not having a good time, it was difficult for him to get into the game. There was almost no news from his midfielders and in the retreat he could not stop Atlético far from the area. Until the action came that could have been a wake-up call for River, but only increased the confusion he had. Because he was hasty, Breitenbruch gave a penalty to Nacho Fernández, who was leaving the area. Atlético paid a dear price for its excessive impetus.

Borja wanted to take the penalty, to continue his scoring streak of six consecutive games (including one for the Argentine Cup), but Barco took possession of the ball. The midfielder’s shot was deflected by goalkeeper Devecchi with his right foot. The VAR determined that there was an invasion of Flores’ zone, which is why the penalty had to be repeated.

They were a few minutes in which River looked more like a heterogeneous gathering of players than a team with an established order. Demichelis asked that Borja, with whom he was talking in the technical area, take charge of the shot, but there was no one to get the ball to Barco. The skit must have represented a mental burden for Barco, which threw him into the clouds. He didn’t even have the excuse for how deteriorated the prison area was, which prevented him from asserting himself at the moment of impact.

Tesuri crosses the path of Enzo DíazTelam

Demichelis’s gesture showed that the devil had taken him, he was experiencing his first big League Cup tantrum. The case was nothing more than a disavowal of his order. In case there was any doubt about the situation, Barco was replaced at halftime. A new opportunity for the Mastantuono kid. Then came Demichelis’ word about the specific case: “Anyone can miss a penalty. I considered that Esequiel was not emotionally 100 percent to continue in the second half. There are always a couple of designated players and the players decide according to their feelings. When Barco missed the first one, I asked Borja to kick, but hey, we saw what happened. Esequiel is a good boy, He apologized, he is not egocentric, nor someone who thinks only of him. He helped us a lot in other games and today he wanted to score for the first time in the tournament. You learn from everything and surely what today will serve as a lot of experience for you.”

Atlético remained as impetuous as it was unfocused against Armani: Estigarribia wasted a chance almost in the six-yard box. The adversities for River continued in the second half: Borja, in a turn, felt muscle discomfort. He was replaced by Ruberto. An alarm 10 days before the superclásico at the Monumental. “Miguel knows his body, he asked for the change, we have to wait for the medical diagnosis,” said Demichelis.

The posts drowned out Pereyra and Mastantuono’s goal shouts. Ruberto was also close. River had flashes, without managing the development. Atlético felt the wear and tear, they had invested a lot of energy in search of the goal. River didn’t have the formula either.

Claudio Mauri

Themes

River PlateAtletico TucumanLeague Cup 2024Martin DemichelisEsequiel ShipMiguel BorjaWorld River

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The only thing missing was the goal. River and Atlético Tucumán had everything to convert, but both failed in the definition and settled for the tie