Boca Junior’s issues with Roman Riquelme
After Argentina’s disappointing exit from 2010 FIFA World Cup at the hands of the Germans in the quarter finals, the supporters in Argentina will have their attention towards the upcoming Apertura Tournament, which is to start on the first weekend of August.
Argentina’s most famous club, Club Atletico Boca Juniors will be the obvious favourites of winning. Juniors however had a humiliating 16th place finish in Clausura last season, and conceded more goals than any other Argentinean club
In order to return to Argentina’s version of the Champions League, locally known as Copa Libertadores, the directors of the club signed the former Argentinos Juniors manager, Claudio Borghi, who led his side to an unprecedented Clausura title.
Argentinos left back Matias Caruzzo will also be joining Boca Juniors, in a hope to strengthen their disappointing back line. Christian Cellay and Juan Manuel Insaurralde also signed for the Argentinean heavy weights.
The goal keeping department has also been a consistent issue; leading Banfield goalkeeper Cristian Lucchetti signing for the Juniors, who is an extremely good performer will come as a relief to the club.
Martin Palermo was convinced to stay with the club for one final season, and the striker is considered to be a legend in Argentina. The player’s re-appointment would give the club a feeling of greatness going into the new season.
Everything looks fine apart from their key player Juan Roman Riquelme’s persistent injury woes, and he will be the missing piece from the puzzle. The inscrutable No.10 player is currently on the recovery road from his injury, but has had persistent issues with the club’s president as well as the board of directors.
The play maker has made it clear that he wants to end his career with the Junior’s but may well have to re-consider the plan owing to the dirty politics at the club. Politics has been a major of Argentinean football, and has been the major reason of its major players moving away from their local league
If the Juniors have a fit and in form Roman Riquelme in the starting line-up, they are without a doubt the favourites for the Apertura. Their defensive weaknesses have been taken care of, and therefore are a strong side.
Without the No.10 player, there is potentially no synergy between the midfield and attack, making him the most important player of the team. Riquelme is one of the most talented players Argentina has produced, and even though he has issues with his temper and ego, his undeniable talent makes him a fan favourite.
The new Coach Claudio Borghi is aware of Riquelme’s unavailability but lacks any “Plan B”. The coach will want to re think his tactics with his key midfielder. Borghi cannot rely on the 36 year old Palmero, who is not the same player owing to his age. Palmero went a disappointing 741 minutes with just one goal last season, and therefore would not be reliable.
Riquelme was seen as the person feeding the ball to Palmero, who then finished it off using his strong right foot. Palmero’s record breaking goal against Arsenal last year was Riquelme’s making, and therefore without the talisman, Palmero is handicapped.
There are replacements for the former Barcelona man. The newly signed Damian Escudero may well be given a chance to prove his worth till Riquelme recovers. The 32 year old has stated that he will not play for any other Argentinean club, linking for a move to Europe. He was unhappy in his European campaign with Barcelona and Villareal.
The only move left for the Boca man will be to join a top Brazilian club that are reportedly interested in the midfielder. Whatever may well be the case, Riquelme is unsettled at his current club, and something can be expected soon. The player wants to stay put with Boca and end his career with his boyhood club. The question however remains whether the board of directors of the Argentinean club will do the same.
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