Estudiantes and Velez Sarsfield: Argentina’s new big dogs – Apertura 2010 Review

Boca Juniors? River Plate? Forget them. Making his debut for Just Football, Dan Colasimone is hear to explain who the big boys in Argentina really are.

Estudiantes de La Plata is a small club. So is Vélez Sarsfield. At least, they are according to Argentinian footballing folklore. Most fans of any of Argentina’s five Grandes (Boca, River, San Lorenzo, Independiente, Racing) will tell you it is most assuredly so. It is among the most common of insults hurled at both teams from the terraces by rival supporters. “Equipo chico!” Small team.

Anyone who watched the recently concluded Apertura season from a completely objective point of view – one not weighed down by historical preconceptions – would find it impossible to agree with this notion. Such an impartial observer could only conclude that, as it stands, there are two ‘big’ teams in Argentina and the rest trail far behind.

Estudiantes claimed their fifth Primera title by securing victory in the final round of matches against third-placed Arsenal de Sarandi. Vélez, despite a convincing win over Racing, crossed the line second, having pushed the La Plata team all the way to the post.

Many predicted at the start of the season that those two would sit atop the table come December. The Argentinian league is wildly unpredictable. The fact that there have been eight distinct champions in the past eight seasons is striking proof of that. But this time around there were no surprises.

Arsenal finished a whopping 11 points behind Vélez in the final standings. That is a huge margin over a 19-game season. But it is not just the fact that Vélez and Estudiantes ran away with the title race that distinguishes them from the chasing pack.

Both teams carried themselves with the poise one associates with powerful clubs. They retained the backbone of their respective squads coming into this campaign. If they did sell players, able replacements were recruited. The importance of such continuity in Argentinian football cannot be overstated. The calm surrounding each of them ensured that coaches Ricardo Gareca (Vélez) and Alejandro Sabella (Estudiantes) were not worried about getting the sack, unlike almost every other manager in the league. Such solidity is what wins championships.

The grandest Grandes of them all, Boca and River, have been a rabble in comparison. After threatening to quit after almost every single loss, Boca’s coach Claudio Borghi finally did the honours after his team’s loss in the Superclásico in Round 14. River’s Ángel Cappa had already been given the boot the week before. Despite the fact that River finished well to end up in fourth place, both will be under serious threat of relegation in coming seasons unless they can start putting together consistent campaigns.

Doing it with style

The most impressive thing about Vélez and Estudiantes, however, is the fact they have both maintained attractive, effective and distinctive styles of play throughout the tournament. This has been carried through from previous seasons and is no doubt a by-product of the stability mentioned above. At the same time, both Gareca and Sabella deserve a great deal of credit for encouraging a discernable character in their teams.

Vélez were the most entertaining team to watch in the Apertura. The attacking trident of Maxi Moralez, Juan Manuel Martinez and Santiago Silva is by far the most thrilling offensive combination in local football. The miniscule Moralez is a typical Argentinian enganche. He is dynamic, creative, has a wicked free kick and is very quick to boot.

J.M. Martinez was the revelation of the tournament. Playing as a second striker or wing-forward he caused havoc for opposing defences with his intelligent angled runs and lethal finishing. His ultimately fruitless goal in the final game of the season when he picked up the ball in his own half and ghosted past numerous Racing players to score from the edge of the box was perhaps the goal of the season. The Uruguayan Silva is a beast of a number 9. He runs and sweats and snarls like a wild boar. He scares the hell out of defenders and he finished as the Apertura’s top scorer with 11 strikes.

A hardworking, unyielding midfield and backline provided a sturdiness which opposing teams found difficult to break down. But Vélez were all about the front three. Between them they scored 25 of the team’s 33 goals.

Estudiantes, in sharp contrast, played an almost strikerless system for most of the campaign.

“We won the Apertura without forwards. That ought to be historic,” were Sabella’s thoughts moments after the match against Arsenal. That may be true, but having the best midfield in South America more than makes up for a lack of traditional strikers.

At the heart of things were the indomitable duo of Juan Sebastián Verón and Rodrigo Braña. It is safe to assume that Verón needs no introduction. At Estudiantes, Braña is very much his doppelganger. Tough tackling, clever and creative, he and Verón make a formidable engine room that on its day can outclass every other midfield in the league without breaking a sweat.

The likes of Enzo Pérez (another revelation), Leandro Benítez, Juan Pablo Pereyra and Michael Hoyos provided Estudiantes’ dynamism and could all lay claim to being equally as influential as the two centre midfielders in a season where injuries and suspensions forced Sabella to be constantly shifting and changing his lineup. Gastón “La Gata” Fernández is a sparkling attacking player who was the team’s nominal centre-forward, especially in the second part of the season. He wore the number 10 on his back, however, and could more often be found dropping deep to provide a creative hub as midfielders surged forward. In all, 15 different goal scorers contributed to the team’s overall tally of 32 goals.

The Estudiantes defence was also amongst the best in the league. Snarling veteran Leandro Desábato and young up-and-comer Federico Fernández were an at-times-impregnable wall in front of goalkeeper Agustín Orión, who only conceded eight goals in 19 matches.

It would be remiss not to mention, however briefly, the fine achievements of the ever-unpopular Arsenal, provincial upstarts Godoy Cruz and resurgent Racing Club who finished third, fifth and sixth respectively. Each club has its own engaging story that deserves much more space than can be afforded here.

In the end it was an enthralling Apertura which was in the balance right up until Hernán Rodrigo López headed home Estudiantes’ second goal against Arsenal with three minutes to play to seal victory for his side.

To wheel out an old cliché, both Estudiantes and Vélez deserved to win the title. But Estudiantes probably deserved it a smidgen more in a season where they defeated all five of the Grandes and had to cope with numerous injuries to key players.

The coming Clausura will give more of an insight as to whether River, Boca and the rest of the traditional powers can re-emerge as clubs who can match their hefty reputations with performances on the pitch.

As it stands now, there may be five untouchable Grandes in Argentinian football, but there are only two big teams.

Dan Colasimone is an Argentinian football expert and new contributor to Just Football. He can be found over at Argentina Football World. For more, be sure to check out their Apertura end of season awards.

Argentina, Argentinian Football, Estudiantes, Football in Latin America, Juan Sebastien Veron, Velez Sarsfield