Snak

River: se recuperó Balanta

BUENOS AIRES -- El colombiano Eder Álvarez Balanta se perfila para reaparecer en River ante Liga de Loja, este jueves, por la revancha de octavos de la Copa Sudamericana.

El plantel millonario se entrenó este martes en el Monumental, pero los titulares en el triunfo ante All Boys sólo realizaron tareas regenerativas. Mientras que los demás jugadores hicieron fútbol en espacios reducidos.

Ramón Díaz ya cuenta con Eder Álvarez Balanta, recuperado de la distensión en el aductor, pero habrá que esperar a la práctica con pelota en la que el entrenador comience a delinear el equipo para saber si el colombiano volverá a estar en el 11 inicial.

Balanta podría ingresar por la suspensión de Jonatan Maidana, aunque es una incógnita quien será su acompañante en la zaga.

En la delantera, Teo Gutiérrez sería titular, probablemente junto a uno de los juveniles Andrada o Simeone.

Por otra parte, según confirmó el DT en conferencia de prensa, aún se aguardan por los resultados de los estudios a Rodrigo Mora.

Molina: "Cogorno fue un error mío"

BUENOS AIRES -- El vicepresidente primero de Racing, Rodolfo Molina, aseguró el martes que "de ninguna manera" va a renunciar, tal como le propuso el presidente Gastón Cogorno, a cambio de llamar a elecciones anticipadas.

"Que Cogorno haga lo que quiera. Cogorno fue un profundo error mío como dirigente", dijo Molina al haberlo promocionado a la dirigencia. De esta forma, la interna continúa ya que Cogorno puso a disposición su renuncia siempre y cuando los dos vices también dimitan.

Por otra parte, el vicepresidente de Racing, Rodolfo Molina, dio apoyo al entrenador Carlos Ischia y al plantel para salir del último lugar de la tabla y reconoció haberle sugerido al presidente Gastón Cogorno que renuncie por el bien del club.

"Voy a poner toda mi energía para sacar a Racing de este momento", dijo Molina, por un canal deportivo en claro que no va a renunciar, como le pidió Cogorno.

"El problema de Racing hoy no es la pelea política. Hoy tenemos que trabajar para que Racing salga de esta crisis futbolística. Racing está último con dos puntos. Si seguimos así, vamos a seguir el camino de otros clubes grandes como Independiente o River, que no vieron el problema a tiempo", advirtió.

"Si hay elecciones nos vamos a la B"

BUENOS AIRES -- El padre Juan Arias, que integró la comisión directiva racinguista entre 2008 y fines del mes pasado, calificó hoy de "locura total" que se llame a elecciones anticipadas en el club de Avellaneda, "porque entonces el equipo terminará en la B".

"Adelantar las elecciones en Racing en este momento es una locura total, porque si eso pasa el equipo se va a la B", advirtió Arias en una entrevista.

"Si se anticipan las elecciones ahora, habrá tres meses de desgobierno en los que no se podrá actuar en nada. Eso recién podría hacerse para junio del año que viene, cuando solamente queden seis meses para que termine el mandato de Gastón Cogorno", evaluó.

Arias sostuvo que la solución para este grave momento institucional del club de Avellaneda "es que siga Cogormo o en su defecto Rodolfo Molina, pero que el proceso democrático llegue a su fin".

"Es que acá, más allá de algunos adherentes que tiene uno u otro, el 80 por ciento de la directiva no quiere saber nada con esta pelea y es equidistante de ambos", refirió.

"Lo que ocurrió en el club para dividir definitivamente las aguas fue la muerte de Nicolás Pacheco en la sede de Villa del Parque. Fue un punto de quiebre. Un antes y un después para la institución", puntualizó.

Arias apreció que Cogorno "fue el que trajo a a Roberto Ayala y echó a Luis Zubeldía. Así fueron las cosas", sintetizó.

Ganske fede videoer.

Min favorit for tiden er dog stadigvæk :

http://www.youtube.com/w…VQ9sU74RlaI

Ganske fede videoer.

Min favorit for tiden er dog stadigvæk :

http://www.youtube.com/w…VQ9sU74RlaI

Den er sgu heller ikke så tosset den der...og så har Racing vil også den fedeste sponsor " Dueño de una Pasion" - Owner of a Pasion - så siges det ikke bedre....

http://img545.imageshack…ero2013.jpg

Alfredo Di Stefano: South America´s greatest

Posted by Tim Vickery

There is one question that a writer on South American football can never escape: Who was better, Pele or Diego Maradona?

It is not a debate I usually enjoy. The two were obviously extraordinarily gifted players, who gave pleasure to millions and who belong to all humanity. Points can be made in favour of both, without any need for the tone to become adversarial. But all too often the discussion degenerates into an infantile nationalist slanging match. To avoid being involved, I have come out with a defence strategy. Question: Who is the greatest of all time, Pele or Maradona? Answer: Alfredo Di Stefano.

Certainly it is hard to think of any player who proved more influential than Di Stefano. One of the last products of the golden age of Argentine football in the 1940s, he played a major role in getting the professional game in Colombia off the ground -- and then, 60 years ago, he embarked on a process that would transform the global game, and maybe even the political history of Europe.

It was on September 23, 1953, that Di Stefano played his first game for Real Madrid, a friendly against Nancy of France. Real lost 4-2. Long-term, though, they were the big winners.

A couple of years later, the European Cup was launched. We know it now as the Champions League, the foremost competition in the world, where reputations are made and where, according to the players, the standard of the game is highest. It is an unqualified success.

But that was not an inevitable outcome. Back in 1955, when the thing got under way, it was a high-risk endeavour. It was only a decade since Europe had been at war. The process of reconstruction was not yet complete. England, for example, still had not completely eliminated rationing. Feelings of enmity and mistrust abounded. The English FA did not allow Chelsea to compete in the inaugural version.

By 1960, when Real won their fifth consecutive European Cup with a famous 7-3 thrashing of Eintracht Frankfurt, it was a different story. The competition was already intrinsically linked with glamour and excitement -- much of that was down to Real, and in turn, much of that was down to Di Stefano.

He was the conductor of the orchestra, the hub of everything the team sought to do. Bobby Charlton, then a young Manchester United reserve, will never forget the experience of watching Di Stefano from the stands in the 1957 semi-finals. "I thought ´Who is this man?´ as he made his early impact on the game. ´He takes the ball from the goalkeeper; he tells the full-backs what to do; wherever he is on the field he is in a position to take the ball; you can see his influence on everything that is happening.´ It was pure revelation. Everything seemed to radiate from him. I had never seen such a complete footballer. It was as though he had set up his own command centre at the heart of the game. He was as strong as he was subtle. The combination of qualities was mesmerising."

All around the continent football fans were going through the same epiphany. Everyone wanted to see Real Madrid. Everyone wanted to be Real Madrid. One of the first changes Don Revie made when he took over as manager of Leeds United was to change the club colours to all white, in honour of Di Stefano and his supporting cast. The quality of the spectacle they provided helped cement the European Cup as the pinnacle of the continent´s club game -- it even jolted South America into starting an equivalent, the Copa Libertadores, so that its champion could go toe-to-toe with Europe´s. The first winners of the new World Club trophy? Di Stefano´s Real Madrid.

Europe was changed forever. Some would even argue that the style and success of Real improved the image of Spain on the world stage -- the country was ruled at the time by the fascist dictator Francisco Franco -- and hastened the process by which the country became a mass tourist destination and went on to be reintegrated as a democracy into Western Europe.

Others might say that this would be taking things too far. But the mere existence of the debate is testimony to the footballing genius of Alfredo Di Stefano, and his remarkable journey. After making his mark in his native Argentina and in Colombia, it was 60 years ago that he kicked off the most celebrated phase of a magnificent career.

America continues domination of Liga MX

Two superb goals. A mastery that cannot be denied. An abundance of commitment and spirit from its players. America continues to dominate the Liga MX, even with two games still to play.

They overwhelmed Jaguares in every area, and the 3-1 end score does not reflect their superiority on the field.

Sambueza´s and Layún’s goals even added spectacle to the result against an opponent like Chiapas, who arrived demanding respect and attention and also brought an atmosphere of intrigue because of the verbal face-offs between the coaches.

Did the downpour on the Azteca Stadium make a difference? Undoubtedly. But let´s not forget that those who are more used to this sort of inclement weather are the Chiapas players themselves.

In the end, the effects of the rain were felt by both teams, but it was clear that America was able to more astutely manage the situation in the handling of the ball on the field.

And it´s important to remember that Jaguares is a hard-working team, made up of players with years of experience in Mexican soccer, who have a clear idea of what it means to face America and who are familiar with the challenges of the rain, so we should be careful not to take away from the Aguilas’ achievement.

First of all, Miguel Herrera should get credit for having been able to inoculate his players against the recurring epidemic of "Championitis."

The team is still as hungry as ever. He took over and seamlessly coped with the issues resulting from the change of setting.

It´s easy on paper, but very complicated in practice, to the degree that only Hugo Sanchez with Pumas has managed to win a double championship in the era of the short tournaments.

America understood that in becoming champions, everything had changed, but it also understood that nothing had changed.

That is, everything had changed in terms of ending that unbearable run of not winning the title, but it was also understood that nothing had changed in regard to its responsibilities and commitments.

However, this does not mean that with this step the Aguilas have the double championship in the bag.

The trickiest examination and the pitfalls of the competition are yet to come, as are the playoffs themselves, and to qualify for them, by cold calculation and based on past history, they only need one more win to lock down a place among the eight chosen teams, as historically 25 points will ensure a place at the Big Party.

With that will come other calamities and curses, such as the one that affects teams who are far ahead of the rest, and even the coach’s unease at seeing how players become complacent when they know they have qualified so early.

However, up to now, Miguel Herrera has shown that he knows how to manage the cursed, pernicious baggage of title-holding teams. We´ll see if this continues in the future.

For the moment, the nickname of Yellow Steamroller, which is seen as a problem by some and a source of anxiety for others, seems to fit America perfectly, and it awaits the payback which teams that play well, such as Leon and Morelia, aim to give them. Santos itself must confirm that its win was an undeniable achievement and not just an accident.

Assessing Chivas´ relegation chances

"To be the number one football club at world level in terms of titles, most fans, quality of youth system, commercial programs and sporting installations," reads the "vision" of Club Deportivo Guadalajara on its own website.

"Maintaining the leadership as Mexico´s best football team," is a part of the club´s "mission", also spelled out on the outfit´s website.

It all sounds good on paper, but over recent months, such proclamations of grandeur seem wildly inappropriate and out of place when considered alongside one snowballing fact: The specter of a relegation battle is encircling the club. Players like Rafa Marquez Lugo and even sporting president Dennis te Kloese have admitted as much.

Just like most soccer fans in North America don´t really believe Mexico won´t qualify for the World Cup in Brazil next year, placing Chivas and relegation in the same sentence just doesn´t seem right.

Nevertheless, despite it taking a consistently poor side to near relegation in Mexico -- with only one club dropping down each year based on average points per game over six seasons (three years) -- Chivas are in the battle.

At present, Atlante props up the relegation table on 74 points, followed by Atlas on 83, Chiapas on 84, Puebla on 85 and Chivas on 91. The other factor that needs to be mentioned is that recently-promoted Veracruz could easily fall with the volatility in the average of any new team, as could the next team to be promoted from the Ascenso MX.

The reality is that with 23 rounds of regular season games left before a team gets relegated from the Liga MX, Guadalajara would have to get even worse than it is at present and see Atlas, Puebla and Chiapas all do reasonably well to slip into last position. Atlante has a massive deficit to recoup if it is to leapfrog Chivas.

It is unlikely, but these things have happened before.

Chivas´ real problem comes the season after, in May 2015, when the following relegation battle will be decided. It is then that the 11-time Mexican champion seems likely to be in the dog-fight and it is for one simple reason: The 30 points Chivas obtained in the Apertura 2011 will be wiped off the slate.

Things can change quickly with a few good results and Chivas may improve next season, but, if you take away the Apertura 2011 and Clausura 2012 tournament for all the teams involved in the race against relegation, Chivas are now two points behind Chiapas, five behind Atlas, two in front of Puebla and seven ahead of Atlante, with one game in hand on all of them.

It is that statistic that really puts into perspective how and why Chivas need to improve quickly. Two poor seasons and one average one for Chivas from now until May 2015 and we could witness the Rebano Sagrado fall into the second division. It´s as simple as that and, with that in mind, it´s no wonder Jorge Vergara seems to be making almost daily visits to the training ground these days to keep a close eye on his team and try to resuscitate it into life.

The comparison with River Plate´s sorry decline into Argentina´s second division is obvious, the difference being that in Mexico´s play-off system it would be much more difficult for Chivas to return.

Notes

- In the wake of the freak weather conditions that have caused over 100 deaths and thousands of people to lose their homes in Mexico, Chivas have asked fans to bring non-perishable items to the Estadio Omnilife in exchange for a ticket to the vital Copa MX game against Leon on Wednesday.

- If Chivas lose against Leon, they may very well exit the Copa MX, all but ending their Apertura season with just less than three months to go, with a miracle now required for the club to reach the Liga MX play-offs. A win against what will likely be Leon´s ´B´ team will mean Chivas go through. Any other result and Chivas will be dependent on how Atlas and Pumas go on in their games and hope to get the best runner-up spot.

El clásico dejó diezmado a Estudiantes

LA PLATA -- El clásico platense le dejó numerosos problemas al entrenador de Estudiantes, Mauricio Pellegrino, ya que más allá del resultado y la actuación del equipo que no fue la mejor, el mayor inconveniente está centrado en las bajas que tendrá para los próximos compromisos, entre ellas la de su capitán y figura, Juan Sebastián Verón.

A la baja de Verón por lesión, se suma Israel Damonte, expulsado, Patricio Rodríguez y Joaquín Correa, también con dolencias.

La Brujita será sometido a estudios en las próximas horas, pero el primer diagnóstico habla de una distensión del ligamento lateral interno de la rodilla derecha grado uno, que le demandaría una recuperación de entre dos y tres semanas.

El capitán del pincharrata trabajó en la mañana del martes en kinesiología y en tareas de gimnasio.

Patricio Rodríguez, por su parte, realizó trotes junto a uno de los kinesiólogos, pero volvió a sentir molestias en la zona abdominal y no pudo darle intensidad a los movimientos.

El Patito sufrió un traumatismo en el tórax sin lesiones en los órganos internos. Su evolución seguirá en observación, pero su presencia el viernes ante Vélez Sarsfield es muy difícil.

En cuanto al tucumano Joaquín Correa sufrió un fuerte traumatismo en el empeine del pie derecho y aún no pudo entrenar en los primeros días de la presente semana.

La zona tiene un hematoma y la lesión se la provocó Facundo Pereyra a los 5 minutos del primer minuto y que lo obligó a salir en el entretiempo. Su presencia el viernes está casi descartada.

El dato positivo para Pellegrino es que el delantero Franco Jara tiene el alta médica, luego de la distensión ligamentaria de la rodilla que sufrió ante Lanús, y ya se entrena con normalidad.

El técnico reconoció su falta de ritmo, pero no sería de extrañar que ocupe al menos un lugar en el banco de relevos.

El plantel se volverá a entrenar el miércoles desde las 10 y ahí Pellegrino decidirá una práctica de fútbol, dónde pondrá los probables 11 para enfrentar al conjunto de Ricardo Gareca el viernes desde las 20.20, en cancha de Quilmes.

Belgrano: se desgarró Olave

CÓRDOBA -- El arquero de Belgrano, Juan Carlos Olave, se retiró en la mañana del martes con un fuerte dolor de la práctica que el equipo cordobés realizó en el predio del club en el barrio VIlla Esquiú y según los primeros análisis tiene un desgarro en en el gemelo derecho.

"Clínicamente no tenemos duda de que Olave tiene un desgarro en el gemelo derecho", sostuvo el médico celeste, José María Luna en el programa El Tiro libre de radio Sucesos.

La recuperación podrían demandarle hasta un parate de cuatro semanas, según indicó el facultativo.

De esta manera, el "1" se quedaría afuera del partido con Racing y se produciría el debut de Sebastián Blázquez, quien llegó esta temporada al club y se desempeña en la Reserva.

Olave había presentado algunas dolencias la semana pasada, en la previa del partido con Olimpo, y trabajó de forma diferenciada, pero jugó el partido el sábado que empató la B.

Además, en el choque contra los bahienses, el guardavallas mostró síntomas de dolor.

Belgrano se prepara para recibir el domingo, a las 16 a Racing Club en el estadio Mario Kempes.

Además de la casi segura inclusión de Blázquez por el lesionado Olave, el DT de la B, Ricardo Zielinski, debe reemplazar al expulsado Pier Barrios y Renzo Saravia es el candidato a ocupar su lugar.

Además, el entrenador probará esta semana a Sebastián Carrera, quien se recupera de una lesión. El jueves, por la tarde, será en ensayo táctico.