Snak

The Rise of Atlético Mineiro – Copa Libertadores winners 2013?

Atlético Mineiro have been the best team in the 2013 Copa Libertadores so far, winning tough games in Argentina against fellow Brazilian team São Paulo as well as in the altitude of La Paz.

But their success is not an accident and did not start this year. In fact, they won the state league and finished in second place in the Brasileirão last year, paving the way for their recent results in Libertadores.

President

The revolution started when Alexandre Kalil assumed the presidency in 2008. Kalil used his first term as the club’s boss to organise the finances, despite the club’s huge debts.

The Minas Gerais-born businessman is famous for posting new signings and important announcements on his Twitter page, making him a very modern president in that regard.

Squad

It did not take long before better players became more attracted by a move to Galo, such as high rated defender Réver, who shone for Grêmio but failed to adapt to German football.

Other quality players joined Atlético Mineiro, such as Victor, one of Brazil’s best goalkeepers, and striker Jô, who struggled at Internacional and during spells at Manchester City and Everton, but fitted perfectly into Atlético Mineiro’s system.

The main signing however was Ronaldinho Gaúcho, who came in 2012 after a poor spell at Flamengo. He quickly lived up to the hype and became one of the team’s leaders, becoming a key player in Atlético Mineiro’s successful campaign the Brasileirão. He also managed to stay away from some of the off the field problems he had at Flamengo.

Diego Tardelli was the last big name to join the team, arriving shortly before Libertadores. He had previously played for Atlético Mineiro but then moved to Russia and the Middle East. His versatility is useful as he can play as both a striker and in the wing.

Bernard, the team’s other main star, however, was not signed from any team, and came instead from Atlético Mineiro’s famous youth academy.

The 20-year old winger is very complete, having great technique and speed, and being capable of both creating chances for his teammates as well as finishing chances himself. He has already been linked to foreign football, but Atlético Mineiro decided to keep him for the Copa Libertadores.

The squad also includes other good players like centreback Leonardo Silva, right-back Marcos Rocha and defensive midfielder Pierre.

Former Wolfsburg defensive midfielder Josué also joined the team and is expected to play in the knockout rounds of the Copa Libertadores. His experience can be useful as he was part of the São Paulo team that won the competition, as well as the Club World Cup, in 2005.

Manager and team’s style

The team are coached by Cuca. He was also the manager of Atlético Mineiro’s arch-rivals Cruzeiro when they shone in Copa Libertadores 2011. His team were compared to Barcelona, but failed to live up to the hype and were eliminated in the knockout stage.

Cuca employs a very efficient system, featuring a strong defence and fast attacking players. Réver and Leonardo Silva are a very solid centre back pairing, and are well-protected by defensive midfielder Pierre.

Bernard’s pace and youth complements Ronaldinho’s vision and experience well, while Diego Tardelli’s speed and skills offers great help from the wing and Jô fitted in well as the target man, scoring more goals than he did for previous club.

The team showed their power in Libertadores 2013, crushing Arsenal de Sarandí 5-2 in Argentina and beating title contenders São Paulo 2-1.

Expectations

It remains to be seen how far the team can go, but with this amount of talent and experience, and the addition of more depth with the signing of Josué, Atlético Mineiro are in great position to be contenders for this year’s Libertadores title.

But no matter what happens, the future looks bright for Atlético, and their fans have the right to expect them to win a major title in the near future.

snuppet fra just football

Generation Next, a new regular feature focusing strictly on youth football and talents, is part of that.

So it was with great interest that we followed a relatively new competition, the Al Kass International Cup.

The Al Kass International Cup is an annual international youth tournament held in Doha, Qatar. Together with Aspire Zone Foundation (Aspire) and the Qatar Football Association (QFA), the Al Kass International Cup is a competition that brings Under-18s teams from around Europe and the world together for a two-week long competition to discover ‘the stars of tomorrow’, as their website puts it.

Last year saw the competition’s inaugural edition, which, as the official site claims, is “an annual event that will contribute to building on the foundations of a proud footballing nation up to the World Cup 2022 and beyond.”

With our fingers always on the pulse we kept an eye on the tournament – then for under-17s only – and presented to you a scouting report on the best players to feature.

With the dust now settled on this year’s competition and Brazilian champions Fluminense the Al Kass 2013 champions of a 12-team field that included Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Internazionale and Liverpool, here’s our scouting report for this year focusing on the 10 best young footballers to have featured in 2013:

Kingsley Coman
(Attacking midfielder/forward, Paris Saint-Germain)

The player of the tournament for me; a wonderfully dynamic number 10 who has all the natural ability to go very far.

With his slight frame and trademark beads hanging off a braided ponytail, Coman is a 16-year-old attacking midfielder who played ‘in the hole’ for PSG at Al Kass and lit up the tournament, marrying his wide array of skills, shimmies, twists and turns with a tremendous cutting edge and penetrative streak that caused defenders nightmares.

He is quick, has a good shot and can beat a man with ease. A shy but intelligent boy, since starring in Qatar Coman’s career has catapulted rapidly. Just two weeks after the tournament ended he became the youngest player to ever play for PSG’s first team, coming off the bench in a 3-2 defeat to Sochaux. Remember the name.

Jordon Ibe
(Winger, Liverpool)

Jordon Ibe had an advantage over his peers at Al Kass in that he’s already tasted senior professional football for Wycombe Wanderers, making his debut there at just 15 years of age before signing for Liverpool. As he grows and develops, it’s becoming easy to see why he was fast-tracked so quickly.

Captain of Liverpool at Al Kass, Ibe was one of the tournament’s best players. Deployed as a right winger Ibe’s pacy, direct runs were a highlight of the Reds’ play.

A willing dribbler always keen to take his man on, Ibe said in an interview with Just Football that his preferred position is a number 10, but at Al Kass his clear strong point was in isolating a full back and then outwitting him either for pace or skill in a one-on-one situation.

A level-headed and nice lad, every manager I spoke to at the competition named him amongst their favourite players at Al Kass. He could well follow Raheem Sterling‘s path into the first team at Anfield very soon.

Robert Kennedy Nunes
(Winger/Forward, Fluminense)

Commanding, fearless, at times majestic; there were at least some similarities between the Fluminense winger at Al Kass and the former US senator of the same name. 16-year-old Robert Nunes, known by his nickname Kenedy, put in some breathtaking performances in Qatar, helping O Tricolor go all the way to the final and usurp PSG as champions, scoring the third penalty of the final shootout.

Another inventive, crafty winger with ability to play on either flank or centrally, Kenedy occupied either the left or ride hand side for Flu in Qatar, swapping flanks whenever necessary.

A wonderful dribbler boasting a frighteningly powerful left foot, Kenedy scored two goals and provided several assists, using his Neymar-esque technique and speed to beat opponents comfortably and unbalance defences. Kenedy has already represented Brazil at Under-17 level but, just for good measure, is also eligible for the USA.

Ivan Leonardo Colman
(Central Midfielder, Boca Juniors)

Named the official MVP of the Tournament, if you suspended the senses long enough to let your imagination run away with you, looking past your surroundings and the faint breeze of a cool Doha night, you could be forgiven for thinking that, there in front of you, was a young Juan Roman Riquelme.

Colman Ivan Leonardo was a joy to behold in Qatar. Wearing the number 8 shirt, Colman’s feather touch, grace and elegance on the ball brought panache and style to the competition – so polished was he in possession that at times one expected the Boca youngster to take to the field in a tuxedo, a waiter bringing on dry martinis at every interval (virgin, naturally).

Small and slight yet strong, comfortable on the ball and boasting a powerful shot, the 17-year-old’s awareness and choice of pass is outstanding. His ‘Panenka’ penalty in the semi final against PSG, meanwhile, was Pirlo-esque in its sheer impudent brilliance. A tournament highlight. According to Boca coach Jose Malleo he could be gracing the first team at La Bombonera very soon.

Jordan Rossiter
(Midfielder, Liverpool)

Liverpool became the first English team to play at the Al Kass International Cup this year, and it appears a conscious decision was made to mix up the age and experience of the squad taken to Qatar. Jordan Rossiter was an example of this, a baby at just 15 but on the pitch a shining illustration of Liverpool’s current abundance of talent at academy level.

A deep-lying playmaker who sat in front of Liverpool’s defence and distributed the ball with wonderful simplicity, Rossiter’s understandably very slight frame belied a natural footballing ability that was enchanting to watch.

Always alert, his head swivelling in all directions weighing up the next move before receiving possession, Rossiter formed a fine midfield partnership alongside Daniel Trickett-Smith and Cameron Brannagan in Qatar.

Behind the scenes there are high hopes for Rossiter at Anfield, who has captained England at Under-16 level and has a football brain beyond his years.

Mike Maignan
(Goalkeeper, Paris Saint-Germain)

Returning to the tournament for a second time after helping his team lift the trophy in 2012, PSG’s towering goalkeeper Mike Maignan had a fantastic two weeks at Al Kass, with a string of confident, assured goalkeeping performances.

Maignan’s zenith came when he saved three penalties in the semi-final shootout against Boca Juniors and scored the winning penalty, but his work throughout the competition was stellar; his handling dependable and a number of saves excellent.

Francisco Di Franco
(Right winger/forward, Boca Juniors)

At Boca since the age of nine, Francisco Di Franco is a player the Argentinian club expect much from and at Al Kass he offered dazzling glimpses of exactly why. Recently turned 18, Di Franco hit two goals during the competition operating from the right attacking prong of a 4-2-3-1 formation and was fundamental to Boca’s creativity and positive build-up play.

Nominally a forward who confesses to mould his game on his idol Carlos Tevez, Di Franco can play across the front three, using his pace, acceleration and trickery to bamboozle. Always a handful, he was key to Boca’s 3rd place finish.

Presnel Kimpembe
(Defender, Paris Saint-Germain)

Another gem in PSG’s academy ranks, Presnel Kimpembe is a tall left-footed left back with very good positioning and impeccable timing in the tackle. An intelligent defender with excellent anticipation, Kimpembe featured down the left hand side for Laurent Bonadei’s side, forming an excellent partnership with left winger Michael Latour.

“Presnel is a very professional guy. Very serious.” PSG under-17 coach Laurent Bonadei told Just Football. “He has a very good left foot, a good sense of anticipation and is an intelligent player. He’s a good member of the group, who has also participated with the Under-19s at the NextGen Series and he has good potential.”

Kimpembe’s margin for development appears extremely high. He has much to work on and improve, but he showed in Qatar with some excellent performances that the raw qualities are already there.

Arian Benjamin Pucheta
(Centre Back, Boca Juniors)

Another promising talent for the Argentinian giants. Arian Benjamin Pucheta was Boca’s captain at Al Kass and a commanding, left-footed centre back with power, good physical presence and excellent reading of the game. Aerially near unbeatable, Pucheta joined Boca as part of ‘Proyecto Barcelona’ – a link up with Barcelona geared towards sourcing talent and sharing ideas.

Technically strong, Pucheta won rave reviews at Al Kass, not least from the coaching staff of opposing teams. “I think has a big future ahead of him,” said PSG under-18 coach Laurent Bonadei.

“Why do I say that? Simply because he already has a very good left foot, a high quality of passing, short and long. He’s a rigorous player with extremely impressive ability in the air.”

“I spoke to our striker Yakou Meite who is the best player we have in the air at our academy and he didn’t manage to win a single aerial duel with him! That says everything. If there’s one player that’s really impressed me it’s him.”

Take Hayate

(Striker, Yokohama Marinos)

As the tournament top scorer it would be unfair not to include Japanese striker Take Hayate in a list of best young footballers at the 2013 Al Kass International Cup, but that isn’t to say he is not there on merit.

A gifted finisher who profited from the imaginative and quick-witted interplay of Yokohama’s interesting midfield, Hayate hit four goals, including two in a 4-1 thrashing of Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr.

An impressive poacher who dropped deep when necessary and involved himself in build-up play, Hayate’s lively running, strength and cool finishing made him one of the competition’s best target men. The 17-year-old also looks to have a good margin for improvement and should prosper at the Japanese port city’s club.

PEÑAROL: ESTOYANOFF NO CONCENTRA
Sin guitarra ni Lolo

El cuerpo técnico de Peñarol anunció que concentran 22 jugadores de cara al clásico ante Nacional, pero no Fabián Estoyanoff, por lo que no habrá sorpresas y su ausencia queda confirmada. Quien vuelve y posiblemente esté en el banco de suplentes es Darío Rodríguez, tras semanas de ausencia por un desgarro.

Peñarol continúa trabajando en doble horario en Los Aromos, donde quedará concentrado este viernes pensando en el clásico que disputará el domingo a las 16:30 en el Estadio Centenario ante Nacional.

Tras la práctica de jueves por la tarde, quedó claro que Fabián Estoyanoff no llegará en condiciones a este juego, por una distensión muscular que sufre desde el pasado choque ante Defensor Sporting, jugado el domingo pasado. De hecho, para evitar sorpresas, el cuerpo técnico determinó que no concentrará.

Con su salida, el entrenador Jorge Da Silva probó variantes, dándole ingreso a Carlos Núñez aunque no en el puesto del Lolo, puesto que a la hora de hacer fútbol ubicó a Marcelo Zalayeta más retrasado en la cancha.

Enrique Bologna estuvo en el arco en el último entrenamiento; en la defensa aparecieron Alejandro González, Carlos Valdez, Damián Macaluso y Baltasar Silva; Matías Aguirregaray, Marcel Novick, Sebastián Cristóforo y Zalayeta; Núñez y Juan Manuel Olivera. También Antonio Pacheco fue probado en lugar de Olivera.

Darío Rodríguez trabajó a la par del grupo, pero por su inactividad, todo indica que estará en el banco de suplentes ante Nacional.

Los 22 jugadores que permanecerán recluidos de cara al clásico son los siguientes:�Bologna, Danilo Lerda, Nicolás Raguso, González, Valdez, Macaluso, Silva, Darío Rodríguez, Walter López, Aguirregaray, Cristóforo, Novick, Miguel Amado, Sebastián Píriz, Ignacio Nicolini, Sebastián Gallegos, Jorge Zambrana, Mauro Fernández, Núñez, Olivera, Pacheco y Zalayeta.

Este viernes se habilitó la venta para la hinchada de Peñarol. Las localidades de Ámsterdam que se vendían en Abitab se agotaron rápidamente y quedan pocas en el Estadio, mientras que se venden también ubicaciones en la América.

Lidt humor for de inviede....


Papal Indiscretions – Evaluating Pope Francis’s BsAs Club Selection

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Elliott

There are some excellent scribes who write about Argentine Soccer. Sam Kelly. Dan Colasimone. Ed Malyon. Most of them live in Buenos Aires, whereas my own tenure there was an all too brief six months (several years ago). However, there’s just one problem: none of the aforementioned writers are pricks.

Thus, as your resident prick (and soccer hipster in waiting) with a basic knowledge of Argentine soccer, allow me to analyze and ultimately applaud Pope Francis’s local club selection of San Lorenzo.

Borges is right that his querido Buenos Aires is a labyrinth. Unlike in Greek mythology, you won’t find a Minotaur if you turn a wrong corner – instead, you’ll stumble into a great Italian restaurant, a cancha de futbol cinco [five-a-side fields], or, most likely, a soccer stadium. From All Boys to Argentinos Jrs., Quilmes to Racing, and Boca to River, first-division clubs litter the city. Imagine New York city with several Yankees and a whole lot of Mets.

Still, not all clubs are created equal.Some are rich. Some are not. Some are successful. Some are not. Regardless, portenos [Buenos Aires natives] care passionately about their teams: and Pope Francis’s club selection promised to stoke flames or earn accolades. Or both. More importantly, his club pick would open a window into his soul and reign as Leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

As a bit of background, South America can be broken down generally into four sections, still largely tied to the era of criollos and viceroys before Simon Bolivar and San Martin whooped some Spanish ass. At the top of the pecking order, you have the elite criollos – fair-skinned folk of Spanish descent. For the non-aristocracy, you then have the respected but rough-around-the-edges gauchos, the Argentine cowboys who dominated the vast and rugged pampa [farmlands]. You also the ubiquitous mestizos – folks of mixed descent, part-indigenous and part-Spanish. Lastly, some folks fled to South America to escape the law - we can never forget the contributions of bandidos.

Thus, using this four-tiered classification scheme – criollo, gaucho, mestizo, and bandido, we look at Buenos Aires four big clubs: River Plate, Boca Jrs., Independiente, and San Lorenzo. We ask and answer – which club falls into which category.

Criollo Club: Pope Leo XI (and River Plate)

Pope Leo XI ruled the Church from 1513 to 1521 and was the last non-priest Pope. Leo and extravagance go hand-in-hand. He was the consummate criollo elitist. He loved big, pretty, shiny things and did what was necessary to buy them. His tenure is marked by the Church’s very successful fundraising strategy of indulgences – just as contemporary stadium’s sell special VIP club sections are a high price, the Church sold a spot in Heaven for the right price.

Thus, Pope Leo XI’s club would definitely be River Plate.

River’s home stadium, El Monumental, is one of the few FIFA-approved estadios in the country and is not far from the Calle Libertadores, one of the main streets plowing through Buenos Aires. The club is located in Belgrano, a pretty posh neighborhood of Buenos Aires. Their original name at the time of founding? Millonarios. Yes, millionaires. The club and Leo XI are a Pope-match made in heaven.

Mestizo Club: Pope John Paul II (and Boca Jrs)

John Paul II – total rock star. In Spanish, his chant Juan Pablo, segundo, te ama todo el mundo [John Paul, the second, the entire world loves you] resonated at appearances and captured the flock’s love for its earthly shepherd. What Argentine club could dare to boast itself as the most popular? Probably Boca Jrs.

The xeneizes have enjoyed trophy-laden spells during the 1960′s, the 1970′s, and most recently in the late 1990′s and early 2000′s with Carlos Bianchi at the helm. In 2006, a study showed that 40% of Argentine soccer fans followed Boca. John Paul may not have had that high an approval with church-going Catholics during his reign, but he was close. He’d definitely don the blue-and-yellow kit if he was still around.

Gaucho Club: Pope Francis (and San Lorenzo)

At this early stage of his Papacy, Francis has taken great pains to show he’s not just in it for the posh Vatican digs. For example, he’s staying in a pair of rooms rather than Pope Benedict’s upscale apartment. He’s washed female prisoners’ feet. Still, his “liberation theology” has rugged some of the conservative segments of the Church the wrong way. The Pope has even ditched the bodyguards and fly bullet-proof rides to be closer to the people.

He’s not snobby enough to wear the red of River. Boca Jrs. is too popular and successful to draw his eye. Thus, it had to be….

San Lorenzo de Almagro. The club has won a respectable 14 national league titles, but forever endeared itself to the Argentine club in the 1960′s with a team known as the carasucias [Dirty Faces]. Why the nickname? Well, the team played a gung-ho brand of football with lots of attacking intent, but very little defense. And they were just as reckless off the pitch, with a few players getting into bloody-faced brawls at select night haunts.

Most importantly, if Pope Francis wants the Church to reorganize while becoming the home of the poor, then San Lorenzo in the 1980′s is the perfect example. Mismanagement forced the club to sell its stadium and even saw the team relegated, but they won promotion in 1982 and haven’t looked back since. Now that’s liberation!

Bandido Club: Pope Urban VI (and Independiente)

Some Popes are just edgier than others. They walk on the wild side. They flirt with danger. Pope Urban VI kinda disregarded the whole “be compassion” teachings of Christ. Instead, during his reign, he played favorites and when he found out about some Cardinal scheming, he ordered the torture and ultimately assassination of his adversaries. That’s right – Pope Urban XI was the Ghostface Killah of the late 1300′s.

His club of choice would be fallen-from-grace Independiente.

Believe it or not, Independiente was once King of the Argentine Hill. The diablos rojos. They still hold the record for most South American championships by an single club, but won most of their crowns in the 1970′s. And today? The fans have attacked their own team’s bus, the head of the barra brava has been shot, and molotov cocktails have been seen flying about. If Pope Urban were alive today, he would smell the blood a mile away like a true shark and want a piece of the action.

In conclusion, did Pope Francis turn a blind eye during the 70′s while the dictatorship murdered fellow Catholic priests? Who knows. The important thing, Pope Innocent or not, is his impeccable taste in Argentine first-division football clubs.

Editor’s note: Racing was not included to spite my friends who are Racing fans. Many consider them one of Buenos Aires’ “Big Five.”

Så er det i aften...











Absolut topkamp i Liga MX:

Club "Millonetas" América vs. UANL "Felinos" Tigres.

I ved, at jeg har øgletendenser, men har bange anelser omkring den her. Omvendt smed Guadalajara (?) i går point for stadig at rode rundt omkring nedrykning, så helt galt kan det ikke gå - América har trods alt heller ikke tabt hjemme endnu.

yup - det gælder om at få så goden seedning så muligt i playoff....

http://msn.mediotiempo.c…_torneo=388


CONCACHAMPIONS Monterrey ser ud til at misse playoff.

bund dreama i Queretaro hvor Gallos Blancos tger i mod "El Gringo Negro" beasley og Puebla - Gallos Blancos skal vinde komfortabelt for at undgå nedrykning.

Det ligger imidlertid på playoff plads som de sagtens kan snuppe selv med et nederlag - Queretaro-klubben kan altså sagtens blive mestre og rykke ned.....:-)
http://msn.mediotiempo.c…_torneo=388


så er der iøvrigt Velez - Racing for natteravnene

Naturligvis også en kæmpe overraskelse, at Monterrey misser den. Må nævnes.

Vélez - Racing vil jeg prøve at nå, men lover intet. Det må trods alt kun betegnes en generalprøve inden i morgen...

ja det bliver vildt imorgen...

Boca - River

Peñarol - Nacional

Colo Colo - Universidad de Chile

hold iøvrigt øje med den kære colombianer.....han er7bliver rigtig god...

Álvarez Balanta sueña "hacer un gol"

BUENOS AIRES -- El defensor colombiano Eder Alvarez Balanta confesó que sueña "con hacer un gol" el domingo en la Bombonera y afirmó que espera "con todas las ganas del mundo" su primer Superclásico con la camiseta de River.

"Desde que llegué a River pensaba en cómo sería jugar un Superclásico y por suerte voy a tener la suerte de vivirlo. Trataré de disfrutarlo al máximo y daré lo mejor de mí para que podamos ganar", comentó Alvarez Balanta, quien viene de anotar un gol en la victoria ante Godoy Cruz y otro en el empate frente a Quilmes.

Estimulado por esos antecedentes, el colombiano le dijo a DyN: "Sueño con hacer un gol en la Bombonera. Sería algo espectacular, y sobre todo si sirve para que River gane".

Alvarez Balanta, quien nunca jugó un Superclásico, ni siquiera en las divisiones inferiores, imaginó que el encuentro "será intenso" y advirtió que "no importa cómo llegue Boca porque ellos también querrán ganar".

De muy buenos rendimientos en los partidos en que le tocó jugar, señaló que intentará jugar el Superclásico "con tranquilidad y mucha concentración".

"No tengo ansiedad y siento el respaldo de mis compañeros y del cuerpo técnico. Ojalá que podamos darle una alegría a los hinchas", se ilusionó Alvarez Balanta, quien por cuestiones reglamentarias solo podrá jugar cuatro partidos en lo que queda de la temporada.

Ramón: "Más importante para River"

BUENOS AIRES -- El entrenador de River, Ramón Díaz, aseguró el viernes que el Supercásico del domingo "es más importante" para su equipo que para Boca, ya que ellos pelean "ahí arriba" y el conjunto dirigido por Carlos Bianchi está "lejos" de los primeros puestos.

"Este partido es más importante para nosotros que para ellos. Ellos en el campeonato están lejos y nosotros estamos peleando ahí arriba, por eso lo estamos preparando diferente", dijo el entrenador riojano en una conferencia de prensa que dio en el Monumental.

Ramón Díaz, afirmó que sus jugadores saben que "la única forma de seguir peleando" por el título es "buscar los tres puntos" en el Superclásico, en la Bombonera.

"Los jugadores son conscientes de que estamos peleando el campeonato y para ganar hay que ser protagonistas. La única forma de seguir peleando es buscar los tres puntos", dijo Díaz en una conferencia de prensa que dio en el Monumental.

"Será un clásico muy peleado, muy luchado. Queremos ganarlo para seguir peleando arriba", indicó el entrenador.

"Es especial porque vuelvo (a La Boca) con el club que quiero y eso me representa estar atento y jugarlo para ganar, ya que no pienso cambiar el estilo de juego"; agregó.

Respecto al modo de jugar a los dirigidos por Carlos Bianchi, Díaz dejó en claro que para intentar conseguir la victoria hay que presionar y darle mucho ritmo, dinámica y manejar la pelota.

"Vamos por los tres puntos, eso es importante porque estamos peleando arriba y plantearemos ganarlo", manifestó.

Aunque, el técnico millonario reconoció que el "empate puede servir después que jueguen Newell`s y Lanús, pero el equipo buscará los tres puntos"

En tanto, el entrenador de River confirmó el equipo para visitar a Boca en el Superclásico que se jugará el domingo con el ingreso de Leonardo Ponzio por Ariel Rojas como único cambio.

Así, los elegidos por Díaz para visitar la Bombonera son: Marcelo Barovero; Gabriel Mercado, Leandro González Pirez, Eder Alvarez Balanta, Leonel Vangioni; Carlos Sánchez, Cristian Ledesma, Ponzio; Manuel Lanzini; Juan Manuel Iturbe y Rogelio Funes Mori.

Ramón reconoció que el regreso de Leonardo Ponzio al once inicial es importante porque el grupo "recuperó un líder".

Por otra parte, el técnico se refirió al delantero Rogelio Funes Mori e indicó que "la gente debe tener paciencia", pero él "está haciendo un buen trabajo con la pelota y creando los espacios que se les pide" para los partidos.

Lo que Ramón no quiso precisar es cómo se parará el mediocampo ante la ausencia de Rojas, ya que no habrá un mediocampista zurdo en cancha porque Vangioni jugará como lateral izquierdo.

"Para ver al equipo van a tener que venir a la cancha o verlo por televisión. Tanto detalle no les voy a dar", dijo el técnico en la conferencia de prensa que dio tras la práctica en el Monumental.

Además de los titulares, en la lista de concentrados figuran Leandro Chichizola, Jonathan Bottinelli, Diego Martínez, Augusto Solari, Ezequiel Cirigliano, Matías Kranevitter, Nicolás Gómez, Luna y Mora.

En cuanto a la ausencia de Mora, incipiente verdugo de Boca pues le hizo cuatro goles en tres Superclásicos -entre amistosos y oficiales-, Ramón comentó: "Tiene chances porque el partido dura 90 minutos, y ojalá que en los minutos que le toque jugar, pueda meter un gol".

Por último, Díaz indicó que el encuentro no será definitorio para sus aspiraciones de cara a conquistar el Torneo Final 2013, y que "habrá que ir en busca del resultado".

"Veremos si el equipo es capaz de jugar como en el verano, estamos bien, recuperamos un líder como Ponzio y está todo listo para hacer un gran partido", cerró.