Schiavi Gets the Nod From Diego
By: Jeremy |
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Newell’s captain Rolando Schiavi returned to the Selection, playing the whole game on the back line.
He was his normal, dominate self in the first half, putting up a brick wall in front of the Peruvian attackers.
His play sloppied up a bit, just like the rest of the team, in the second half but still he had a more than satisfactory performance. He should get the nod again on Wednesday when the Albiceleste travel to Montevideo to face Uruguay in a fight for the last direct qualifying spot.
Category: Team News
Newell’s 3 – 0 Tucuman (or Fairweather Blogging)
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Coming off that robbery of a match against Banfield, which I’m still a little too bitter to write about and which I haven’t found a replay of the “penalty” call to illustrate the robbery, NOB faced everybody’s new favorite whipping boy in Atletico Tucuman. Video after the jump.
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Category: Team NewsThree Old Boys to Face Ghana
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Diego has named his squad for a friendly this Wednesday against Ghana and three Newell’s players made the cut – Rolando Schiavi, Leonel Vangioni and Juan Manuel Insaurralde.
Part of me is thinking this is cool and part of me is hoping they don’t play so they can’t get hurt.
Category: Team NewsTonight at El Taladro
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Another Friday night match following a Sunday tie. You know how I don’t like those. Banfield comes in fresh off a draw against Rosario Central and La Lepra will be looking to continue the momentum from beating Lanús last Sunday.
The lineup for Newell’s is the same: Sebastián Peratta; Alexis Machuca, Rolando Schiavi and Juan Insaurralde; Franco Dolci, Diego Mateo, Lucas Bernardi and Leonel Vangioni; Cristian Sánchez Prette; Jorge Achucarro and Joaquín Boghossian.
I liked the 3-4-1-2 last week, but Banfield is a good team and sit one point ahead of Newell’s and two points off the top, so this will be a good test. El Taladro is a team built for the attack and seem a bit shaky in the back, so hopefully we can take advantage of that. If Mateo and Bernardi control the midfield today like they did against Lanús, (who have a pretty strong midfield) then NOB has a good chance to take points back to Rosario.
The winner of the fixture will be, for the moment at least, top of table.
Category: Team NewsLanús 0 – 2 Newell’s
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Now that was a fun game to watch. We laid off the long ball, and a striker actually scored for the first time in around 700 minutes of play. Make that two strikers. Achucarro opened the scoring and Boghossian headed in a strike (which is what they brought the tall dude in for) in the second half. Of course he blew another easy opportunity or two, but at least he was in the right position at the right time. Good play from the strikers all around today.
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Category: Team NewsNext Up, Lanús
By: Jeremy | 4 Comments
Good news. I figured out how to use the keyboard to make all of the Spanish symbols without having to cut and paste.
Just a quick review. We started out with a pair of 1-0 wins over Independiente and Huracán and followed up with a 1-1 draw to Boca Juniors. Then came Argentinos Juniors and a 1-0 loss. A lot of criticism was leveled at the team and Sensini following the Argentinos game, but it was really just one bad half.
Midfielder Franco Dolci, who seems set to get his first start, summed up the problem Newell’s is facing “We don’t need to play for the long ball.” Amen. Newell’s has relied on the long ball far too much and in the second half against Argentinos abandoned any other strategy.
The defense is playing pretty solid, only giving up .5 goals per game so if NOB can figure out a way to score a bit, then we might have a fun season ahead.
Game time is at 1pm EST on Sunday. Watch the game here or maybe here.
La Lepra head to Buenos Aires to face a Lanús squad that is coming off a mid-week tie against River Plate in the Copa Sudamericana, but I doubt it will make that big a difference. We need points out of this match, even if it is a draw. That should provide a little momentum and silence some of the criticism.
Category: Team NewsEx-Old Boy Heinze Transfers to Marseille
By: Jeremy | 1 Comment
Gabriel Heinze signed a three-year deal with Marseille today, ending his run at Real Madrid. Heinze will be 34 when his contract expires with Marseille and let me go on record as saying his next club will be his first club, Newell’s. Even though his new salary will be 1/3 his old salary (4.2 million Euros to 1.5 million Euros) he won’t be hurting for cash in three years and should be just about ready to head back to Rosario to retire with the club he loves.
I can’t find a link to it, but a while back he did an interview with Ole and they asked about the upcoming Barcelona game and what it meant to him and he basically said he didn’t care beyond the fact that he was getting paid to defend Real Madrid to the death. He wasn’t a fan of RM but of Newell’s. So I’m thinking he might follow a certain other Old Boy (Lucas Bernardi) and return from France to play a bit with Newell’s before retiring.
After the World Cup next year, he’s probably done with the Selection as they will be looking to get younger in the back, and European competition wouldn’t be a requirement any more.
I can dream right? Since I am totally talking out of my rear on this one, I probably shouldn’t print it but I will anyway. Heinze in Rosario in 2012 (or 2011). You heard it here first.
Category: Team NewsI’m Starting to Get a Little Unsettled
By: Jeremy | 1 Comment
Ok, we’ve lost Armani, Pillud, Bernardello and it looks like Vangioni is going as well. Peratta is still up in the air, and now we go out and sell half of Steinert to some businessmen so they can send him to Racing. A Racing coached by the same Ricardo Caruso that didn’t seem to care if Steinert played or not, when he wasn’t injured.
To replace the losses we bring in a loan player from Paraguay, by way of Mexico and an old man. And then some dude I could care less about. I know times are tight (thanks again, Lope$) but what is going on. Salcedo is probably leaving as well, so let’s go ahead and sell another striker, one who came up with the club and was the last remaining link to the 04 championship?
Boca are still sniffing around Schiavi and Spolli looks bound for Europe. This team is going to be a shell of what it was, and I’m worried about the defense. Last season would have been a disaster if not for a usually solid defense, and I don’t see this season’s offense getting much better.
I haven’t posted a lot (at all) since the season ending loss to Racing because there are a lot of rumors and I am trying to wait until something is confirmed, but this is starting to not look so good.
Category: Team NewsGoings and Comings
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OUT
Leandro Armani – Along with Pillud is heading back to Tiro Federal now that his loan is done and Newell’s can’t afford the $3.5 million price tag for the both of them.
Ivan Pillud – see above.
Ernesto Cristaldo – heading back to Paraguay, but looking for a new gig in Argentina.
Tomorrow there will be the big adios for the players, the staff is organizing an asado for lunch to say goodbye to at least those three, although Newell’s is reportedly making a last ditch appeal to Tiro to keep the two players on another loan. Matias Donnet and Pablo Monsalvo could possibly say goodbye as well. They signed an extension to play against Racing, but word is that Newell’s won’t risk an injury since they aren’t in the plans for next season.
Hernan Bernardello – looks like he is moving on to either Almeria (3 million euros) which is his preference or Russia (5 million euros) for one of the ‘top three teams’. We’ll see how it works out. At any rate he appears to be gone.
IN??
Jorge Achucarro – coming in from Atlas to compete for a forward spot. Is in Rosario, reportedly and passed his physical, so we are only waiting on the green light from the bankruptcy court to sign him. It is a one year loan I think, so the up front costs shouldn’t be too high. If they are, then just buy Armani please.
Hugo Barrientos – is rumored to have passed his physical, and just needs to agree personal terms with the club. He owns his registration, so no issues there, and the salary negotiation doesn’t seem to be a problem, so he could very well be the first one signed up.
Category: Team NewsTransfers
By: Jeremy | 2 Comments
Fresh from dropping two matches on the trot, and looking like crap doing it, Newell’s turns their attention to the final match of the season away against Racing who, in case you missed it, is coached by one Ricardo Caruso Lombardi. Schiavi and Formica are out due to compiling too many yellows.
Now, on to transfers.
LEAVING
Ernesto Cristaldo is out, his loan is expiring and he will return to Lucerne, who own his contract. Alejandro Da Silva and Santiago Salcedo are apparently still with the club for next season. Sebastian Peratta is out of contract and owns part of his pass. Genoa in Italy are rumored to be interested, so I doubt he will be back. Pablo Monsalvo and Matias Donnet will reportedly not have their contracts renewed when they expire on June 30.
Leandro Armani’s continued presence is in doubt, as his loan from Tiro Federal is up and negotiations on a permanent move have broken down. It appears that he and Ivan Pillud are Avellaneda bound next season.
Hernan Bernardello looks more likely to not be with the squad next year as Almeria from Spain have lodged a 3 million euro bid for him. Newell’s countered with 3.5 million, so the difference isn’t that great. Expect to see him in Spain next season.
IN
Jorge Achucaro, on loan from Atlas in Mexico. He’s a striker, and it makes sense to bring one in to replace Armani. I haven’t been able to confirm this anywhere official, so who knows.
Category: Team News
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