Newell’s vs Talleres
Newell’s Old Boys ended a chaotic Torneo Apertura on a more encouraging note. Their 1-1 draw away to Vélez Sarsfield in the final round extended their unbeaten league run to six matches (three wins and three draws) and lifted them to 15 points, leaving them seven clear of the relegation zone in the overall standings after spending much of this season and the previous one looking over their shoulder. In fact, La Lepra won just one of their last 12 home league matches (six draws and five defeats). Armando Méndez is about to leave the club following a dispute and Luciano Herrera joined Pumas UNAM, while Franco Escobar (from Peñarol) and Alan Soñora (Cerro Porteño) have arrived. Talleres disappointed their fans at the end of the Torneo Apertura, suffering a 1-0 home defeat to arch-rivals Belgrano, who went on to win the title. That result ended a four-match unbeaten run in the league (two wins and two draws) and also brought an end to Carlos Tevez’s spell in charge. Days later, La T were beaten 3-0 by Atlético Tucumán in the Round of 32 of the Copa Argentina, with Ezequiel Carboni as interim coach. However, they are unbeaten in their last five league matches on the road (two wins and three draws). During the winter break, Jorge Sampaoli took charge of a side whose minimum objective is to protect the Copa Sudamericana qualification spot they currently hold in the overall standings. Talleres strengthened with key arrivals including Ezequiel Unsain (from Club Necaxa), Federico Fattori and Román Riquelme (both from Argentinos Juniors), while Guido Herrera joined EC Bahia and Ulises Ortegoza moved to Racing Club. Newell’s squad this semester looks as poor as the last one and I expect them to continue struggling as they did at home so far this year. Talleres looks stronger with new coach Sampaoli and important new players like Fattoti and Riquelme so don’t think they will lose here.