The year was 1990. The tournament was the 89/90 First division championship.
This was the last long tournament played in Argentina. It comprised 20 teams playing home and away against each other.
The top team after the 38 games, will be crowned Champions and qualify for the Copa Libertadores. The second team for that competition will be decided via a 4 teams mini league. Argentina’s complicated system meant that to qualify for that mini tournament, you were supposed to have finished in the top 2 at the half way mark, and the 2nd and 3rd at the end of the 38 games. With the teams ranked just below them getting the chance if there was any repetition (I.E the same team finished in one of the qualifying positions in both rounds)
That said and rules explained, the tournament started and it was rather competitive. Not because of the teams being outstanding, but quite the opposite.
One team could win this week by a large margin, and suffer defeat against one of the called lesser teams the next round.
The biggest surprised so far on the league had been Platense’s victory in La Bombonera against Boca Juniors 1-0 (Boldrini).
Platense were trying to avoid relegation once again. They have been performing Houdini style escapes for the past few years, and had become everyone’s second team.
Lead by Pedro Marchetta, one of the most outspoken managers ever, their campaign was going better than their usual standards.
El Negro (Marchetta’s nickname), was a motivator. A guy that liked his teams to play eye pleasing football, with circulation of the ball from the keeper to the furthest away of the strikers, trying to always keep the ball in the ground.
We reached the round 23 of the league and Platense were playing River Plate, away from home.
When I say away from home, it is literally 15 minutes away. Platense are from Vicente Lopez, and River from Belgrano, just a few miles away from each other.
The long road to that game and the fierce battles have taken their toll on the players, meaning they have had to make a few changes to their normal line ups due to injuries and suspensions.
That can only benefit the bigger teams, as they normally, have more depth in their squad.
Marchetta has been quite concerned up to that stage with the lack of fluidity between his defenders and the midfield players.
He knew that the main problem was one of his central defenders, who was not blessed with short passing skills. Unfortunately, he did not have any other player to replaced him with, so Orellano (that was his name), had to play.
El negro, was a man who had many lucky charms. One of them was to send the players away from the dressing room and into the pitch one by one.
He was also desperate to be able to do the double (beating Boca and River in the same tournament).
Pre match talk arrives, an the motivator says to his players.
“We are here to win a football match, Can we do it? Off course we can. We showed we can, as we have already beaten Boca. I know River are leading the pack at the moment, but if we play the way I say, this will be easy.
I want you to always do the same thing. We keep it simple, we start the moves with Serrano (keeper), passes it to Vattimos (right back), to Baena (CB) to Orellano (CB remember the one he did not like) to Coudet (RM) to Dalla Libera (link player) to Coria (striker), and he will put it away every time. As simple as that, we can’t lose”
They all hyped themselves up, and Marchetta started his lucky charm, and sent them one by one to the pitch.
He sent Orellano out first.
Once he was gone he rounded the rest of the team and said. I want to win this game, so forget everything I said earlier.
If any of you passes the ball to Orellano, I will make you play with the reserves for a year.
This was the last long tournament played in Argentina. It comprised 20 teams playing home and away against each other.
The top team after the 38 games, will be crowned Champions and qualify for the Copa Libertadores. The second team for that competition will be decided via a 4 teams mini league. Argentina’s complicated system meant that to qualify for that mini tournament, you were supposed to have finished in the top 2 at the half way mark, and the 2nd and 3rd at the end of the 38 games. With the teams ranked just below them getting the chance if there was any repetition (I.E the same team finished in one of the qualifying positions in both rounds)
That said and rules explained, the tournament started and it was rather competitive. Not because of the teams being outstanding, but quite the opposite.
One team could win this week by a large margin, and suffer defeat against one of the called lesser teams the next round.
The biggest surprised so far on the league had been Platense’s victory in La Bombonera against Boca Juniors 1-0 (Boldrini).
Platense were trying to avoid relegation once again. They have been performing Houdini style escapes for the past few years, and had become everyone’s second team.
Lead by Pedro Marchetta, one of the most outspoken managers ever, their campaign was going better than their usual standards.
El Negro (Marchetta’s nickname), was a motivator. A guy that liked his teams to play eye pleasing football, with circulation of the ball from the keeper to the furthest away of the strikers, trying to always keep the ball in the ground.
We reached the round 23 of the league and Platense were playing River Plate, away from home.
When I say away from home, it is literally 15 minutes away. Platense are from Vicente Lopez, and River from Belgrano, just a few miles away from each other.
The long road to that game and the fierce battles have taken their toll on the players, meaning they have had to make a few changes to their normal line ups due to injuries and suspensions.
That can only benefit the bigger teams, as they normally, have more depth in their squad.
Marchetta has been quite concerned up to that stage with the lack of fluidity between his defenders and the midfield players.
He knew that the main problem was one of his central defenders, who was not blessed with short passing skills. Unfortunately, he did not have any other player to replaced him with, so Orellano (that was his name), had to play.
El negro, was a man who had many lucky charms. One of them was to send the players away from the dressing room and into the pitch one by one.
He was also desperate to be able to do the double (beating Boca and River in the same tournament).
Pre match talk arrives, an the motivator says to his players.
“We are here to win a football match, Can we do it? Off course we can. We showed we can, as we have already beaten Boca. I know River are leading the pack at the moment, but if we play the way I say, this will be easy.
I want you to always do the same thing. We keep it simple, we start the moves with Serrano (keeper), passes it to Vattimos (right back), to Baena (CB) to Orellano (CB remember the one he did not like) to Coudet (RM) to Dalla Libera (link player) to Coria (striker), and he will put it away every time. As simple as that, we can’t lose”
They all hyped themselves up, and Marchetta started his lucky charm, and sent them one by one to the pitch.
He sent Orellano out first.
Once he was gone he rounded the rest of the team and said. I want to win this game, so forget everything I said earlier.
If any of you passes the ball to Orellano, I will make you play with the reserves for a year.