Diego Simeone, the coach of Argentine giants San Lorenzo, admitted that he would like to count with the services of Uruguayan striker Emiliano Alfaro next season, and according to reports the club are likely to make a bid for the player in the coming weeks.

Alfaro, 21, finished the Uruguayan Apertura championship on top of the scoring charts, with 13 goals, despite the fact that he plays for Montevideo minnows Liverpool.

San Lorenzo are hoping to take the player on loan, however, Liverpool do not fancy the idea, as their intention is to sell the player, whether it be to a club from Argentina, Mexico, or Europe.

Under Simeone, San Lorenzo failed to qualify for the 2010 Copa Libertadores, after a disappointing seventh place finish in the Argentine Apertura championship.

Another player on San Lorenzo´s agenda looking ahead to next year is Sebastian Rusculleda, who plays for Al Ahli of the UAE.

Finally, it seems that attacking midfielder Alejandro Gomez will leave San Lorenzo for Buenos Aires rivals Racing Club.

Gregory Sica

Southamericanfutbol.com

San Lorenzo proved too strong for Cienciano with a comfortable 2-0 win in Cusco, Peru. Diego Simeone’s side claimed a 5-0 aggregate victory over the two legs of the Copa Sudamericana tie.

The Argentine outfit played a very intelligent game and won the match courtesy of goals from Cristian Gonzalez and Gonzalo Rovira.

Cienciano pushed to the attack straight from the kick-off and could have taken the lead in the 7th minute had Maurico Montes taken advantage of a clear-cut goal-scoring opportunity.

The Peruvians dominated their opponents, but although they played the better football they couldn’t penetrate the visiting defence.

In the 35th minute San Lorenzo went ahead when former Inter Milan midfielder Cristian Gonzalez fired a 25-metre missile past Cienciano goalkeeper Johnny Vegas.

Three minutes later Diego Rivero could have doubled San Lorenzo’s advantage, but his powerful drive was well saved by Vegas.

In the 59th minute Cienciano had a great opportunity to pull a goal back, but Juan Cavallo couldn’t convert a penalty kick.

From that instance San Lorenzo controlled the game, and Gonzalo Rovira sealed them the win with a well taken goal in the 87th minute.

San Lorenzo will face River Plate of Uruguay in the quarter-finals of the competition.

Gregory Sica

Goal.com

Southamericanfutbol.com

San Lorenzo of Argentina thrashed Cienciano of Peru 3-0 and in doing so moved closer towards the quarter-finals of the Copa Sudamericana.

Two goals from Bernardo Romeo and another from youngster Gonzalo Rovira handed El Ciclon a comprehensive victory at the Nuevo Gasometro stadium.

The 2002 Copa Sudamericana winners controlled the game with much authority, and went ahead in the 12th minute when Romeo met a Rovira ball and beat Cienciano goalkeeper Johnny Vegas with a good finish.

Rovira, who was only inscripted into the San Lorenzo squad for the tournament because of the sale of Gonzalo Bergessio to Saint-Etienne of France, doubled their lead with a precise left-footed drive in the 33rd minute.

In the second period San Lorenzo continued to create the better goal-scoring opportunities, and Romeo further extended their advantage in the 55th minute when he beat Vegas with a delicious lob.

Ten minutes later a Leandro Romagnoli free-kick struck the woodwork, to the relief of Cienciano.

The Buenos Aires giants also came close to adding to their lead late in the game, but settled for a valuable 3-0 victory.

In Ecuador, Liga de Quito hammered Lanus of Argentina 4-0 with a superb first half hat-trick from Argentine striker Claudio Bieler and a second half penalty kick conversion from former PSV Eindhoven midfielder Edison Mendez

The 2008 Copa Libertadores winners completely dominated a Lanus side that had two players sent off late in the second half.

Gregory Sica

Goal.com

Southamericanfutbol.com

Five months after his latest coaching disaster, Diego Simeone is about to confront what’s currently the most difficult job in Argentine soccer: manager at San Lorenzo, a club sunk deep into crisis. Simeone’s job will be to pull the team out of the doldrums, and eventually help the Buenos Aires giants return to being one of Argentina’s most successful clubs.

This will be no easy task for Simeone, particularly because el Ciclón is stranded in 18th place in the 20-team Argentine Clausura Championship and already has been eliminated from the group stage of the Copa Libertadores. The side Simeone inherits has lost 10 of its last 13 games, which has led to violent protests from frustrated fans.

But if anyone is up to the challenge, it’s Simeone. The former Argentine national-teamer is a fiery character who is probably best known as the guy on the receiving end of David Beckham‘s retaliatory kick at the 1998 World Cup, which led to Goldenballs’ ejection and essentially helped Argentina knock England out of the tournament.

Simeone, who had more than 100 caps over a 15-year career with Argentina, is known for his temperament and intelligence, and is surely capable of motivating a bunch of underachieving players. Since becoming a coach in 2006, he has found his fair share of success by guiding two different clubs to the Argentine championship: Estudiantes de La Plata in ’06 and River Plate in ’08.

But although he’s a proven winner, his coaching career has been somewhat of a roller coaster. At River last year, Simeone’s directions led to a radical dip in form that saw the powerhouse club go from defending champions to the worst team in the league in just the space of a few months. Despite his best attempts, “Cholo” couldn’t motivate River, and the club slumped to its worst finish in its proud 107-year history. A helpless Simeone had no choice but to present his resignation.

So what can be expected of his next challenge? Despite his poor showing with River last season, Simeone has returned to the spotlight with San Lorenzo, Argentina’s third-richest club behind River and Boca Juniors. According to many pundits, San Lorenzo has the best squad in Argentina. But el Ciclón struggled to find any kind of consistency under former coach Miguel Ángel Russo, perhaps due to the enormous expectations heaped upon them by the fans and club directors.

Simeone, well known for his hyperactive antics, was hired to re-motivate the team. The fact that he has the opportunity to work with a group of players with immense potential means he already has been provided with the necessary elements to steer the club into the right direction.

Having played for 16 years in the elite leagues of European soccer, with the likes of Inter Milan, Lazio, Sevilla and Atlético Madrid, Simeone has a vast knowledge of what it takes to win at a major club, and he’ll be hoping to inject all of his charisma into San Lorenzo. During his playing days, Simeone was considered one of the best leaders in the game, because of the influence he had both on and off the field. Not only was he a keen motivator, but he was the kind of player who never gave up, and always played to his maximum level, even during the most complicated moments.

So far, Simeone has translated all these qualities in his coaching career as well. If he manages to motivate his players, he’s likely to bring out the best of them. San Lorenzo has a great deal of depth, and some important modifications could finally get it playing the kind of soccer that has characterized the club over the years.

During his official presentation on Tuesday, Simeone said his job is to “leave the bad moments in the past” and stressed the importance of having an “organized, dynamic and aggressive” team, with lots of character, values to which he has stayed loyal throughout his career. “The objective is to train well, train well and train well,” he emphasized after his first training session.

Simeone believes that with hard work, he’ll be able to get his team playing an attractive style of soccer for the remaining nine rounds of the season. In reality, Simeone has to consider the next few weeks a learning process in order to help the squad regroup and prepare it as best as possible for next season. What’s worse is that several San Lorenzo players have threatened to leave the club due to its ongoing problems. Consistent to his name, Simeone will attempt to solve internal problems as quickly as possible before concentrating on the bigger picture.

Call it destiny if you like: Simeone will make his official San Lorenzo debut on Saturday against Racing Club, not only the team of which he’s a devoted fan, but the one where he made his coaching debut three years ago.

Gregory Sica

Article at Si.com

Southamericanfutbol.com

There’s no shortage of drama around the world as 2008 comes to a close. Liverpool and Chelsea are battling for the top of the English Premier League, Barcelona is running away in Spain and newly promoted Hoffenheim is atop the standings as the Bundesliga goes on break. But if a thrilling finish is what you’re after, these are all mere side plots to what’s unfolding in Argentina.

After 19 rounds of play, three clubs finished even atop the Apertura ’08 standings in the closest title race in decades. Because goal differential isn’t used to determine the winner, the championship will be settled in the most thrilling finish in the history of the league: an unprecedented three-way playoff between San Lorenzo, Boca Juniors and Tigre.

Starting Wednesday night, the trio will take part in a unique mini-torneo that will decide the winner, beginning with the clash between San Lorenzo and Tigre at Vélez Sarsfield’s Estadio José Amalfitani (all three matches will be played at neutral venues).

On Saturday, Boca Juniors and San Lorenzo will meet in highly anticipated clásico, and the playoff will come to a conclusion when Boca meets Tigre next Tuesday (unless San Lorenzo wins both games, in which case this third match won’t be necessary). While Boca and San Lorenzo have picked up a combined 32 league championships over the years, Tigre has yet to claim its first, adding further suspense to an incredible season that will remain in the history books for years to come.

Recently promoted Tigre, which already has surpassed all expectations by reaching this decisive stage of the competition, won’t give up without a fight. Although it comes into the playoff as the outsider, it’s more than capable of knocking off the traditional heavyweights, already having beaten both of them this season.

Here’s a brief rundown of how each team comes into the playoff series, and which of the three has the best odds of clinching the Apertura title.

San Lorenzo

Of the three teams, El Ciclón is in the best form. It won its past three games by scoring three goals in each contest, a perfect rebound from an earlier slip-up. Midway through the season, it seemed as if Miguel Ángel Russo‘s team would cruise easily to its second championship in four seasons — not only was it playing highly entertaining soccer, but it was also racking up the points when it mattered most. But the pressure soon sunk in and San Lorenzo fell apart. Many feel it came as a result of Russo’s failure to become the coach of the Argentine national team after being a firm candidate prior to Diego Maradona‘s controversial appointment.

The club’s much-needed turning point came in the crucial clash with archrival Huracán. Russo’s side fell behind to an early goal and it seemed that its title aspirations had come to an abrupt end. But perhaps it was an act of God that turned things around: The match was suspended due to excessive flooding caused by torrential rainfall. When the game resumed a few days later, San Lorenzo put four goals past Huracán, and since then the squad has been as confident as ever.

With so much talent to choose from, can Russo be blamed for playing with such an attacking approach? Gonzalo Bergessio, Néstor Silvera and Pablo Barrientos have been effective in front of goal, while Juan Manuel Torres and Santiago Solari (a superb late addition to the squad) have also been important.

San Lorenzo was the least favored team in the draw. After such a complicated game against Argentinos Juniors last weekend, it’s expected to play two decisive games in three days (meaning a total of three matches in less than one week). On the up side, if Russo’s troops beat Tigre on Wednesday, they’ll prepare for the clash with Boca knowing that a victory would hand them the title.

Boca Juniors

It’s no surprise Boca’s here. Argentina’s most popular club is a force to be reckoned with at the local and international level. What gives it the edge over its rivals is the fact that it has become accustomed to tight spots in deciding major championships. Los Xeneizes are envied by the whole world when it comes to winning titles, and even though they’ve been struggling to find their top form in recent weeks, they’re the overwhelming favorites to clinch the title.

Coach Carlos Ischia has incredible depth in every position, making Boca a handful for any team. At the beginning of the season, Boca lost star strikers Martín Palermo and Rodrigo Palacio to injuries, but out of nowhere emerged amazing talents such as Lucas Viatri, Pablo Mouche and Ricardo Noir. Genoa loanee Luciano Figueroa has finally adapted to his new surroundings as well, scoring two decisive goals in the 3-2 victory over Colón de Santa Fe last Sunday.

To top things off, this team has Juan Román Riquelme. The playmaker has been Boca’s most influential player this season, and is likely to play a determining role in the finals series.

For all of its attacking flair, Boca’s liability is its defense. It conceded 21 goals in 19 matches this season, many of which were weak goals. Inexperienced goalkeeper Javier García has been at fault at times, but so has his defense. Boca, which lost in a similar championship playoff to Estudiantes de La Plata two years ago, will have to work on this aspect of its game in order to overcome two teams that are known for their attacking efficiency.

Tigre

Diego Cagna‘s side comes into the playoff as the extreme underdog. Nobody expected the team from this quaint, riverside Buenos Aires suburb to fight for the title, but it proved everybody wrong, and now has a glorious opportunity to claim its first national championship in 106 years of existence. This is a club that has bounced in and out of the Argentine first division for its entire history and only made it back to the top flight two seasons ago after a 16-year absence. Getting this far is already a huge achievement.

Tigre has experienced its share of ups and downs this season, but its fighting spirit and determination has proved the difference. It demonstrated this in the final three rounds of the season: Tigre came from behind to beat River Plate 3-1, turned around a two-goal deficit to overcome Rosario Central 3-2 and, in its final game of the season, resisted heavy pressure to scrape past Banfield 1-0.

What should motivate Tigre coming into the playoff is the fact that it picked up heroic away victories over Boca and San Lorenzo this season (if the playoff ends square, Tigre’s head-to-head superiority will decide the championship). Cagna, who claimed four league championships during five successful years with Boca before his retirement in ’05, has built a team based on work ethic and personality.

But although Tigre counts on talent like Martín Morel and Carlos Luna (who accounted for 20 of Tigre’s 31 goals this season), it lacks the overall quality Boca and San Lorenzo boast. It also lacks the big-game experience its rivals have; this is a completely new experience for the club and its players, and nerves could get the better of them. Tigre doesn’t have a big squad, either, which could also be a significant disadvantage with the amount of matches its players will be subjected to in just a few days.

Despite everything, the hunger to achieve glory is definitely there. Is this an advantage or a disadvantage? Even if Tigre is anxious, which is to be expected, it could be motivated by the chance to make history. Cagna and his players are well aware that if they clinch the title, they’ll become legends. There’s no greater motivation than that.

Final prediction

No matter how much we’d like Tigre to claim a historic first championship, it doesn’t seem to have sufficient depth to go all the way. They may have had the upper hand over their opponents this season, but with the stakes this high, Boca or San Lorenzo will emerge on top.

San Lorenzo may be the most complete team of the three, but it lacks the necessary temperament to go all the way. Of the four Buenos Aires clásicos it played this season, it managed only one win, clearly indicating it tends to falter on the big occasion.

For all of Boca’s history, and because when it reaches its top form (even if in spurts), it’s by far the most dangerous team in Argentina and the firm choice to end up with the title. The 22-time champs will have plenty of rest ahead of their clash with San Lorenzo, which should greatly benefit the squad. If Riquelme dictates the pace of the finals series, as he has done all season, the trophy will end up in Boca’s cabinet.

Gregory Sica

Article at Si.com

Southamericanfutbol.com

When San Lorenzo kicked off 2008 — its 100-year anniversary — its players knew they would be expected to challenge for a major international title. The Argentine club targeted South America’s ultimate prize, the Copa Libertadores.

But to achieve that, it would have to overpower 32 of the continent’s best clubs, and that meant it would have to reinforce its squad with quality at every position.

San Lorenzo did just that. For an Argentine club, it spent big money in the transfer market, bringing several high-profile players back home from Europe, including Andrés D’Alessandro and Diego Placente from Spain’s La Liga and Gonzalo Bergessio from Portuguese power Benfica.

Last season, it did the same, purchasing the likes of Bernardo Romeo and Daniel Bilos with an eye on the ’08 season.

The club’s chairman, Rafael Savino, already counted on Argentina’s most respected coach, Ramón Díaz, who was given the responsibility to guiding the club to its first Libertadores title.

But after five matches in league and Copa play this season, San Lorenzo is already struggling to make it out of its group. In its Libertadores debut earlier this month, el Ciclón suffered a disappointing 2-0 loss to Caracas FC in Venezuela, and last week in Buenos Aires, it was held to a scoreless stalemate against Brazil’s Cruzeiro, a match it needed to win.

It has been a similar story in the Argentine Clausura. Sunday’s 2-0 loss to River Plate was San Lorenzo’s third straight league defeat, and the club now finds at the bottom of the standings. The worst part is that, with all the attacking flair in the squad, el Ciclón has yet to score a goal.

The likes of Bergessio, Romeo and the usually effective Andrés Silvera have failed to find the target. Unless they immediately find their best form, San Lorenzo’s title ambitions could soon be over before they even began.

The club’s lone bright spot thus far has been D’Alessandro. Much was expected of the attacking midfielder when he joined the club from Real Zaragoza, and he hasn’t disappointed. In his league debut at home against San Martín, he teased and tormented the opposition with his amazing footwork and acceleration, but his inspiration wasn’t enough to save his team from a painful last-minute defeat.

(Worse for San Lorenzo, “El Cabezón” pulled a muscle in his leg last weekend and will be out of action for 15 to 20 days).

But San Lorenzo hasn’t been the only Argentine club struggling to find its form this season. For all their usual high standards, the Argentines’ form early in the 49th edition of the Copa Libertadores has been nothing less than disastrous.

Out of nine matches played by Argentine clubs so far, only two have been victories. Lanús and Arsenal worked hard for narrow home wins over Danubio and Libertad, respectively, but the other four haven’t been so lucky. Estudiantes de La Plata, who find themselves in Group 2 along with Lanús (with whom they drew 0-0 with on Tuesday), were beaten by relatively unknown Ecuadorian club Deportivo Cuenca in their group opener.

Still, the club’s inspirational leader, Juan Sebastián Verón, remains positive about his team’s chances, and has stated that he will only be satisfied when Estudiantes wins the whole thing. But with only one point from a possible six so far, Estudiantes face a must-win situation at Danubio on March 5 in order to stay in the hunt.

Even reigning Libertadores champions Boca Juniors failed to open their title defense with a bang — they needed a late Sebastián Battaglia equalizer to rescue a point against Unión Atlético Maracaibo last week. In past editions of the Libertadores, Boca breezed past teams like Maracaibo.

Despite Boca’s frustrating debut in Venezuela, los Xeneizes are still heavy favorites to advance out of the group stage. The overwhelming depth in its attacking third is hard to bet against: Juan Román Riquelme, Rodrigo Palacio and Martín Palermo (who is just two goals away from becoming the all-time leading scorer in Boca history).

But if Boca doesn’t want to experience any surprises, it must get into top gear immediately. Only two teams from each group are assured a place in the next round, and Boca will have to overpower either Atlas or Colo-Colo (two difficult teams) for its spot.

Boca’s struggles aren’t even the biggest disappointment, though. Without a doubt, the most surprising result early in this Libertadores campaign was River Plate’s shocking 2-0 defeat to Universidad San Martín in Lima. The Argentine giants played horribly against a small-time Peruvian club that was founded only four years ago.

River sits in this Libertadores’ Group of Death, and unless los Millonarios improve immediately, they could be in for another first-round exit just like last year when they were eliminated after home-and-away losses to Caracas FC.

River’s biggest test, and arguably the most important matchup of the group phase, is Wednesday’s blockbuster with Club América. River knows that if it doesn’t pick up the three points against the Mexican giants in Buenos Aires, its title aspirations could already be over. Much of River’s fate depends on the outcome of this match.

Another huge worry for the Argentine clubs is the outstanding form of the Brazilian clubs in the Libertadores. After a total of five matches, teams from Brazil have yet to taste defeat, even in pressure-cooker away matches in Argentina and Ecuador.

But the Argentine clubs can’t let this affect them. First they have to concentrate on their own games, and then worry about the teams they may stare down in the decisive stages of the competition. San Lorenzo and the other five Argentine clubs have the potential to reach the next round of the Libertadores — but it’s essential they correct the mistakes they’ve made immediately.

Gregory Sica

Article at Si.com

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