The ramblings of some American dude who's obsessed with football, coffee and the Doctor Who theme song.
Boca's rebuilding task
Posted 22-05-2009 at 11:59 PM by Xeneize
If you follow South American football, then you probably also follow the continent's premier club competition, the Copa Libertadores. And if you follow me (wha?), you probably know that I support Boca Juniors, whose run in the 2009 Copa ended last night with a 1-0 loss to Defensor Sporting of Uruguay.
It had to come, plain and simple. Boca have rarely played like the team of old for quite some time now. The last-gasp championship in December, along with the emergence with some new talents from the youth academy, glossed over the situation long enough for Boca fans to think everything was OK. It was not.
Now Boca face a rebuilding task. Palermo? He's still got it, but he's 35, and another bad blow to his knee could end his career for good. Riquelme? Always injured, and lethargic when he's not. Palacio? A shadow the player he used to be, now he shows his speed in small bursts. Ibarra? He didn't play last night, but like Palermo he turned 35 this season, and he was arguably one of our weakest players during the tournament.
There was a time where we were head and shoulders above everyone else, a time when we could even battle it out with Europe's big boys like Madrid and Milan. Now we've just become the laughing stock of the Americas. Something is going wrong and nothing is being done to rectify it.
We need to bring back the days when we could fight for both the league and the Copa with the same team, not fielding weaker sides in one or the other. We need to bring in more depth to the squad, or even start from scratch if we have to, lest we become one of football's has-beens, a decent enough side that never achieves. Look at Madrid now. They get battered in the Champions League, a competition in which they used to be the top dogs, and now they're slowly losing their grip on La Liga to Barcelona.
If something isn't done to fix this downward spiral, then there will be nothing left of Boca at all. And that is a disheartening thought.
It had to come, plain and simple. Boca have rarely played like the team of old for quite some time now. The last-gasp championship in December, along with the emergence with some new talents from the youth academy, glossed over the situation long enough for Boca fans to think everything was OK. It was not.
Now Boca face a rebuilding task. Palermo? He's still got it, but he's 35, and another bad blow to his knee could end his career for good. Riquelme? Always injured, and lethargic when he's not. Palacio? A shadow the player he used to be, now he shows his speed in small bursts. Ibarra? He didn't play last night, but like Palermo he turned 35 this season, and he was arguably one of our weakest players during the tournament.
There was a time where we were head and shoulders above everyone else, a time when we could even battle it out with Europe's big boys like Madrid and Milan. Now we've just become the laughing stock of the Americas. Something is going wrong and nothing is being done to rectify it.
We need to bring back the days when we could fight for both the league and the Copa with the same team, not fielding weaker sides in one or the other. We need to bring in more depth to the squad, or even start from scratch if we have to, lest we become one of football's has-beens, a decent enough side that never achieves. Look at Madrid now. They get battered in the Champions League, a competition in which they used to be the top dogs, and now they're slowly losing their grip on La Liga to Barcelona.
If something isn't done to fix this downward spiral, then there will be nothing left of Boca at all. And that is a disheartening thought.
Total Comments 4
Comments
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Don't turn to River Plate now 
Posted 26-05-2009 at 11:36 PM by Valo
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I know.
Good rebuilding this summer hopefully.Posted 28-05-2009 at 01:05 AM by JulianBere
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Yeah, hopefully we bring in someone that can play on the left, like Insua.Quote:Originally Posted by JulianGood rebuilding this summer hopefully.
@ Valo: Never ever suggest such a thing again.
Posted 29-05-2009 at 02:30 AM by Xeneize
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All great teams have some bad times, but they come back more powerfull, I'm optimist about the next season
Posted 16-08-2009 at 07:10 PM by I_Hate_Errors
