05: Make or break
If we really aim to achieve at least part of what our rivals have achieved in their lifetime, we have to evolve. Evading relegation every single year with eventual participations in continental football
is not something that such a traditional club with passionate fans deserves. As we have evident limitations resources-wise, Argentina is a country full of talented players that could make a difference.
There is no excuses to relax our way into mediocrity and mid table positions. Let's go for it.
Transfer market
In the dying moments of the last season, I noticed that many clubs had
players about to leave for free that were yet to be enrolled in pre-contracts. Maybe they were expecting for their contracts to be over before talking to another clubs, but closer to the end they were open to talks.
And we profited from it. A lot.
Arrivals
As I have already presented Tomás López and Fernando Torrent during summer break, I'll now present the others:
9.
Bruno Vides - Starting XI quality striker, came to be the man to substitute Lucas Barrios, who's having a sharp decline, and Jhonatan Agudelo, who went back for his club.
Age: 27. Positions: ST
11.
Tomás Chancalay - promising inverted left winger with first squad quality.
Age: 21. Positions: M L, AM CL
12.
Pedro Díaz - promising Peruvian goalkeeper to fight for position with a declining Carrizo.
Age: 22. Positions: GK
29.
Juan Kaprof - pacey striker with squad player quality.
Age: 25. Positions: AM C, ST
Departures
We managed to find some cash through selling some squad and promising players. None of these players were part of my long-term plans, and I think
we got particularly lucky with the values involved in the sales of Eric Ramírez and Tomás Cataldi.
The upcoming season
We had six
friendly matches for the pre-season, mostly against lower tiered teams in the Argentine football, with exceptions of the Brazilian Série A side Athletico Paranaense. As we won all six games,
we can say the preparations were decent.
The Superliga is about to start, to be played in a
single-turn system for the last time in history. This season's Superliga will be decided after 22 games; the next will have 42 rounds.
If we are consistent enough, we can find a spot in the Copa Sudamericana or maybe Copa Libertadores and stay there for time enough.
The odds suggest that we won't achieve any of it, but I'm positive this team can offer better than a 15th position.
Promedio starting standings
Last year's success allowed us to have a far much more comfortable position in the Promedio table. This season promises
a thrilling 11-team battle against relegation. 2021/22 season's Second Division will have 32 teams fighting for 2 spots in the elite, so they better avoid this tight funnel. More than that, we are not among these 11 teams, but
I can promise you that we are not settling for security. For the upcoming seasons, we want to be back in the world again, playing against the top flight clubs in South America.
Replies
@Oz96 yup, Agudelo's goal pumped me, Mussis' red card sent me back to the ground
@OneMoreGame the bitterest part is not being capable of beating them not once, definitely
answering your question: the system of two champions per season hasn't being around for a while. It was adopted during 1967-85 as a division between Metropolitan and National (but lots of teams played both) and returned during the 1991-2014 period, as Apertura (Opening) and Clausura (Closing) to be dropped for good in 2014's transition tournament. Before the COVID-19 outbreak, the Superliga was set to follow the regular European calendar starting from the 2021/22 season. Now I don't know what they are going to do.
@Jack this part is the most important. When I arrived, we had a lot of recently signed high-salary low-deliver players, and some pricey loans for positions we were already fine. So I could make a lot of space in the budget for this season and build my squad free from all this foolishness
@Justice it is definitely easier to focus when your ass is not on the line
@TheLFCFan yes. Now it's time to stop looking over our shoulders and start looking ahead
@deadzpool the Superliga Argentina has a lot of interesting and curious teams indeed. It's a joy playing with that many traditional sides, and to see that much of silverware changing hands. Our goal now is to be a part of this
@Griffo indeed!