Driussi’s replacement and two doubts, what Coudet must decide at River | OneFootball

After the tough loss to Boca in the Superclásico, Chacho has Salas as his main alternative following the injury to the starting ‘9’ ahead of the clash with Aldosivi. In addition, there are two positions that today seem not to have a clear-cut owner.

Among the most tangible consequences left by the painful defeat to Boca last Sunday, the most urgent is the need to replace the team’s best player from recent matches: Sebastián Driussi. The confirmed muscle tear suffered by the striker forces Eduardo Coudet to look for a different option, since he has no other forward with similar characteristics. He will also have to decide whether to keep faith with two players who underperformed: Lautaro Rivero and Kendry Páez.

He sent Maximiliano Salas to warm up. A substitute since the coach’s arrival, he has qualities opposite to what Coudet had been looking for, even in the center of the attack. With less ball control and less ability to combine, the former Racing player needs space to make the most of his power. Even so, he is currently the favorite to start this Saturday against Aldosivi.

The other alternative is Joaquín Freitas, a more versatile attacker, but one whom Coudet sees as having more difficulty holding the ball up with his back to goal under the opponent’s pressure. The youngster developed at Acassuso has power and speed, but struggles to make his presence felt in the box and to serve as a reference point to pin back opposing center-backs, something essential in Coudet’s systems. Further back in the pecking order is Agustín Ruberto, who would return to the squad list, but only to be among the substitutes.

Beyond this one forced change, the Superclásico exposed Lautaro Rivero’s poor level in defense and the lack of leadership in a team that watched the minutes slip through its fingers without even showing the slightest sign of rebellion. Because of this, the second center-back came under scrutiny for very specific mistakes that did not lead to opposition goals only because of Miguel Merentiel’s poor finishing, but were part of a forgettable afternoon.

Although for now the 22-year-old defender would remain in the starting lineup, it would not be surprising if Germán Pezzella featured for the visit to Bragantino in Brazil. At 34 and just back from ligament surgery, the World Cup winner could be the leader the team is lacking, and the coach believes that with continuity he could recover the level that once made him a regular with the Argentina national team.

The other doubt left by the loss to Boca was at attacking midfield. Kendry Páez started and mixed good with bad until he was replaced by Freitas himself 12 minutes into the second half. Since Chacho took over, that spot had belonged to Ian Subiabre, who was on the bench Sunday for the first time under this coach. Below par so far, the Comodoro Rivadavia native is now trailing in the race to be among the starting 11.

With these changes in mind, the team Coudet could field against Aldosivi would be: Santiago Beltrán; Gonzalo Montiel, Lucas Martínez Quarta, Lautaro Rivero, Marcos Acuña; Juan Cruz Meza, Aníbal Moreno, Tomás Galván, Kendry Páez or Ian Subiabre; Facundo Colidio and Maximiliano Salas.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.