Exequiel Zeballos faces a tough spell at Boca | OneFootball

The absence of Changuito from the squad list against Defensa y Justicia surprised both insiders and outsiders. Úbeda stated that it was purely a tactical decision and that there is nothing behind it, but his situation remains confusing.

One of the topics in Claudio Úbeda’s press conference following Boca’s defeat to Defensa y Justicia in Florencio Varela was the absence of Exequiel Zeballos from the list of called-up players. Even though he trained normally throughout the previous week, fans thought it might be due to the discomfort in his ankle that had kept him out of the match against Central Córdoba.

However, Miguel Ángel Russo’s assistant made it clear that this was not the reason, but rather “a squad selection,” a strange argument considering the shortage of forwards due to Edinson Cavani’s absence. What’s going on with Chango?

Let’s go back a few months, when the 69-year-old coach took over ahead of the Club World Cup. The winger from Santiago was a substitute against Benfica and Bayern Munich, but came on in the second half in both matches. For the match against Auckland City, the coach loaded the team with forwards in search of a landslide victory that never came. One of those attackers was Zeballos, but he asked to be substituted 25 minutes into the first half, citing muscle discomfort.

The club’s medical staff ran tests and determined that there was no injury. Boca returned to Argentina to start the Clausura Tournament, and Russo did not call up the 23-year-old for the matches against Argentinos Juniors and Unión. “I’m waiting for the right time to talk to him. Don’t forget that I was the one who brought him up to the first team; there are a lot of things being said and they’re nonsense. I know him well. That’s how it is—young players sometimes go up and down and you have to wait for the right moment, the right way, and the right manner. I don’t pay attention to everything that’s been said (in the media),” explained the experienced coach when asked about the situation.

He returned to the squad list for the Copa Argentina match against Atlético Tucumán, but didn’t play; the same happened in the match against Huracán four days later. He finally got 11 minutes in the draw against Racing, and from then on, he came off the bench in the next three matches and even scored the temporary 2–0 against Independiente Rivadavia in Mendoza.

The discomfort in one of his ankles kept him out of the 2–2 draw against Central Córdoba at La Bombonera, but he was able to train normally throughout the following week. However, when it came time to choose the squad, Úbeda left him out. In the press conference, he explained his decision and left room for speculation: “His absence is due to a squad selection; only 23 make the list, and in the final decisions, one or another is left out. The choices between one and another are very close, and that’s why sometimes there’s rotation. That’s the reason and nothing else. He’s a great player.”

The decision is strange for two reasons: first, because Boca only took four forwards to Varela (Miguel Merentiel, Milton Giménez, Brian Aguirre, and Lucas Janson), of whom three were starters, so the only alternative on the bench was the former Tigre and Vélez player. Secondly, there were players included who haven’t played in a long time, such as Frank Fabra, Agustín Martegani, or Janson himself, who returned to the field after five months.

Even though, over time and with injuries, the Zeballos who debuted with Russo on November 29, 2020 as one of the greatest promises from Boca Predio has faded, his absences from the squad lists and the lack of consideration from the coaches continue to be surprising. We’ll have to see if, ahead of this Sunday’s match at 7 p.m. against Lepra, Changuito returns to the squad and can finally get his career at Boca back on track.

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