Back five and new boys to debut: Central Norte's plan for Brigadier López | OneFootball

On the eve of the crucial match to be played this Sunday at 3:30 p.m. at the Brigadier Estanislao López Stadium for the Primera Nacional, Salta-based journalist Daniel Benítez spoke with Radio Gol 96.7 and offered a thorough snapshot of the difficult current sporting situation facing Central Norte de Salta ahead of the clash with the Sabalero.

The Salta side, led by Santa Fe-born head coach Mario Sciacqua, heads into this stretch with the pressing need to improve its numbers in order to secure its place in the division. In reviewing the recent history of coaches at “Cuervo”, Benítez recalled Ezequiel Medrán’s successful spell at the club, a name fans still remember fondly.

The memory of Ezequiel Medrán and the squad he left behind

When analyzing the Salta board’s policy of betting on up-and-coming coaches, the journalist highlighted the process of the man now in charge of Colón tactically: “In recent years, Central had been going with coaches who were still developing, with very little experience, and it worked out well on some occasions. When Ezequiel Medrán arrived in 2019, he won promotion from Federal B to Federal A and then spent about three years in Federal A always battling. He left a very good image here—Ezequiel Medrán is very well liked, and whenever an opportunity comes up everyone says Ezequiel Medrán, but well, it’s very difficult.”

Drawing a contrast with that period, Benítez broke down the current difficulties following the departure of Adrián “Polaco” Bastía and the arrival of Sciacqua: “The inexperience of building a squad when they tell you ‘I’ve got this player,’ ‘no, no, I’ve got another one,’ and saying ‘yes, yes’ to everything—well, that ended up complicating things a bit for Central. Mario’s arrival brought a lot of work and a lot of expectation, but the results didn’t come.”

The lack of goals and the registration of new signings as a source of hope

One of the “Cuervo’s” biggest shortcomings has been finishing in front of goal. However, the recent arrival of new players has given the coaching staff a breath of fresh air and renewed hope, with the squad now having two players from abroad cleared to play.

“Central gets very few goals from the final third, from its forwards, and Castro was something interesting. Bodencer (Erik) was cleared yesterday too, a player who also comes from Colombia...,” the reporter explained, adding that forward Julián López could leave the club for Almirante Brown because “the coach was clear: after Bodencer arrived, he’s going to start way back in the pecking order.”

Another important name is added to that attacking option: “The other one is Checho Quiroga, who was also playing in Peru. He played in the Copa Sudamericana at the start of the year and is a very good signing Central brought in, and he was also cleared yesterday to play... Checho Quiroga is also a man who knows the division very well and, at the very least, the impression from the three signings is very good.”

The likely team and the back five for the trip to Santa Fe

On the strictly tactical front, Sciacqua plans to build a defensive lock to protect his goal at the “Elephants’ Graveyard”, partly forced by the absence of his defensive leader. In midfield, Benítez noted that “there are three players at a similar level: Puma Rivero... Mancuso, who rotates... and the other is Matías Villarreal, if you want experience.”

The journalist anticipated a change in the tactical setup to contain Medrán’s team: “Central Norte changed its shape. It had been playing with a back four for the last three matches, and for this game, after the sending-off of Maxi Padilla, most likely—based on what was seen in yesterday’s tactical session—Central played with a back five.”

The reshuffle is because “Maxi Padilla, the captain, won’t be there because he was sent off for protesting to the referee.” Given that situation, the starting eleven would be reshaped with players who gained ground recently: “There are two players who were added at the very end of the last match and are standout figures at the back. One is Lamosa (Agustín), who comes from Mitre of Santiago, and the other is Elías Calderón... Most likely this will be the back five because yesterday, although he did football training, Elías Calderón alternated between midfield and further forward for one spell and with one team, but the back line was never touched. So it’s very likely Central will play with a back five there in Santa Fe.”

The value of a point at the Brigadier López

Central Norte has climbed off the bottom of the table over the last three rounds. Still, the upcoming fixture list has an extremely difficult run against the tournament’s front-runners in store.

“There’s an important run coming up, that’s why many people, when they say they’re playing in Santa Fe, beforehand, before the season, would say those are points you can lose... now everyone would sign for a draw—bringing something back from there would be hugely important,” Benítez stressed regarding the symbolic and mathematical value of getting a positive result against Colón. The reporter concluded by highlighting that “there are six teams on three points, imagine what that’s going to do, and that’s why every point Central gets is essential to give them some breathing room at the bottom.” The squad will travel by road after the final tactical session in order to stand firm on Santa Fe soil.

Probable Central Norte XI (5-3-2):

The Salta side will keep its usual starter in goal; the line of five defenders will be made up of Lamosa, Elías Calderón, Pucheta, Felissia and Chicho Aleo; midfield will feature Moravec, Matías Villarreal—or Puma Rivero—and Chino Castro; while the attacking duo will consist of Borda and the recently cleared target man Bodencer.

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