Coudet seeks freshness up front for River, weighs changes v Belgrano | OneFootball

Eduardo Coudet arrived at River with the clear intention of putting the house in order. Although he took few risks in his first three matches, Chacho collected all nine points at stake, and his team is averaging two goals per game. Even so, he knows there is still a lot to improve, especially in attack, and that is why he still has not decided on the starting 11 for Sunday’s home match against Belgrano.

There is no doubt that the consecutive wins over Huracán, Sarmiento, and Estudiantes de Río Cuarto brought enormous peace of mind to Núñez. With the team on a roll, sitting in the qualification zone for the round of 16 and the international cups, the break for the FIFA date came at just the right time to fine-tune details and look for something the side has shown only in flashes so far: attacking firepower.

During the short training camp in Cardales, Coudet repeatedly tested the front three of Maximiliano Salas, Sebastián Driussi, and Facundo Colidio. Determined to get the former Racing and former Tigre players back to their best (in fact, he has already managed to get the first one scoring again), he will ease them back so they can return to top form. Looking ahead to the clash with the Pirata, he is unlikely to go with all three together, but it is certain that he will look to give them minutes.

One of the biggest problems has been chance creation. Without Juan Fernando Quintero in the starting 11, most of Chacho’s team’s attacks generally came thanks to Gonzalo Montiel’s runs into open spaces. But that is not enough. That is why the coach’s dilemma is whether to crowd the attacking line or give it more variety.

Juanfer himself could be one solution, but, as is well known, he would reduce the team’s physical presence. Another option is Joaquín Freitas, who brings great mobility through the middle, something no other forward in the squad is really known for. Otherwise, Coudet could again bet on the individual flair of Kendry Páez and Ian Subiabre, who have alternated between good and bad performances.

The only player who seems to have a starting spot more or less secured is Driussi, who has already scored two goals in this early stage of the cycle. Ideally, El Gordo works as a partner to an out-and-out No. 9, but circumstances have him playing more in among the opposing center backs. However, the idea of pairing him with Freitas in Córdoba to give him more freedom did not work, as the team barely created any dangerous chances.

For now, it remains uncertain which players will start in River’s attack. With Fausto Vera and Aníbal Moreno in central midfield, it will also depend on who lines up alongside them in order to find the combinations that, so far, have only been seen sporadically. Tomás Galván is a player who usually occupies the spaces between the lines well to create play and find depth, but in these last three matches his level has dropped.

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