Marked for Ignacio Copetti
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad16 Sep 2030
19 clean sheets and counting. Strikers leave this ground muttering his name, which is exactly how a goalkeeper measures a good season.
Squad16 Sep 2030
Pablo Cabral: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Central Córdoba SdE have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market16 Sep 2030
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Luciano Posadas will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Central Córdoba SdE the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad16 Sep 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Central Córdoba SdE this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings16 Sep 2030
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.30, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Match14 Sep 2030
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Sergio Olano. 1‑0 against All Boys, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Squad16 Sep 2030
5 goals and a season average of 7.29. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Player ratings16 Sep 2030
Defensive actions: 15, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Player ratings16 Sep 2030
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 12 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market19 Aug 2030
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Luciano Posadas will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Central Córdoba SdE the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad19 Aug 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Central Córdoba SdE this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings19 Aug 2030
Successful dribbles: 20. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match17 Aug 2030
Racing left with the points after a 1‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad19 Aug 2030
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Yuri Casermeiro, and the manager let it.
Boardroom19 Aug 2030
Nobody left the Central Córdoba SdE dressing room in a hurry
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
Squad19 Aug 2030
Defences have started doubling up on Ignacio Copetti
5 goals and a season average of 7.29 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.
Squad19 Aug 2030
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Central Córdoba SdE, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Player ratings19 Aug 2030
Marked 5.63, and generously at that. Nothing came off, and by the end the crowd had stopped expecting it to.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market12 Aug 2030
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market12 Aug 2030
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Central Córdoba SdE is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Match10 Aug 2030
3 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.
Squad12 Aug 2030
16 shut-outs and counting. Goalkeepers are only noticed when they fail, and Bautista Cejas has given nobody the chance.
Squad12 Aug 2030
Yuri Casermeiro was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings12 Aug 2030
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 21 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad12 Aug 2030
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match10 Aug 2030
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Yoel Gerez. 1‑0 against Maipú, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Player ratings12 Aug 2030
A performance of 8.29 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad29 Jul 2030
The medical room confirms 87 days on the sidelines for Horacio Tijanovich, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Market29 Jul 2030
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Central Córdoba SdE they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad29 Jul 2030
Yuri Casermeiro was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad29 Jul 2030
14 shut-outs and counting. Goalkeepers are only noticed when they fail, and Bautista Cejas has given nobody the chance.
Player ratings29 Jul 2030
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.26, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad29 Jul 2030
66 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Market29 Jul 2030
Talleres are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Central Córdoba SdE will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Market29 Jul 2030
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Yuri Casermeiro signs something — a contract at Central Córdoba SdE or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market22 Jul 2030
The name of Yuri Casermeiro has come up in conversations Central Córdoba SdE were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Market22 Jul 2030
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Central Córdoba SdE they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad22 Jul 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Central Córdoba SdE this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings22 Jul 2030
A performance of 8.40 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad22 Jul 2030
The manager makes an example of Ignacio Vittar
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match20 Jul 2030
It finished 1‑1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Squad22 Jul 2030
Nadir Sánchez asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Player ratings22 Jul 2030
Shots: 8, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.
Player ratings22 Jul 2030
Shots: 5, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market8 Jul 2030
Nadir Sánchez hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Central Córdoba SdE can pretend not to have heard.
Market8 Jul 2030
Patronato come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Central Córdoba SdE did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad8 Jul 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Central Córdoba SdE this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings8 Jul 2030
Marked 9.43 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Match6 Jul 2030
A 2‑0 win over San Miguel, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Player ratings8 Jul 2030
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.39, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad8 Jul 2030
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings8 Jul 2030
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 17 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market1 Jul 2030
The bid was some way short and Central Córdoba SdE did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad1 Jul 2030
115 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Market1 Jul 2030
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Central Córdoba SdE they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Match29 Jun 2030
4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Central Córdoba SdE has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad1 Jul 2030
Yuri Casermeiro was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad1 Jul 2030
Matías Vera gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Market1 Jul 2030
The name of Ikenna Benjamin has come up in conversations Central Córdoba SdE were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Match29 Jun 2030
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market10 Jun 2030
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market10 Jun 2030
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad10 Jun 2030
At 21, Mateo Sabalza is already the best thing here
An average of 7.44 in a first team he is several years too young for. Central Córdoba SdE have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Squad10 Jun 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Central Córdoba SdE this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad10 Jun 2030
The manager makes an example of Lucas Bernabéu
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings10 Jun 2030
A performance of 8.51 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Match8 Jun 2030
It needed Tomás Iturre to find the net to bring anything home at all: 2‑2 against Ferro Carril Oeste, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.
Player ratings10 Jun 2030
Ten men and a goalkeeper behind him, and it still finished in the net. He knew before anybody told him, and nobody at Central Córdoba SdE needed to.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad27 May 2030
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Central Córdoba SdE may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Market27 May 2030
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Central Córdoba SdE is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad27 May 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Central Córdoba SdE this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad27 May 2030
The manager makes an example of Tomás Iturre
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match25 May 2030
0‑1 to Arsenal, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Player ratings27 May 2030
Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Boardroom27 May 2030
Nobody left the Central Córdoba SdE dressing room in a hurry
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
Squad27 May 2030
14 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Player ratings27 May 2030
Shots: 10, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Player ratings29 Apr 2030
Defensive actions: 35. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Match24 Apr 2030
Out, 0‑1 to Estudiantes, and the long argument about which of the small moments decided it. The league is all there is now, and everybody knows it.
Squad29 Apr 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Central Córdoba SdE this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings29 Apr 2030
Successful dribbles: 19. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad29 Apr 2030
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Boardroom29 Apr 2030
Nobody left the Central Córdoba SdE dressing room in a hurry
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
Player ratings29 Apr 2030
A mark of 7.84, and nobody in the ground would argue with it. He was involved in everything that mattered and most of what did not.
Squad29 Apr 2030
A season average of 7.21 with 4 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Match27 Apr 2030
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Patronato defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market15 Apr 2030
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Central Córdoba SdE, and it is not being withdrawn.
Player ratings15 Apr 2030
Defensive actions: 32. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Market15 Apr 2030
Only the photograph left for Nadir Sánchez
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Nadir Sánchez will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Central Córdoba SdE the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad15 Apr 2030
A season average of 7.30 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Central Córdoba SdE know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
Player ratings15 Apr 2030
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 23 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad15 Apr 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Central Córdoba SdE this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings15 Apr 2030
Marked 9.18 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad15 Apr 2030
The manager makes an example of Matías Vera
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match13 Apr 2030
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Tomás Iturre. 2‑0 against Maipú, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad25 Mar 2030
There were 11 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Squad25 Mar 2030
128 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad25 Mar 2030
Yuri Casermeiro was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings25 Mar 2030
Marked 9.14 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad25 Mar 2030
The manager makes an example of Iván Fernández
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market18 Mar 2030
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market18 Mar 2030
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Central Córdoba SdE is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad18 Mar 2030
A season average of 7.11 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Central Córdoba SdE know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
Squad18 Mar 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Central Córdoba SdE this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings18 Mar 2030
Marked 9.32 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Match16 Mar 2030
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Mateo Sabalza. 2‑1 against Los Andes, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Squad18 Mar 2030
Matías Vera gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings18 Mar 2030
Marked 8.90 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad18 Mar 2030
35 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad25 Feb 2030
Yuri Casermeiro was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad25 Feb 2030
The manager makes an example of Iván Fernández
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings25 Feb 2030
Successful dribbles: 16. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Player ratings25 Feb 2030
Some games turn on a moment; this one turned on a man. 7.59 on the card, and the Central Córdoba SdE support went home talking about one name.
Squad25 Feb 2030
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Central Córdoba SdE, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Match23 Feb 2030
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Tristán Suárez defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market18 Feb 2030
Nadir Sánchez has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Central Córdoba SdE they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad18 Feb 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Central Córdoba SdE this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings18 Feb 2030
Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad18 Feb 2030
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings18 Feb 2030
A mark of 7.74, and nobody in the ground would argue with it. He was involved in everything that mattered and most of what did not.
Squad18 Feb 2030
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Yuri Casermeiro trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Match16 Feb 2030
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Alvarado defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
Player ratings18 Feb 2030
Shots: 8. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.
Squad18 Feb 2030
Matías Vera unhappy with how he is being used
Asked to play a role that is not his, or taken off before the hour once too often — Matías Vera has let it be known that he does not like the way Central Córdoba SdE are using him. Managers hear this long before the press does.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market11 Feb 2030
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Central Córdoba SdE can pretend not to have heard.
Market11 Feb 2030
Lucas Bernabéu has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Central Córdoba SdE they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad11 Feb 2030
There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Squad11 Feb 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Central Córdoba SdE this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match9 Feb 2030
A 3‑1 win over Ferro Carril Oeste, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Player ratings11 Feb 2030
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.18, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad11 Feb 2030
Matías Vera gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings11 Feb 2030
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.76, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings11 Feb 2030
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.66, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market4 Feb 2030
$5.1M is a serious amount of money and it does not play centre-forward. Everybody in the dressing room knows who used to be looked at when it went wrong.
Squad4 Feb 2030
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Squad4 Feb 2030
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Central Córdoba SdE may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad4 Feb 2030
Claudio Pombo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Market4 Feb 2030
He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.
Market4 Feb 2030
Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. Julián Castillo is a Central Córdoba SdE player again, and the town has its story of the summer.
Market4 Feb 2030
As if he never left: Lucas García returns
Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. Lucas García is a Central Córdoba SdE player again, and the town has its story of the summer.
Player ratings4 Feb 2030
Marked 8.72 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market3 Sep 2029
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Central Córdoba SdE, and it is not being withdrawn.
Boardroom3 Sep 2029
Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Central Córdoba SdE is running low.
Squad3 Sep 2029
There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Squad3 Sep 2029
Claudio Pombo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad3 Sep 2029
The manager makes an example of Matías Vera
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings3 Sep 2029
Marked 8.66 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad3 Sep 2029
9 goals and a season average of 7.31. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Match1 Sep 2029
A 2‑2 draw with San Miguel leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Market3 Sep 2029
Matías Pérez is 19, and Central Córdoba SdE have signed him for the player he will be rather than the one he is. The first team can wait; the point of a deal like this is the years it buys.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Player ratings27 Aug 2029
Defensive actions: 46. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Market27 Aug 2029
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Player ratings27 Aug 2029
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 26 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad27 Aug 2029
At 21, Nadir Sánchez is already the best thing here
An average of 7.08 in a first team he is several years too young for. Central Córdoba SdE have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Squad27 Aug 2029
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Central Córdoba SdE this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings27 Aug 2029
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.06, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings27 Aug 2029
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.88, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad27 Aug 2029
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market13 Aug 2029
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market13 Aug 2029
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Central Córdoba SdE is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Player ratings13 Aug 2029
Successful dribbles: 25. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad13 Aug 2029
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Central Córdoba SdE this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad13 Aug 2029
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Lucas Bernabéu, and the manager let it.
Player ratings13 Aug 2029
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.59, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad13 Aug 2029
7 goals and a season average of 7.22. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Match11 Aug 2029
A 1‑1 draw with Maipú leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Squad13 Aug 2029
Lucas Bernabéu has seen what the next man earns
Numbers do not stay secret in a dressing room and never have. He is not asking for more than he is worth; he is asking why somebody beside him is worth more, and at Central Córdoba SdE that is a harder question to answer.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad6 Aug 2029
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Central Córdoba SdE may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Match4 Aug 2029
3 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.
Squad6 Aug 2029
Claudio Pombo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings6 Aug 2029
A performance of 9.18 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings6 Aug 2029
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.97, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad6 Aug 2029
The manager makes an example of Matías Vera
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad6 Aug 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Santiago Moyano and Central Córdoba SdE agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Player ratings6 Aug 2029
Shots: 9, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market16 Jul 2029
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Central Córdoba SdE, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market16 Jul 2029
The bid was some way short and Central Córdoba SdE did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad16 Jul 2029
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Central Córdoba SdE this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad16 Jul 2029
10 clean sheets and counting. Strikers leave this ground muttering his name, which is exactly how a goalkeeper measures a good season.
Player ratings16 Jul 2029
Successful dribbles: 16. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Market16 Jul 2029
San Martín SJ are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Central Córdoba SdE will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Player ratings16 Jul 2029
Some games turn on a moment; this one turned on a man. 7.58 on the card, and the Central Córdoba SdE support went home talking about one name.
Squad16 Jul 2029
The manager makes an example of Walter Reynoso
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad16 Jul 2029
Lucas Bernabéu knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Lucas Bernabéu trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad28 May 2029
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Central Córdoba SdE may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad28 May 2029
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Central Córdoba SdE this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match26 May 2029
Arsenal left with the points after a 1‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Player ratings28 May 2029
Marked 8.89 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad28 May 2029
The manager makes an example of Yuri Casermeiro
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Boardroom28 May 2029
The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market21 May 2029
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad21 May 2029
Diego López Rivadeneira was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match19 May 2029
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Lautaro Cano. 1‑0 against All Boys, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Player ratings21 May 2029
A performance of 8.23 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings21 May 2029
Defensive actions: 17, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Player ratings21 May 2029
Successful dribbles: 15. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad21 May 2029
8 shut-outs and counting. Goalkeepers are only noticed when they fail, and Javier Vallejos has given nobody the chance.
Squad21 May 2029
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings21 May 2029
Defensive actions: 15. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market9 Apr 2029
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Central Córdoba SdE can pretend not to have heard.
Match7 Apr 2029
6 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Central Córdoba SdE has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad9 Apr 2029
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Central Córdoba SdE may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad9 Apr 2029
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Ángel Stringa and Central Córdoba SdE agree another 2 years.
Squad9 Apr 2029
Fernando Martínez was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings9 Apr 2029
Successful dribbles: 22. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market26 Mar 2029
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Central Córdoba SdE can pretend not to have heard.
Squad26 Mar 2029
There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Player ratings26 Mar 2029
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 26 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Match24 Mar 2029
4 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Squad26 Mar 2029
Fernando Martínez was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad26 Mar 2029
The manager makes an example of Matías Vera
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings26 Mar 2029
Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings26 Mar 2029
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 16 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Match24 Mar 2029
Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Quilmes came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Player ratings19 Mar 2029
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 32 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Player ratings19 Mar 2029
Successful dribbles: 25. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad19 Mar 2029
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Central Córdoba SdE this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad19 Mar 2029
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Martín Vallejos, and the manager let it.
Player ratings19 Mar 2029
Some games turn on a moment; this one turned on a man. 7.88 on the card, and the Central Córdoba SdE support went home talking about one name.
Player ratings19 Mar 2029
Shots: 5, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market5 Mar 2029
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Central Córdoba SdE, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad5 Mar 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Facundo Mansilla and Central Córdoba SdE agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad5 Mar 2029
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Central Córdoba SdE this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings5 Mar 2029
Marked 8.79 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad5 Mar 2029
The manager makes an example of Javier Vallejos
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match3 Mar 2029
A 1‑1 draw with Colegiales leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match24 Feb 2029
Tristán Suárez will want this one forgotten quickly: 5‑2, every duel lost, and a long ride home. Central Córdoba SdE were ruthless in the way good sides are ruthless.
Market26 Feb 2029
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Central Córdoba SdE, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad26 Feb 2029
3 goals in one afternoon from one man. The other players were also present, a witness confirmed.
Squad26 Feb 2029
Fernando Martínez was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings26 Feb 2029
A performance of 9.61 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings26 Feb 2029
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.25, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings26 Feb 2029
A performance of 8.62 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad26 Feb 2029
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad26 Feb 2029
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match10 Feb 2029
23 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Central Córdoba SdE has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad12 Feb 2029
Diego López Rivadeneira was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad12 Feb 2029
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Horacio Tijanovich, and the manager let it.
Match10 Feb 2029
Ferro Carril Oeste left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Player ratings12 Feb 2029
Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Boardroom12 Feb 2029
The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.
Player ratings12 Feb 2029
Ten men and a goalkeeper behind him, and it still finished in the net. He knew before anybody told him, and nobody at Central Córdoba SdE needed to.
Player ratings12 Feb 2029
A mark of 4.93 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.
Player ratings12 Feb 2029
5.37 on the card. Some afternoons a footballer looks like a man who has only just been introduced to the game, and this was one of them.