Gino Rizzo

Goalkeeper - Rentistas
25 Jan 2032
Sunday
Process

Marked for Gino Rizzo

231 Edition

The Güemes Post

30 Dec 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Gino Rizzo is on his way

The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Güemes is pretending he will be back in the shirt.

The dugout

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Squad

Tempers go at Güemes

Gianluca Pugliese 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.

Squad

A row about effort at Güemes

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Merrill Nand was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

The dugout

No hiding place for Merrill Nand

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Merrill Nand, and the manager let it.

The dugout

Zac Jagielka knocks on the manager's door

“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Güemes, and both men came out saying it was fine.

In brief

Back issues
230 Edition

The Güemes Post

23 Dec 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

The terraces

Supporters organise against the Güemes board

A bad atmosphere can be waited out. A group of people meeting afterwards to decide what to do about it cannot, and everybody in the building knows which stage this is.

Boardroom

Pressure builds in the Güemes boardroom

The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.

Transfer targets

Ezequiel Gerez is a medical away from Güemes

The deal with Gimnasia y Tiro is done in every sense but the one that puts him on the pitch. Nothing goes wrong at this stage, except on the occasions when it does.

The dugout

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Squad

Words exchanged at Güemes

Gianluca Pugliese and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

Transfer targets

Güemes rebuffed over Kevin Maidana

Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Vélez have kept their man, and Güemes go back to a list with one name crossed off it.

The dugout

Lautaro Erchego 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.

Squad

A row about effort at Güemes

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and José Luis Ramos was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

Squad

A muscle injury and 14 days out for Lucas Soto

The most common injury in the game and the most rushed back from. Güemes will quote 14 days and will be careful with it, because the second one is always worse than the first.

In brief

229 Edition

The Güemes Post

16 Dec 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Gino Rizzo has said yes to Gimnasia y Esgrima

The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. Güemes have lost him in all but the paperwork.

Match

Every point is an argument now for Güemes

Position 17 and 24 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.

Transfer targets

Jorge Escobar is a medical away from Güemes

The deal with Platense is done in every sense but the one that puts him on the pitch. Nothing goes wrong at this stage, except on the occasions when it does.

Squad

A falling-out at Güemes

Gianluca Pugliese and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Squad

A row about effort at Güemes

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and José Luis Ramos was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

The dugout

Lautaro Erchego 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 Lautaro Erchego trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

In brief

228 Edition

The Güemes Post

9 Dec 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

The dugout

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Transfer targets

Lautaro Torres due for a Güemes medical

Everything agreed with Temperley, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.

Squad

Gianluca Pugliese in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Güemes this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Market

Gimnasia y Esgrima are about to pick up the phone

A conversation is coming this week. Güemes will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.

Transfer targets

Door shut on Andrés Ramírez

Güemes asked and Instituto said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.

Squad

Güemes count the cost of losing Gustavo Vidal

24 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.

Squad

Words at Güemes training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Merrill Nand is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.

The dugout

The manager makes an example of Francisco González

“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.

Market

The Maico Quiroz story refuses to die

It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Maico Quiroz signs something — a contract at Güemes or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.

In brief

227 Edition

The Güemes Post

2 Dec 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

Güemes spell it out for Juan Pablo Álvarez

The board’s statement ran to three sentences and one of them mentioned results. Juan Pablo Álvarez has managed long enough to translate: win soon, or the next statement is shorter.

The dugout

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Squad

Tempers go at Güemes

Gianluca Pugliese 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.

Squad

Words at Güemes training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Merrill Nand is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.

Transfer targets

A loan move for Diego Lombardi is in the works

Güemes have made the call to Estudiantes. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.

The dugout

Exequiel Banegas gets picked when it counts

Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Exequiel Banegas is on it.

The dugout

Adrián Fernández without the man who signed him

Every squad is half players the manager chose and half players he inherited. Adrián Fernández was chosen, the man who chose him has gone, and he starts again from nothing under the next one.

Market

The Facundo Melillán talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Güemes know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

Boardroom

The window opens at Güemes

A month in which every rumour is possible and most of them are nonsense. The manager has a list, the board has a number, and neither is telling the other the whole of it.

In brief

226 Edition

The Güemes Post

25 Nov 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

The terraces

Anger at Güemes spills outside the ground

It has stopped being a mood in the stands and started being something organised. Boards can ignore a bad atmosphere for a long time; they cannot ignore this stage of it for very long at all.

Boardroom

The scrutiny sharpens at Güemes

Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Güemes is running low.

The dugout

Lucas Soto: 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.” Güemes have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.

The dugout

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Squad

Words exchanged at Güemes

Gianluca Pugliese and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

Squad

Liam Paz stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Liam Paz and Güemes agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

In brief

225 Edition

The Güemes Post

18 Nov 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

Güemes sink to position 17

24 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.

Squad

A falling-out at Güemes

Gianluca Pugliese and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Squad

A row about effort at Güemes

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Merrill Nand was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

The dugout

No hiding place for Mauricio Bravo

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Mauricio Bravo, and the manager let it.

Market

The Gianfranco Baier question follows Güemes around

Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Gianfranco Baier’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.

Market

The shop window has Gino Rizzo in it

Güemes have let the market know Gino Rizzo can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.

The terraces

The Gino Rizzo rumours reach the terraces

What was a back-page link has become a chant, and the chant is not friendly. Güemes would rather it were settled quietly, and it has stopped being quiet.

The dugout

Lucas Soto 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 Soto trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

Market

Deportivo Riestra send scouts to watch Gino Rizzo

Two seats in the directors' box were spoken for, and the name in the notebook was Gino Rizzo. Nothing has been offered yet.

In brief

223 Edition

The Güemes Post

4 Nov 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

Juan Pablo Álvarez has until the next board meeting

What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at Güemes can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.

The dugout

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Squad

A falling-out at Güemes

Zac Jagielka and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Squad

Óscar Vanegas signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Óscar Vanegas commits to Güemes for another 2 years.

Squad

Gianluca Pugliese falls out with a teammate over standards

The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.

The dugout

Lautaro Erchego 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.

Squad

Güemes take the armband off Gianfranco Baier

It will be explained as a change for the team and it may even be one. Nobody who has worn one believes that, and neither does the man who has just had it taken away.

The dugout

Gianfranco Baier 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 Gianfranco Baier trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.

The dugout

When it matters, Exequiel Banegas plays

It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.

In brief

222 Edition

The Güemes Post

28 Oct 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

The terraces

The mood at Güemes has turned into something else

Supporters who sing when it goes badly are supporters. Supporters who gather afterwards are a problem, and everybody inside the building knows which of the two this now is.

Boardroom

Pressure builds in the Güemes boardroom

The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.

The dugout

Lautaro Erchego keeps the receipts

“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Güemes may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.

The dugout

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Squad

Words exchanged at Güemes

Gianluca Pugliese and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

Squad

A row about effort at Güemes

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Merrill Nand was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

Market

The Gianluca Pugliese question follows Güemes around

Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Gianluca Pugliese’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.

The dugout

The manager has not finished forgetting Maxi's mistake

Publicly it is behind everybody. It is not behind the man who picks the team, and the only place that shows is a team sheet. He will get another chance; he will get it in a match that matters less.

Market

Gino Rizzo runs his contract down

2 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Güemes money.

In brief

221 Edition

The Güemes Post

21 Oct 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

Every point is an argument now for Güemes

Position 17 and 24 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.

Squad

Words exchanged at Güemes

Gianluca Pugliese and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

The dugout

No hiding place for Francisco González

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Francisco González, and the manager let it.

Market

The Gianfranco Baier story refuses to die

It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Gianfranco Baier signs something — a contract at Güemes or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.

Market

Güemes put Gino Rizzo up for sale

The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Gino Rizzo may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.

Squad

Tomás Aguirre: another 5 days

The comeback has moved again. The medical staff will not give a new date and the manager has stopped asking for one.

In brief

219 Edition

The Güemes Post

7 Oct 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Boardroom

Güemes put Juan Pablo Álvarez on notice

The board have said in public what they had been saying in private. Results between now and the next meeting decide it, and everybody in the building knows the arithmetic.

Squad

A fracture rules Merrill Nand out for 15 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Güemes will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

The dugout

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Squad

Gianluca Pugliese signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Gianluca Pugliese commits to Güemes for another 3 years.

Squad

Words exchanged at Güemes

Zac Jagielka and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

Squad

Words at Güemes training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Gianluca Pugliese is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.

The dugout

Exequiel Banegas has become a man the manager trusts

Nobody at Güemes will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.

The dugout

The manager's exit leaves Adrián Fernández exposed

Every squad has men who were signed by a particular manager and men who were merely inherited. Adrián Fernández is in the first group, and the man who wanted him here is no longer in the building.

The dugout

The manager makes an example of Lucas Soto

“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.

In brief

218 Edition

The Güemes Post

30 Sep 2030
From our football correspondent Uneasy

The terraces

The mood at Güemes has turned into something else

Supporters who sing when it goes badly are supporters. Supporters who gather afterwards are a problem, and everybody inside the building knows which of the two this now is.

Squad

22 days out for Merrill Nand after a fracture

A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Güemes will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.

Market

Gino Rizzo asks to leave Güemes

“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.

Boardroom

The scrutiny sharpens at Güemes

Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Güemes is running low.

The dugout

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Squad

A falling-out at Güemes

Gianluca Pugliese and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

The dugout

Mauricio Bravo 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.

Market

The Gianluca Pugliese story refuses to die

It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Gianluca Pugliese signs something — a contract at Güemes or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.

The dugout

Maxi is still paying for one afternoon at Güemes

Nobody will confirm this and nothing else explains the last month of selections. A costly error buys a player a period of being second choice that is always longer than the error was.

In brief

217 Edition

The Güemes Post

23 Sep 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

Every point is an argument now for Güemes

Position 17 and 24 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.

Squad

A fracture rules Merrill Nand out for 29 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Güemes will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

Match

Full time on the season at Güemes

Position 17 on 24 points. Every season is a story and this is the last line of it, and now the club has three months to decide what the next one is about.

Squad

Gino Rizzo stands alone

7 saves, and a scoreline the ten men in front of him had no right to. Goalkeepers only get noticed on the bad days; this was one of the other ones.

Player ratings

Age has not caught Gianluca Pugliese yet — 8.03

At 33 he is supposed to be managing his minutes. Instead he was marked 8.03 and looked, for ninety minutes, exactly like the player everybody remembers.

Squad

A row about effort at Güemes

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Gianluca Pugliese was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

Match

Güemes come up short against Nueva Chicago

Nueva Chicago left with the points after a 1‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

The dugout

The manager’s verdict

“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 1‑2 Juan Pablo Álvarez left the room before anybody could ask which.

The dugout

Merrill Nand 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.

In brief

215 Edition

The Güemes Post

9 Sep 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

Güemes taken apart

1‑6 to Estudiantes, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.

Squad

A fracture rules Merrill Nand out for 43 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Güemes will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

The dugout

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Squad

Gianluca Pugliese in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Güemes this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

Maico Quiroz among the goals in a wild afternoon

7 goals in one match, Maico Quiroz on the scoresheet, and a scoreline that will look like a misprint. Neutrals could not have asked more of Güemes and Estudiantes.

Player ratings

Maico Quiroz was on a different afternoon to everybody else

8.13. There are performances a supporter describes to somebody who was not there and cannot quite convey; this was one, and the number does not help either.

Squad

6 past Gino Rizzo

Whether it was the goalkeeper or the ten in front of him is the argument that will fill every conversation in town this week. 3 saves does not settle it either way.

Looking ahead

A six-pointer for Güemes

Gimnasia y Esgrima next, and both sides can do the sum. Win and the table looks different; lose and it looks the way everybody has been fearing.

Boardroom

Nobody left the Güemes 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.

In brief

213 Edition

The Güemes Post

26 Aug 2030
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

14 matches without a win for Güemes

The run now stands at 14, and the questions being asked around Güemes are no longer polite ones.

Match

Güemes sink to position 17

21 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.

Squad

57 days out for Merrill Nand after a fracture

A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Güemes will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.

Squad

Gino Rizzo keeps Güemes in it on his own

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.

Squad

Words exchanged at Güemes

Gianluca Pugliese and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Maico Quiroz

Successful dribbles: 22. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Words at Güemes training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Gianfranco Baier is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.

The dugout

No hiding place for Lautaro Erchego

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Lautaro Erchego, and the manager let it.

Looking ahead

A six-pointer for Güemes

Chaco For Ever next, and both sides can do the sum. Win and the table looks different; lose and it looks the way everybody has been fearing.

In brief

212 Edition

The Güemes Post

19 Aug 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

13 matches without a win for Güemes

The run now stands at 13, and the questions being asked around Güemes are no longer polite ones.

Squad

64 days out for Merrill Nand after a fracture

A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Güemes will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.

The dugout

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The dugout

Lucas Soto says Güemes went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Squad

Tempers go at Güemes

Gianluca Pugliese 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.

Squad

Gianfranco Baier falls out with a teammate over standards

The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.

Match

San Telmo take the points off Güemes

Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

The dugout

Juan Pablo Álvarez answers for it

“The supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 0‑2, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.

The dugout

No hiding place for Merrill Nand

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Merrill Nand, and the manager let it.

In brief

211 Edition

The Güemes Post

12 Aug 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

12 matches without a win for Güemes

The run now stands at 12, and the questions being asked around Güemes are no longer polite ones.

Squad

Merrill Nand breaks a bone — 71 days out

Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 71 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.

Match

Güemes taken apart

0‑3 to Central Norte, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Gino Rizzo

There were 7 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.

The dugout

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Squad

Gianluca Pugliese in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Güemes this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

The dugout

Gino Rizzo 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.

Boardroom

Nobody left the Güemes 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.

The dugout

Juan Pablo Álvarez: “No excuses”

“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 0‑3, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.

In brief

209 Edition

The Güemes Post

29 Jul 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

No end in sight to Güemes's wait for a win

10 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Güemes has to find a result from somewhere.

Match

A hiding for Güemes

Beaten 0‑7 by Morón, and beaten everywhere it matters. The inquest starts on the training pitch on Monday morning.

Squad

A fracture rules Merrill Nand out for 85 days

Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Güemes will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.

Match

Every point is an argument now for Güemes

Position 16 and 19 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.

Squad

Words exchanged at Güemes

Gianluca Pugliese and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

Match

Nobody could stop scoring

7 goals. Both benches spent the second half looking at each other rather than at the pitch. Purists will complain about Güemes and Morón in equal measure; everybody else had a wonderful time.

Squad

7 past Gino Rizzo

Whether it was the goalkeeper or the ten in front of him is the argument that will fill every conversation in town this week. 4 saves does not settle it either way.

The dugout

Lautaro Erchego 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.

Transfer targets

Deadline beats Güemes to Sebastián Anchoverri

The clock did what Almagro would not, and ended it. Supporters who watched the countdown will spend the next window doing it again.

In brief

208 Edition

The Güemes Post

22 Jul 2030
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Not going: Gino Rizzo stays at Güemes

“I know what people will say. I know what I want, and it is here.” Almagro had the fee agreed and the shirt ready; they did not have the player, and now they will not.

Squad

Merrill Nand breaks a bone — 92 days out

Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 92 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.

Match

9 matches without a win for Güemes

The run now stands at 9, and the questions being asked around Güemes are no longer polite ones.

Squad

Gino Rizzo stands alone

7 saves, and a scoreline the ten men in front of him had no right to. Goalkeepers only get noticed on the bad days; this was one of the other ones.

The dugout

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Boardroom

Window shuts: 0 in, 2 out at Güemes

The deadline has passed and the squad is the squad. 0 arrived, 2 left, and everything else printed about this club last month was a rumour that stayed one.

Transfer targets

Víctor Barrera turns down Güemes

The clubs had agreed and the player had not. A snub, and a public one: Maipú keep him, and the supporters here are left wondering what he had heard about the place.

Transfer targets

Sebastián Anchoverri due for a Güemes medical

Everything agreed with Almagro, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.

Squad

A falling-out at Güemes

Zac Jagielka and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

In brief

207 Edition

The Güemes Post

15 Jul 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

Güemes taken apart

1‑4 to Aldosivi, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.

Match

The wait goes on for Güemes

8 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.

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Gino Rizzo

There were 8 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.

Market

Güemes turn down Almagro for Gino Rizzo

The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.

The dugout

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Transfer targets

Bautista Fernández due for a Güemes medical

Everything agreed with Temperley, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.

Squad

Gianluca Pugliese in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Güemes this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Maico Quiroz beats them one at a time

Successful dribbles: 21. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.

Transfer targets

Maipú tell Güemes: Víctor Barrera is not for sale

The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.

In brief

206 Edition

The Güemes Post

8 Jul 2030
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Gino Rizzo puts it in writing

“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 Güemes, and it is not being withdrawn.

Match

No end in sight to Güemes's wait for a win

7 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Güemes has to find a result from somewhere.

Match

Güemes cannot find the net

7 games without scoring. Strikers stop looking up, midfielders take the extra touch, and every shot that clears the bar is followed by a groan that has been building since the last goal.

Squad

A falling-out at Güemes

Gianluca Pugliese and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Squad

Lautaro Erchego signs on for more

“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Lautaro Erchego and Güemes agree another 4 years.

Transfer targets

Door shut on Joaquín Romano

Güemes asked and Newell's Old Boys said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.

Player ratings

Maico Quiroz was unplayable

Successful dribbles: 19. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.

Squad

Words at Güemes training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Merrill Nand is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.

Boardroom

Intake day at the Güemes academy

4 arrivals, an average age nobody would call a squad, and a set of parents being shown around a building their sons will spend more time in than at home. The scouting has already happened; today is only the paperwork.

In brief

205 Edition

The Güemes Post

1 Jul 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Gino Rizzo has said yes to Morón

The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. Güemes have lost him in all but the paperwork.

Match

6 matches without a win for Güemes

The run now stands at 6, and the questions being asked around Güemes are no longer polite ones.

Match

6 matches without a goal for Güemes

The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 6 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.

Squad

Words exchanged at Güemes

Gianluca Pugliese and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

Transfer targets

Door shut on Nicolás Monges

Güemes asked and Racing Club said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.

Match

A bad afternoon for Güemes against Defensores Unidos

0‑2 to Defensores Unidos, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.

The dugout

The manager makes an example of Lautaro Erchego

“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.

The dugout

Juan Pablo Álvarez faces the questions

“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Juan Pablo Álvarez after 0‑2, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.

Squad

Merrill Nand falls out with a teammate over standards

The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.

In brief

204 Edition

The Güemes Post

24 Jun 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Not going: Gino Rizzo stays at Güemes

“I know what people will say. I know what I want, and it is here.” Nueva Chicago had the fee agreed and the shirt ready; they did not have the player, and now they will not.

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Gino Rizzo

There were 8 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.

Match

5 matches without a win for Güemes

The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Güemes are no longer polite ones.

Match

5 matches without a goal for Güemes

The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 5 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.

The dugout

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Player ratings

Maico Quiroz beats them one at a time

Successful dribbles: 22. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.

Squad

Gianluca Pugliese falls out with a teammate over standards

The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.

Transfer targets

San Martín SJ tell Güemes: Bastian Kowalczyk is not for sale

The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.

Match

Defensores take the points off Güemes

Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

In brief

203 Edition

The Güemes Post

17 Jun 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

8 saves: Gino Rizzo was the team

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 8 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.

Transfer targets

$11.0K settles it between the clubs for Andrés Ramírez

Instituto have accepted the money. What Güemes do not yet have is the man, and between here and the photograph is a conversation about wages that both sides are dreading.

The dugout

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Match

4 matches without a win for Güemes

The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Güemes are no longer polite ones.

Squad

Gianluca Pugliese in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Güemes this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

4 matches without a goal for Güemes

The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 4 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.

Transfer targets

Güemes baulk at the price for Juan Turletti

Gimnasia y Tiro wanted more than $290.0K and the board would not go there. Walked away, for now, which in a transfer window means until somebody blinks.

Transfer targets

Güemes rebuffed over Diego Lombardi

Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Estudiantes have kept their man, and Güemes go back to a list with one name crossed off it.

Match

Güemes come up short against Talleres

Talleres left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

In brief

202 Edition

The Güemes Post

10 Jun 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Market

Gino Rizzo puts it in writing

“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 Güemes, and it is not being withdrawn.

Market

Güemes say no — this time

The offer from Gimnasia y Esgrima for Gino Rizzo was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.

Squad

Gino Rizzo keeps Güemes in it on his own

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.

The dugout

Rodrygo Santos says Güemes went back on their word

“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.

Transfer targets

Güemes make their move for Juan Turletti

$290.0K on the table at Gimnasia y Tiro. The manager wanted him, the board agreed a number, and the only voices still to be heard are the ones at the other club.

Squad

A falling-out at Güemes

Gianluca Pugliese and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Match

Güemes cannot find the net

3 games without scoring. Strikers stop looking up, midfielders take the extra touch, and every shot that clears the bar is followed by a groan that has been building since the last goal.

Transfer targets

Güemes rebuffed over Pablo Ramos

Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Newell's Old Boys have kept their man, and Güemes go back to a list with one name crossed off it.

Squad

Words at Güemes training over how hard people work

Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Merrill Nand is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.

In brief

201 Edition

The Güemes Post

3 Jun 2030
From our football correspondent Steady

Player ratings

Vintage Facundo Melillán — 7.81

At 33 every good afternoon gets called a throwback, and this one was: 7.81, and nobody on the pitch better.

Squad

Zac Jagielka in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Güemes this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Player ratings

Maico Quiroz beats them one at a time

Successful dribbles: 15. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.

Transfer targets

Güemes ask about Gael Flores

A loan enquiry to Boca Juniors: cover, or a look at somebody the club cannot afford to buy yet. Either way the answer will come back inside the week.

Transfer targets

Güemes ask about Miguel Ángel Miranda

A loan enquiry to Racing Club: cover, or a look at somebody the club cannot afford to buy yet. Either way the answer will come back inside the week.

The dugout

The manager’s verdict

“I am frustrated, honestly. We did enough to win and we did not win.” Juan Pablo Álvarez was not hiding it after 0‑0, and nobody in the Güemes dressing room was either.

Squad

A promotion for Gianfranco Baier

Not a new contract, not a new number: a new place in the manager’s thinking, which is the only promotion in football that actually matters. Gianfranco Baier has moved up it.

The dugout

Exequiel Banegas has become a man the manager trusts

Nobody at Güemes will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.

The dugout

No hiding place for Zurdo

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Zurdo, and the manager let it.

In brief

198 Edition

The Güemes Post

13 May 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Gino Rizzo asks to leave Güemes

“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.

The dugout

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Squad

A falling-out at Güemes

Gianluca Pugliese and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Match

Güemes come up short against Estudiantes

Estudiantes left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.

The dugout

Gino Rizzo 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 ratings

Maico Quiroz beats them one at a time

Successful dribbles: 18. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.

The dugout

Juan Pablo Álvarez: “No excuses”

“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 0‑2, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.

Market

The Gianluca Pugliese story refuses to die

It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Gianluca Pugliese signs something — a contract at Güemes or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.

The dugout

Mauricio Bravo gets picked when it counts

Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Mauricio Bravo is on it.

In brief

196 Edition

The Güemes Post

29 Apr 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

The cup run ends for Güemes

1‑5 against San Martín SJ, and the road stops here. Cup exits are quick deaths — no second leg, no next week, just the league from now until May.

Match

Güemes taken apart

0‑3 to Temperley, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.

Player ratings

What a way to start for Mauricio Bravo — 7.28

1 on the scoresheet on his first appearance and a mark of 7.28 beside it. Most debuts are got through; this one was enjoyed, by him and by everybody watching it.

Match

Güemes leaking at the back

9 matches, two or more conceded in every one of them. Sides that create as much as this can live with it for a while. Nobody lives with it forever.

Match

Every point is an argument now for Güemes

Position 16 and 9 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.

Squad

Gino Rizzo stands alone

7 saves, and a scoreline the ten men in front of him had no right to. Goalkeepers only get noticed on the bad days; this was one of the other ones.

The terraces

A cup hiding at San Martín SJ leaves Güemes explaining themselves

1-5, and long before the end the away end had switched from encouragement to something considerably more pointed. Nobody rings a phone-in about losing narrowly.

Squad

Tempers go at Güemes

Gianluca Pugliese 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.

Match

Nobody could stop scoring

6 goals. Both benches spent the second half looking at each other rather than at the pitch. Purists will complain about Güemes and San Martín SJ in equal measure; everybody else had a wonderful time.

In brief

195 Edition

The Güemes Post

22 Apr 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Market

Lucas Ortiz 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 Güemes can pretend not to have heard.

Squad

A one-man rearguard from Gino Rizzo

There were 7 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.

Squad

At 19, Lucas Ortiz is already the best thing here

An average of 6.55 in a first team he is several years too young for. Güemes have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.

Player ratings

Vintage Gianluca Pugliese — 8.01

At 33 every good afternoon gets called a throwback, and this one was: 8.01, and nobody on the pitch better.

Match

Güemes are shipping goals every week

Two or more conceded in each of the last 7 matches. It is not one mistake repeating itself, which would be the easier thing to fix; it is a different one every week.

The dugout

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Squad

Words exchanged at Güemes

Zac Jagielka and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

Player ratings

Maico Quiroz beats them one at a time

Successful dribbles: 21. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.

Squad

A row about effort at Güemes

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Gianluca Pugliese was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

In brief

194 Edition

The Güemes Post

15 Apr 2030
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Match

Güemes win it in stoppage time

The board had gone up, the arguing had started, and then the ball was in the net in the 92th minute. Central Norte will replay every second of the added time for a week.

Squad

3 goals for Gianluca Pugliese

The match ball belongs to Gianluca Pugliese, whose 3 goals turned a difficult afternoon into a procession.

Player ratings

Gianluca Pugliese, 33, rolls back the years — 9.81

There is an age at which every good afternoon gets described as a throwback, which is unfair and also accurate. 9.81 at 33, and nobody on the pitch was better.

Squad

7 saves: Gino Rizzo was the team

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 7 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.

Squad

At 18, Alejandro Iglesias is already the best thing here

An average of 6.60 in a first team he is several years too young for. Güemes have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.

Match

Güemes are shipping goals every week

Two or more conceded in each of the last 6 matches. It is not one mistake repeating itself, which would be the easier thing to fix; it is a different one every week.

The dugout

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Squad

Tempers go at Güemes

Zac Jagielka 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.

Match

At last: Güemes win one

6 matches without a win, and then this, against Central Norte. Relief is a strange noise in a football ground and it was the only noise at the end.

In brief

193 Edition

The Güemes Post

8 Apr 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

Güemes taken apart

1‑4 to Agropecuario Argentino, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.

Market

Gino Rizzo puts it in writing

“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 Güemes, and it is not being withdrawn.

Match

No end in sight to Güemes's wait for a win

6 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Güemes has to find a result from somewhere.

Squad

Words exchanged at Güemes

Gianluca Pugliese and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

Match

No clean sheets in sight for Güemes

5 games now with at least two against. The back line has been rearranged, the goalkeeper has been backed publicly, and the goals keep going in anyway.

Squad

Óscar Vanegas stays put

“The easiest signature of my career.” Óscar Vanegas and Güemes agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.

The dugout

Exequiel Banegas 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.

Boardroom

Inquest at Güemes

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.

The dugout

The manager’s verdict

“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 1‑4 Juan Pablo Álvarez left the room before anybody could ask which.

In brief

192 Edition

The Güemes Post

1 Apr 2030
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Player ratings

A brace, and Maico Quiroz takes the afternoon — 8.36

There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Maico Quiroz provided it, and the 8.36 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.

Match

The wait goes on for Güemes

5 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.

Player ratings

Nobody could get near Andi Vidal

Successful dribbles: 25. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.

Squad

Tempers go at Güemes

Gianluca Pugliese 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.

Match

No clean sheets in sight for Güemes

4 games now with at least two against. The back line has been rearranged, the goalkeeper has been backed publicly, and the goals keep going in anyway.

The dugout

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Match

Güemes refuse to lose to Morón

A point taken on 94 minutes is worth exactly one point and considerably more than that to a dressing room. This side does not stop, which is a reputation worth more than the result.

The dugout

No hiding place for Gino Rizzo

“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Gino Rizzo, and the manager let it.

Match

Maico Quiroz rescues a point for Güemes

It needed Maico Quiroz to find the net to bring anything home at all: 2‑2 against Morón, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.

In brief

191 Edition

The Güemes Post

25 Mar 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Squad

Gino Rizzo keeps Güemes in it on his own

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.

Match

The wait goes on for Güemes

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.

The dugout

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Squad

Gianluca Pugliese in a row with a teammate

It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Güemes this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.

Match

Chacarita Juniors take the points off Güemes

Beaten 1‑3, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.

Squad

A row about effort at Güemes

Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Felipe Castillo was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.

The dugout

Juan Pablo Álvarez answers for it

“The supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 1‑3, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.

The dugout

Güemes pick somebody else ahead of Felipe Castillo

There is no complaint available here and everybody involved knows it, which does not make the walk to the bench any shorter. Form is the only currency in football that cannot be borrowed against.

Player ratings

Maico Quiroz was unplayable

Successful dribbles: 13. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.

In brief

190 Edition

The Güemes Post

18 Mar 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

Güemes taken apart

0‑4 to Aldosivi, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.

The dugout

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Squad

A falling-out at Güemes

Gianluca Pugliese and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.

Boardroom

Doors closed at Güemes

The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.

The dugout

The manager’s verdict

“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 0‑4 Juan Pablo Álvarez left the room before anybody could ask which.

Squad

A day to forget for Gino Rizzo

Beaten 4 times, 4 saves, and an afternoon that will go on his record whether it was his fault or the defence’s. It is the quiet unfairness of the position.

Player ratings

Maico Quiroz runs at them all day

Successful dribbles: 12. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.

The dugout

When it matters, Exequiel Banegas plays

It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.

Looking ahead

A reunion for Gianluca Pugliese

He used to wear the other shirt. On Saturday he plays against Chacarita Juniors in this one, and whatever he says this week about it being just another game will be untrue.

In brief

189 Edition

The Güemes Post

11 Mar 2030
From our football correspondent Crisis

Match

Güemes taken apart

0‑4 to San Martín SJ, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.

Squad

8 saves: Gino Rizzo was the team

Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 8 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.

Market

Pablo López asks to leave Güemes

“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.

Squad

Güemes lose Gianluca Pugliese

20 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.

Squad

Adrián Fernández signs a new deal

“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Adrián Fernández commits to Güemes for another 4 years.

Boardroom

Doors closed at Güemes

The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.

The dugout

Juan Pablo Álvarez faces the questions

“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Juan Pablo Álvarez after 0‑4, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.

The dugout

Francisco González 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.

Looking ahead

A test against the best for Güemes

The team at the top of the table next, and the honest measure of where this side actually is. Anybody can beat the club below them; the question is what happens against Aldosivi.

In brief

188 Edition

The Güemes Post

4 Mar 2030
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Squad

Tempers go at Güemes

Gianluca Pugliese 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.

The dugout

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The dugout

Lautaro Erchego 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.

Squad

Gino Rizzo is no longer first choice

The manager has re-ordered his thinking and Gino Rizzo has come out of it lower. He will be told it is temporary, and the players who have heard that before will avoid his eye.

Player ratings

The afternoon belonged to Lautaro Erchego

A mark of 7.87, and nobody in the ground would argue with it. He was involved in everything that mattered and most of what did not.

Match

Lautaro Erchego rescues a point for Güemes

It needed Lautaro Erchego to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against Defensores Unidos, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.

The dugout

The view from the dugout

“We did not lose. Some weeks that is all you get, and I would rather have the point than not.” Juan Pablo Álvarez chose the glass-half-full version of 1‑1; the supporters left with the other one.

Squad

Güemes have started building around Adrián Fernández

He used to be one of the options. He is now one of the men the options are picked around, and the change happened quietly enough that only the dressing room noticed on the day.

Market

The Facundo Melillán talk will not go away

Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Güemes know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.

In brief

187 Edition

The Güemes Post

25 Feb 2030
From our football correspondent Uneasy

Market

Gino Rizzo puts it in writing

“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 Güemes, and it is not being withdrawn.

Match

Gianluca Pugliese settles it late for Güemes

The 87th minute, half the ground already edging towards the exits, and Gianluca Pugliese decided nobody was going anywhere. Defensores had no time left to answer.

Squad

Gianluca Pugliese takes the match ball home

3 goals in one afternoon from one man. The other players were also present, a witness confirmed.

Match

Güemes are shipping goals every week

Two or more conceded in each of the last 7 matches. It is not one mistake repeating itself, which would be the easier thing to fix; it is a different one every week.

The dugout

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Squad

Words exchanged at Güemes

Zac Jagielka and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.

Player ratings

Gianluca Pugliese in the eights

A performance of 9.68 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.

Match

Güemes end the wait against Defensores

It had gone 6 games. The players did not celebrate like men who had won a match; they celebrated like men who had been let out of something.

Match

Güemes find a way past Defensores

Defensores made Güemes work for it, but the scoreboard read 3‑2 at the end and the table does not ask how.

In brief