Marked for Benjamín Santamaría
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad27 Nov 2028
A knee injury of the worst kind for Mariano Bittolo
44 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Morón lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
The dugout27 Nov 2028
This is not rotation. Joaquín Livera has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Morón is pretending otherwise.
Market27 Nov 2028
“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.
Squad27 Nov 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Morón this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad27 Nov 2028
Juan Cejas 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 dugout27 Nov 2028
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Morón, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad20 Nov 2028
Mariano Bittolo damages knee ligaments — 51 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 51 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
The dugout20 Nov 2028
This is not rotation. Santiago Kubiszyn has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Morón is pretending otherwise.
Market20 Nov 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Morón can pretend not to have heard.
Squad20 Nov 2028
Tempers go at Morón
Santiago Kubiszyn 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.
Squad20 Nov 2028
Words at Morón training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Samuel Chamorro 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 dugout20 Nov 2028
Julio César Salvá has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at Morón 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 dugout20 Nov 2028
Pablo Cáceres 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 Pablo Cáceres trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market20 Nov 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Morón know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Market20 Nov 2028
Morón have let the market know Iván González can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad13 Nov 2028
Mariano Bittolo damages knee ligaments — 58 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 58 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
The dugout13 Nov 2028
This is not rotation. Elías Contreras has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Morón is pretending otherwise.
Squad13 Nov 2028
Tempers go at Morón
Elías Contreras 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.
Squad13 Nov 2028
Words at Morón training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Santiago Kubiszyn 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 dugout13 Nov 2028
Clubs make promises constantly and the page usually only hears about them when they are broken. This one was honoured, and the dressing room noticed that faster than any supporter did.
The dugout13 Nov 2028
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 Julián Bragado is on it.
The dugout13 Nov 2028
Samuel Chamorro 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.
Market13 Nov 2028
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Emanuel Iñíguez’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
Squad13 Nov 2028
Thiago Lauro wants to know why he earns less
Numbers do not stay secret in a dressing room. He is not asking for more than he is worth; he is asking why somebody beside him is worth more, and Morón have no good answer.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The dugout30 Oct 2028
This is not rotation. Joaquín Livera has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Morón is pretending otherwise.
Market30 Oct 2028
Morón may not be able to give Pablo Cáceres what he wants
It is the most legitimate ambition in the sport and the hardest for most clubs to satisfy. Pablo Cáceres wants continental football; whether Morón can provide it is a question about the next two seasons, not about him.
Squad30 Oct 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Morón this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad30 Oct 2028
A row about effort at Morón
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Joaquín Livera was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad30 Oct 2028
At 38, 3 points below where he was, and a body that has started charging interest. It happens to all of them and it is still the hardest paragraph on this page.
The dugout30 Oct 2028
Thiago Lauro 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 Thiago Lauro trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market23 Oct 2028
Juan Cejas 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 Morón can pretend not to have heard.
The dugout23 Oct 2028
This is not rotation. Santiago Kubiszyn has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Morón is pretending otherwise.
Squad23 Oct 2028
Santiago Kubiszyn 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 dugout23 Oct 2028
“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.
Squad23 Oct 2028
Antony Silva 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 Morón this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The dugout23 Oct 2028
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 Julio César Salvá is on it.
The dugout23 Oct 2028
Thiago Lauro 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 Thiago Lauro trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market23 Oct 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Morón know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Market23 Oct 2028
Morón have made Iván González available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
The dugout11 Sep 2028
This is not rotation. Emanuel Iñíguez has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Morón is pretending otherwise.
Squad11 Sep 2028
Santiago Kubiszyn 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.
Squad11 Sep 2028
Tempers go at Morón
Antony Silva 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 dugout11 Sep 2028
Thiago Lauro 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 Thiago Lauro trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market11 Sep 2028
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
The dugout11 Sep 2028
Julián Bragado has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at Morón 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.
Looking ahead11 Sep 2028
Every squad has one of these fixtures for somebody every season. This one is Elías Contreras’s: the club that knew him first, the supporters who will decide in the first minute whether to applaud, and Morón needing him to play as if none of it matters.
Market11 Sep 2028
The name of Emanuel Iñíguez keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Morón say nothing, which says plenty.
Market11 Sep 2028
Morón have made Santiago Kubiszyn available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market24 Jan 2028
Only the photograph left for Jesús Riquelme
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Jesús Riquelme will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Morón the goodbyes have quietly begun.
The dugout24 Jan 2028
This is not rotation. Joaquín Livera has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Morón is pretending otherwise.
Market24 Jan 2028
The general version of this complaint is that a player wants more. The specific version names the thing: he wants to walk out under floodlights against clubs from other countries, and he has stopped pretending otherwise.
Squad24 Jan 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Morón this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad24 Jan 2028
Santiago Kubiszyn 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 targets24 Jan 2028
Morón asked and Independiente Rivadavia said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
The dugout24 Jan 2028
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Gonzalo Berterame trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
The dugout24 Jan 2028
“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.
Market24 Jan 2028
The name of Elías Contreras keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Morón say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market27 Dec 2027
“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 Morón, and it is not being withdrawn.
Transfer targets27 Dec 2027
Everything agreed with Banfield, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.
The dugout27 Dec 2027
This is not rotation. Joaquín Livera has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Morón is pretending otherwise.
Squad27 Dec 2027
Tempers go at Morón
Elías Contreras 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.
Squad27 Dec 2027
A row about effort at Morón
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Santiago Kubiszyn was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout27 Dec 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Elías Contreras trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Squad27 Dec 2027
The formation has left Malik Jamai behind
Every shape has positions in it and this one does not have his. Morón will either change the shape, change his job, or change his club, and he is waiting to hear which.
Market27 Dec 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Morón know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
The dugout27 Dec 2027
Nobody at Morón 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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
The dugout29 Nov 2027
This is not rotation. Joaquín Livera has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Morón is pretending otherwise.
Squad29 Nov 2027
Words at Morón training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Santiago Kubiszyn 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.
Squad29 Nov 2027
Tempers go at Morón
Maximiliano Badur 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 Nov 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Facundo Molina and Morón agree another 3 years.
The dugout29 Nov 2027
Nobody at Morón 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.
Market29 Nov 2027
Morón have let the market know Franco Toloza can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
Market29 Nov 2027
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
The dugout29 Nov 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Morón, and both men came out saying it was fine.
The dugout29 Nov 2027
The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Santiago Kubiszyn plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market1 Nov 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Morón can pretend not to have heard.
The dugout1 Nov 2027
This is not rotation. Joaquín Livera has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Morón is pretending otherwise.
Squad1 Nov 2027
Tempers go at Morón
Elías Contreras 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 Nov 2027
A row about effort at Morón
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Facundo López was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout1 Nov 2027
A promise honoured at Morón
Something was said to Emanuel Iñíguez and then it happened. In this industry that passes for remarkable, and the dressing room noticed faster than any supporter could.
Squad1 Nov 2027
Morón will explain it as a decision about the team, and it may well be one. A dressing room has never once read it that way.
The dugout1 Nov 2027
Elías Contreras 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.
Squad1 Nov 2027
Nothing is announced when this happens and everybody knows. He is a bigger part of the plan at Morón than he was a month ago, and the training ground worked that out before the team sheet said so.
The dugout1 Nov 2027
Nobody at Morón 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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
The dugout6 Sep 2027
This is not rotation. Joaquín Livera has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Morón is pretending otherwise.
Squad6 Sep 2027
Words exchanged at Morón
Santiago Kubiszyn 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.
Loan watch6 Sep 2027
“I did not go to Ferrocarril Midland to sit and watch. I want to come back to Morón and fight for my place.” 5 appearances in 33 matches say the rest.
Squad6 Sep 2027
Facundo López 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.
Squad6 Sep 2027
Four or five weekends of consistency, measured against everybody else in the division. A quieter compliment than an award and a more reliable one.
The dugout6 Sep 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Emanuel Iñíguez trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Squad6 Sep 2027
One weekend, judged against everybody else's. Juan Cruz Esquivel has come out on top of it, and for most footballers a weekly award is the only silverware a career ever produces.
Looking ahead6 Sep 2027
Every squad has one of these fixtures for somebody every season. This one is Gonzalo Berterame’s: the club that knew him first, the supporters who will decide in the first minute whether to applaud, and Morón needing him to play as if none of it matters.
The dugout6 Sep 2027
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.