Marked for Joaquín Monzón
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match16 Mar 2030
No end in sight to Güemes's wait for a win
23 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Güemes has to find a result from somewhere.
Player ratings18 Mar 2030
Successful dribbles: 26. 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.
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.
Match16 Mar 2030
A bad afternoon for Güemes against All Boys
0‑1 to All Boys, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad18 Mar 2030
A row about effort at Güemes
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Matías Castro was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad18 Mar 2030
25 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
The dugout18 Mar 2030
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 0‑1 Interim Coach left the room before anybody could ask which.
The dugout18 Mar 2030
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 dugout18 Mar 2030
The manager makes an example of Juan Sosa
“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.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match2 Mar 2030
The wait goes on for Güemes
20 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.
Boardroom4 Mar 2030
Güemes counting the cost
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Güemes now.
Market4 Mar 2030
Jaan Sööt 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 The request is on a desk at Güemes, and it is not being withdrawn.
Player ratings4 Mar 2030
Juan Zaya beats them one at a time
Successful dribbles: 23. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
Squad4 Mar 2030
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Manuel Morello and Güemes agree another 2 years.
The dugout4 Mar 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 ratings4 Mar 2030
16 times he got in the way of something. Centre-halves get written about when they make mistakes and ignored when they do not, so an afternoon like this needs saying out loud: he is the reason the scoreline reads as it does.
Player ratings4 Mar 2030
7.45, and no serious argument from anybody who was there. Güemes had eleven men on the pitch and one of them decided how it went.
Squad4 Mar 2030
5 new faces, and Güemes are still learning each other
A squad rebuilt inside one window pays for it in a currency nobody budgets for. The football is not worse than the sum of the players; it is worse than the sum of the players who have played together before.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match23 Feb 2030
No end in sight to Güemes's wait for a win
19 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Güemes has to find a result from somewhere.
The terraces25 Feb 2030
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.
Market25 Feb 2030
Juan Zaya 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.
Player ratings25 Feb 2030
Maico Quiroz beats them one at a time
Successful dribbles: 25. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
The dugout25 Feb 2030
This is not rotation. Enzo Suárez has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Güemes is pretending otherwise.
Match23 Feb 2030
1‑1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
The dugout25 Feb 2030
“It is not the end of the world and it is not good enough. Both of those are true.” The manager, after a 1‑1 draw, said the honest thing and then went to say it again inside.
The dugout25 Feb 2030
Joaquín Monzón 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.
Squad25 Feb 2030
A first team debut at 19 for Jorge Alonso
Off the academy pitches and into a senior shirt, at 19. The parents in the stand will keep the programme, and so will he.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces28 Jan 2030
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.
Market28 Jan 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.
The dugout28 Jan 2030
This is not rotation. Enzo Suárez has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Güemes is pretending otherwise.
The dugout28 Jan 2030
He asked about his future and was given an answer with minutes in it. The manager has now made a promise in a building where promises are remembered, and the clock on it has started.
Market28 Jan 2030
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Thiago Gómez’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
Squad28 Jan 2030
Nicolas Barrios is not doing himself any favours
A manager forgives a bad Saturday far more readily than a bad Tuesday, because one of them he can explain and the other one he chose. The reports this week have not been good.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom21 Jan 2030
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.
Squad21 Jan 2030
The medical room confirms 30 days on the sidelines for Martín Vega, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Market21 Jan 2030
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Güemes, another week without a signature from Ariel Bulacio.
The dugout21 Jan 2030
The manager makes an example of Juan Sosa
“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.
Market21 Jan 2030
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.
The dugout21 Jan 2030
“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
Market14 Jan 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 Güemes can pretend not to have heard.
Transfer targets14 Jan 2030
$2.0K was the most the club would pay and Arsenal were asking for more. Deals like this are revived in the last week of a window roughly half the time, and everybody involved knows it.
Transfer targets14 Jan 2030
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Independiente Rivadavia have kept their man, and Güemes go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad14 Jan 2030
A row about effort at Güemes
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Nicolas Barrios was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout14 Jan 2030
Joaquín Monzón 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.
Squad14 Jan 2030
The system has changed and his position has not. A footballer can improve his form; he cannot improve the manager’s formation, and that is the whole of the problem.
Market14 Jan 2030
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.
Squad14 Jan 2030
He trains hard, says the right things and goes home to an empty flat. Nobody at Güemes has done anything wrong, which is exactly what makes it so difficult to fix.
Market14 Jan 2030
The window shut and Mateo García is still in the building
Güemes spent a month trying to move him and nobody rang back. He trains with a squad that has told him where he stands, and both sides start counting down to the next one.
In brief
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Boardroom
Güemes keep producing them
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Squad
The training reports on Sebastian Perez are not good
-
Match
Nothing left to play for but pride at Güemes
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market17 Dec 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 Güemes can pretend not to have heard.
Market17 Dec 2029
The name of Jaan Sööt has come up in conversations Güemes were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Transfer targets17 Dec 2029
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.
Squad17 Dec 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Nicolas Barrios and Güemes agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Transfer targets17 Dec 2029
A loan move for Tomás Páez 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.
Transfer targets17 Dec 2029
A loan move for Nicolás Ojeda is in the works
Güemes have made the call to Instituto. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
Squad17 Dec 2029
Every shape has positions in it and this one does not have his. Güemes will either change the shape, change his job, or change his club, and he is waiting to hear which.
Squad17 Dec 2029
Antônio Tavares 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 dugout17 Dec 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
Crisis
Squad26 Nov 2029
Diego Barrios breaks a bone — 99 days out
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 99 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Market26 Nov 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.
Boardroom26 Nov 2029
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Güemes
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad19 Nov 2029
106 days out for Diego Barrios 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.
Market19 Nov 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 Güemes, and it is not being withdrawn.
The dugout19 Nov 2029
“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 dugout19 Nov 2029
Joaquín Monzón 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 Joaquín Monzón trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Squad19 Nov 2029
Words at Güemes training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Antônio Tavares 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.
Market19 Nov 2029
The name of Thiago Gómez keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Güemes say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market22 Oct 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 Güemes, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad22 Oct 2029
Pedro Pérez 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.
Market22 Oct 2029
The name of Thiago Gómez keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Güemes say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom15 Oct 2029
Belts tighten at Güemes
The accounts are being read more closely than the results. Wages before ambition is the order of business now, and the manager has been told so.
Squad15 Oct 2029
Antônio Tavares 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 dugout15 Oct 2029
“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.
Market15 Oct 2029
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Facundo Melillán’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
Squad15 Oct 2029
Juan Sosa wants out of the dugout
“I did not sign to watch. Nobody does.” The oldest complaint in the game, and Güemes will have to answer it with minutes or with a move.
Market15 Oct 2029
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Juan Carlos Aguirre may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The dugout8 Oct 2029
Joaquín Monzón 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 Joaquín Monzón trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Squad8 Oct 2029
Pedro Pérez 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.
Market8 Oct 2029
Gustavo Moreno is free to find somewhere else
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Güemes has been clear about where Gustavo Moreno stands, which is more than many ever get.
Market8 Oct 2029
The Juan Mendoza story refuses to die
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Juan Mendoza signs something — a contract at Güemes or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Market8 Oct 2029
Juan Zaya placed on the list
Güemes have made Juan Zaya available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
Squad8 Oct 2029
A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at Güemes would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.
Market8 Oct 2029
The clock does Jeremías Coronel’s negotiating for him
3 months left, and both sides know what that means: every week without a signature, the fee Güemes could ask drops and the wages Jeremías Coronel can ask rise.
Boardroom8 Oct 2029
The Güemes production line keeps running
27 graduates out of an academy now rated 4 out of 20. Clubs this size survive on exactly that, and the town knows every name.
Squad8 Oct 2029
Facundo Melillán is put on a programme of his own
Individual work, away from the group, aimed at one specific thing the coaches think is holding him back. It rarely makes the news and it is how most improvement actually happens.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad1 Oct 2029
20 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Güemes lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Market1 Oct 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.
Boardroom1 Oct 2029
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Güemes
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
The dugout1 Oct 2029
“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.
The dugout1 Oct 2029
This is not rotation. Facundo Ramirez has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Güemes is pretending otherwise.
The dugout1 Oct 2029
Joaquín Monzón 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.
Squad1 Oct 2029
A row about effort at Güemes
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Pedro Pérez was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Market1 Oct 2029
Facundo Ramirez is free to find somewhere else
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Güemes has been clear about where Facundo Ramirez stands, which is more than many ever get.
Market1 Oct 2029
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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad10 Sep 2029
Manuel Morello damages knee ligaments — 41 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 41 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.
Squad10 Sep 2029
A row about effort at Güemes
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Pedro Pérez was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Market10 Sep 2029
The Juan Mendoza story refuses to die
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Juan Mendoza signs something — a contract at Güemes or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
The dugout10 Sep 2029
He asked about his future and was given an answer with minutes in it. The manager has now made a promise in a building where promises are remembered, and the clock on it has started.
The dugout10 Sep 2029
Jorge Alonso 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 Jorge Alonso trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market10 Sep 2029
4 months left and the two sides are nowhere near each other. Every week this drags on takes money off what Güemes could get for him.
Market10 Sep 2029
Rosario Central had somebody in the stand with a notebook, and he was not there for the pies. Watching is free; the next step is not.
Squad10 Sep 2029
Thiago Gómez makes the division’s eleven — 6.95
Marked 6.95, and picked in the team of the week for it. He was the best player on that pitch and the selectors saw the same match everybody else did.
Boardroom10 Sep 2029
The Güemes production line keeps running
27 graduates out of an academy now rated 4 out of 20. Clubs this size survive on exactly that, and the town knows every name.
In brief
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Squad
Facundo Ramirez is not doing himself any favours
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The dugout
The manager plants his flag on Juan Zaya
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Match
Nothing left to play for but pride at Güemes
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match25 Aug 2029
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.
Squad27 Aug 2029
A knee injury of the worst kind for Manuel Morello
55 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Güemes lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Match25 Aug 2029
Juan Mendoza had done his part in building a 2-goal cushion. What happened after that was collective, and San Miguel were allowed back into a match that had been finished with.
Player ratings27 Aug 2029
Two goals and a mark of 8.59 to go with them. Strikers are judged on afternoons like this one and remembered for far fewer of them than people imagine.
Market27 Aug 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 Güemes, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match25 Aug 2029
Güemes are shipping goals every week
Two or more conceded in each of the last 4 matches. It is not one mistake repeating itself, which would be the easier thing to fix; it is a different one every week.
Match25 Aug 2029
2‑2, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Player ratings27 Aug 2029
Successful dribbles: 15. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
The dugout27 Aug 2029
“A point is a point and I will take it, but we should have had all three.” Interim Coach after the 2‑2 draw, and the sentence every manager in the country said at some stage this weekend.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match18 Aug 2029
No end in sight to Güemes's wait for a win
13 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Güemes has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad20 Aug 2029
Manuel Morello damages knee ligaments — 62 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 62 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.
Boardroom20 Aug 2029
Güemes counting the cost
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Güemes now.
Match18 Aug 2029
Estudiantes left with the points after a 1‑3 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
The dugout20 Aug 2029
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 1‑3 Interim Coach left the room before anybody could ask which.
The dugout20 Aug 2029
Joaquín Monzón 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 Joaquín Monzón trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Squad20 Aug 2029
A row about effort at Güemes
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Pedro Pérez was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Player ratings20 Aug 2029
Nobody could get near Juan Zaya
Successful dribbles: 13. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
The dugout20 Aug 2029
Miguel Ruiz 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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad13 Aug 2029
Manuel Morello damages knee ligaments — 69 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 69 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.
Match11 Aug 2029
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.
Player ratings13 Aug 2029
Up for the corner, and Maico Quiroz delivers — 7.46
Centre-halves are allowed forward twice a season and are judged on what they do when they get there. Maico Quiroz scored, was marked 7.46, and got back before anybody noticed he had gone.
Match11 Aug 2029
Maico Quiroz scored, and precious little else went right: 1‑2 to Sarmiento, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.
The dugout13 Aug 2029
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 1‑2, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
The dugout13 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.
The dugout13 Aug 2029
Joaquín Monzón 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.
Squad13 Aug 2029
Antônio Tavares 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.
Market13 Aug 2029
“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Antônio Tavares has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Güemes.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad6 Aug 2029
A knee injury of the worst kind for Manuel Morello
76 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Güemes lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Match4 Aug 2029
The wait goes on for Güemes
11 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.
Match4 Aug 2029
Nowhere to hide for Güemes
1‑4 against Alvarado, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
Market6 Aug 2029
Juan Zaya 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.
Player ratings6 Aug 2029
No sign of nerves from Thiago Gómez at 21 — 7.77
The hardest thing about being 21 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Thiago Gómez did not need any: 7.77, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
Squad6 Aug 2029
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Thiago Gómez and Güemes agree another 5 years.
The dugout6 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.
Boardroom6 Aug 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.
The dugout6 Aug 2029
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 1‑4, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad16 Jul 2029
A knee injury of the worst kind for Manuel Morello
97 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Güemes lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Match14 Jul 2029
No end in sight to Güemes's wait for a win
9 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Güemes has to find a result from somewhere.
Market16 Jul 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.
Transfer targets16 Jul 2029
The deal with Colegiales 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.
Squad16 Jul 2029
Milton Gerez 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.
Transfer targets16 Jul 2029
Güemes asked and Colón said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Match14 Jul 2029
1‑1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
The dugout16 Jul 2029
The manager’s verdict
“I am frustrated, honestly. We did enough to win and we did not win.” Interim Coach was not hiding it after 1‑1, and nobody in the Güemes dressing room was either.
Squad16 Jul 2029
A booking nobody needed, on a night the game was already won. Güemes lose a player for the most avoidable reason there is.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match5 May 2029
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.
Match5 May 2029
The goals have deserted Güemes
4 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Güemes can tell you which week it ends in.
Squad7 May 2029
A row about effort at Güemes
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Santiago Sala was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Squad7 May 2029
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Joaquín Monzón and Güemes agree another 4 years.
Match5 May 2029
Estudiantes left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Player ratings7 May 2029
Juan Mendoza beats them one at a time
Successful dribbles: 16. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
The dugout7 May 2029
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 0‑2 Interim Coach left the room before anybody could ask which.
The dugout7 May 2029
Santiago Sala 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 Santiago Sala trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
The dugout7 May 2029
“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
Upbeat
Squad19 Feb 2029
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.
Squad19 Feb 2029
Tempers go at Güemes
Santiago Sala 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.
Match17 Feb 2029
Nobody wins at Güemes
9 home matches unbeaten. Visiting sides arrive already talking about the atmosphere, which is usually the sign that they have half-lost before kickoff.
Match17 Feb 2029
Güemes get the job done against Maipú
A 2‑1 win over Maipú, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Player ratings19 Feb 2029
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.03, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
The dugout19 Feb 2029
“That is what I want every week. Not the result, the way they went about it.” The manager, after 2‑1, already talking about the next one.
Player ratings19 Feb 2029
The afternoon ran through Juan Mendoza
Chances created: 11. Nothing on the scoresheet and everything in the match: the pass before the pass, over and over, until the defence stopped guessing right.
Player ratings19 Feb 2029
Successful dribbles: 14. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
The dugout19 Feb 2029
Juan Mendoza 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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Player ratings12 Feb 2029
2 goals, and the second was the one that settled it. Marked 8.09, and he could have had a third with better luck at the near post.
Squad12 Feb 2029
A falling-out at Güemes
Milton Gerez and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Match10 Feb 2029
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Maico Quiroz. 3‑2 against Gimnasia y Tiro, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Squad12 Feb 2029
A row about effort at Güemes
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Santiago Sala was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Boardroom12 Feb 2029
Still no name above the door at Güemes
Day 11 of the vacancy. Candidates have been priced, sounded out and quietly ruled out — and the caretaker’s win ratio is becoming an argument all by itself.
The terraces12 Feb 2029
He is 23 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
Match10 Feb 2029
Güemes make home a hard place to visit
8 without defeat on their own grass. The pitch has not changed; the crowd has — louder earlier, and quicker to sense when the opposition would rather be somewhere else.
The dugout12 Feb 2029
“We earned that. I asked them for a reaction and I got one, and now I want the same again on Saturday.” Interim Coach on a 3‑2 afternoon that pleased him more than he was prepared to show.
Looking ahead12 Feb 2029
Every squad has one of these fixtures for somebody every season. This one is Enzo Suárez’s: the club that knew him first, the supporters who will decide in the first minute whether to applaud, and Güemes needing him to play as if none of it matters.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad29 Jan 2029
Words exchanged at Güemes
Santiago Sala 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.
Squad29 Jan 2029
Joaquín Monzón 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 dugout29 Jan 2029
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Hugo Pratissoli, and the manager let it.
Boardroom29 Jan 2029
Nobody arrives at Güemes until somebody leaves
The club is not barred from spending; it simply has nothing to spend that it has not first raised. Every name linked with Güemes this window arrives with a name leaving in the same sentence.
Market29 Jan 2029
The Milton Gerez 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.
The dugout29 Jan 2029
Ronaldo Romero 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.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market31 Jul 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.
Market31 Jul 2028
So close: Franco Bergés’s move dies late
The fee was agreed and the flight was looked at — and then the phone stopped ringing. Unión de Santa Fe moved on, Franco Bergés reports back to Güemes, and everybody pretends Monday is just Monday.
Player ratings31 Jul 2028
A brace, and Milton Gerez takes the afternoon — 7.89
There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Milton Gerez provided it, and the 7.89 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.
The dugout31 Jul 2028
This is not rotation. Milton Gerez has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Güemes is pretending otherwise.
Match29 Jul 2028
Güemes make it 3 in a row
Momentum is a hard thing to buy and an easy thing to lose, and right now Güemes have 3 straight wins of it.
Squad31 Jul 2028
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Maico Quiroz and Güemes agree another 3 years.
Squad31 Jul 2028
David Veliz 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.
Transfer targets31 Jul 2028
$49.0K was the most the club would pay and Arsenal were asking for more. Deals like this are revived in the last week of a window roughly half the time, and everybody involved knows it.
Transfer targets31 Jul 2028
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Villa Dálmine have kept their man, and Güemes go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match17 Jun 2028
Rarely has this fixture seen a display like it: 5‑2 against Patronato, and it could have been more.
Market19 Jun 2028
“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.
Squad19 Jun 2028
David Veliz takes the match ball home
3 goals in one afternoon from one man. The other players were also present, a witness confirmed.
Transfer targets19 Jun 2028
Everything agreed with Newell's Old Boys, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.
Squad19 Jun 2028
“I have tried. I have really tried, and every day I wake up in the wrong place.” Nobody at Güemes can coach that out of a man, and nobody there is pretending to.
Match17 Jun 2028
Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 7 goals between Güemes and Patronato, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.
Player ratings19 Jun 2028
Marked 9.55 — 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.
Boardroom19 Jun 2028
The numbers do not look good at Güemes
Wages have outrun income and the accountants have started attending meetings they used to send apologies to. Ambition comes second in a season like this.
Transfer targets19 Jun 2028
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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market29 May 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.
Squad29 May 2028
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.
Squad29 May 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 Güemes this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad29 May 2028
Óscar Vanegas pulls a muscle — 16 days out
The injury that keeps coming back, keeps being rushed back from, and quietly costs more careers than the dramatic ones. 16 days is the estimate; the honest figure depends on whether anybody is patient.
Player ratings29 May 2028
Milton Gerez beats them one at a time
Successful dribbles: 16. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
Squad29 May 2028
Words at Güemes training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Manuel Morello 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 dugout29 May 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Hugo Pratissoli, and the manager let it.
The dugout29 May 2028
Maico Quiroz 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 Maico Quiroz trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
The dugout29 May 2028
“There are things I liked and things we will be doing on Tuesday until they are right.” 0‑0, and a manager who had already decided what Tuesday looked like.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Player ratings24 Apr 2028
Franco Bergés goes up and wins it — 7.83
A defender on the scoresheet, which happens rarely enough that everybody in the ground remembers who took the corner. 1 for him, and a mark of 7.83 for the rest of it.
Boardroom24 Apr 2028
Belts tighten at Güemes
The accounts are being read more closely than the results. Wages before ambition is the order of business now, and the manager has been told so.
Squad24 Apr 2028
Words at Güemes training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. David Veliz 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.
Squad24 Apr 2028
Words exchanged at Güemes
Milton Gerez 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 ratings24 Apr 2028
Successful dribbles: 15. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match22 Apr 2028
It needed Franco Bergés to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against Tristán Suárez, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.
The dugout24 Apr 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Hugo Pratissoli, and the manager let it.
The dugout24 Apr 2028
Facundo Rizzi 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 Facundo Rizzi trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
The dugout24 Apr 2028
“It is not the end of the world and it is not good enough. Both of those are true.” The manager, after a 1‑1 draw, said the honest thing and then went to say it again inside.