Sunday, August 30, 2009

A Beautiful Goal In An Ugly, Ugly Win

Was it really Newell's Old Boys players that committed 15 fouls, compared to Huracán's 4, or was Jorge Baliño calling phantoms? Honestly, I can't say myself, as I didn't see the game do to having a previous engagement I couldn't get out of. (Well, OK, I could have. But I don't think my non-futbol loving friends would have understood... and one does need a social life, after all.)

Not only did Baliño call 15 fouls against Newells, but he pulled yellow cards on the our players 5 times, along with one red. Huracán players received 2 yellows. This has me wondering about referee's and their effect on the game, and how they call them. I've created a spread sheet and will be examining the number of fouls and cards, as well as the results of the games each ref calls for Newell's, going back to the first game of this season. It will be a while before I get enough data to form any kind of opinion, but you have to start some where. (I'm sure someone out there may already be doing something like this... but I have yet to see it.)

Once again Newell's won by a 1-0 score, Insaurralde again scoring the lone goal in the 40th minute off a free kick.


Line Up:
Sebastián Dario Peratta
Rolando Schiavi, Juan Quiroga, Pablo Aguilar, Juan Insaurralde
Christian Sánchez Prette, Mauro Fórmica, Leonel Vangioni, Diego Mateo
Jorge Achucarro, Cristian Nuñez

Only changes here from the first match were Peratta taking over for Caffa, Schiavi in for Machuca, and Sánchez Prette in for Bernardi. Nice to see Peratta and Schiavi back in, but not sure why Bernardi was left out...

Subs:
Franco Dolci for Mauro Fórmica 63rd
Antonio Joaquín Boghossian for Cristian Nuñez 63rd
Lucas Bernardi for Jorge Achucarro 76th

Again Fórmica leaves early. Of course, as I'm sure Sensini is still playing his long ball game, there really isn't any point in having him in the midfield to begin with, is there? So, remind me again, why did we need all these new forwards?

Yellow Cards:
Sánchez Prette 25th
Insaurralde 34th
Vangioni 39th
Aguilar 82nd
Dolci 90th

Again, 5 yellows? Really? Way too many... if anyone can tell me if they were deserved or not, please do. Is this due to Sensini's tactical guidance? Just what is going on here?

Red Cards:
Sánchez Prette 57th

Well, looks like he's in the stands for the next match.

So here we are, we win the first two games, and I'm sure the Sensini supporters (if there are any at this point) will be singing his support. Some will be dreaming of winning the Apertura, just as I was lured in during the last Clausura. But, unlike the Clausura, these games were not won convincingly. Against Independiente it took a goal off a corner, and this game it was a free kick. That's great, as long as we're winning... but how long can this keep up?

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