Edinson Cavani and 140 days without scoring: a cursed series that turns the dream of playing at Boca into a nightmare

Eclipse by name Edison Cavani, the legendary Uruguayan striker who shone to become a mural in his national team and was a scorer and idol of European giants such as Napoli and PSG. Furthermore, his old promise to emulate Manteca Martínez with the Mouth He was the driving force behind the enthusiasm of the Xeneizes fans, to whom he is still indebted. The numbers, that host that this type of footballer must constantly show, certify it: chassis only 3 goals in 20 gamesand the last one was last October 15, four and a half months ago.

This Sunday, against Belgrano de Córdoba in the candy box, Cavani will play another final against himself to stop a negative streak that will reach eight games. 533 minutes, or 140 days without screaming since he converted a penalty and scored the 1-1 draw against Talleres, in the quarter-finals of the Argentine Cup. In this time everything has happened.

On a personal level, two injuries: a tear at the end of 2023 that affected his preseason at the beginning of the year, and a muscle strain that kept him on the sidelines a couple of weeks ago. And in sporting terms, two real slaps in the face: the final of Copa Libertadores lost at Maracaná against Fluminense and the failure/disappointment of not qualifying for 2024, which cost him his position. Jorge Almiron.

Cavani’s dry spell which surprises everyone today shouldn’t do so if you look at the numbers of the more mature Cavani, the one relegated to the second season with Manchester United and asked for asylum in a Valencia who was struggling not to go down.

He left England mid-2022 without scoring goals since December 2021 and suffering from several injuries. In Spain The situation has not changed significantly: he suffered physical problems and scored seven goals in 28 games, even if the last one dates back to January 2023, when he still had 18 games left in the black and white shirt.

Boca have reasons to continue believing in Cavani. The team and above all the coach Diego Martinez They made it out alive from the always uncomfortable visit to Riverand now he has seven games left with his direct rivals looking for the playoffs League Cup. “He will convert. What he works and trains is very good. He is hyper-professional and demands from us as a technical staff”, said the coach putting the Uruguayan on the bench.

Xeneize lacks points but also goals in the tournament (they have 7 in seven games), and it is clear that they did not have them every time Cavani was missing. The debt is in the game and not on the 9th chance, beyond poking around the area Miguel Merentiel and the constant threat of recovering the best Dario Benedetto. The feeling is that Boca should save Cavani, and not the other way around. And the football world thinks along the same lines.

“Edi is stubborn, he has a strong head. I told him to stop running, to help everyone and to concentrate there in the area, where he has to be fresh to finish,” he said. Diego Godinhis teammate from Celeste, who has experienced firsthand how difficult it is to adapt to the rhythm of Argentine football.

So far the only match in which Cavani looked clearly at fault was the one against Sarmiento, on the court of San Lorenzo. The weekday afternoon in which the long-haired man born in Salto missed five very clear chances and the only converted one was in an advanced position. As if that wasn’t enough, Junín’s team ended up equalising.

Martin Palermo, an authorized word if there is one, passed the ball to his current colleague Martínez. “We need to surround him better because he is a different player, the coach must find a way to take advantage of it”, said the top scorer recently in the Boca shirt, who could have been his coach if Riquelme he did not prevail in the December elections.

He Titan He got tired of sending her in with the blue and gold but also had to live with the unpleasantness of the “wet gunpowder”. It was 750 minutes in 2009, 648 in 2007 and 582 in 2010. But the worst record occurred between December 2010 and April 2011, when he was just weeks away from retirement and people were yelling at him. “Palermo is not leaving…”: He took off his mufa by visiting Huracán, after 10 dates and 951 minutes, and thanks to a gift in the form of a Pablo Mouche pass. “If I didn’t do it, it was to leave…” joked Martín, who with a bit of suspense pushed it into the net that evening at the Ducó.

In dialogue with ClarionMouche remembers what those weeks were like and the relief they felt when Crazy In the end he returns to scoring: “It was strange that he didn’t score, luckily we managed to break the record that night and that moment passed. He seemed anxious and a little nervous, which is an important thing for any goalscorer and Martín still more because it wasn’t normal. We were an offensive couple and we had been looking for him for a long time to break that spell.”

“It wasn’t an evening like any other. When I received the ball and the goalkeeper came out, I saw him alone, running. There I obviously touched the pass to make him convert it into an open net. He entered with a lot of suspense, it’s true, and until he crossed the finish line, we were all waiting to go out and shout it. It was an immense joy because Martín lifted a weight that hurt him because it was the end of his career and he wanted to end it in the best way. From there he discovered himself and joined many others. It was a relief for everyone and happiness for him”, recalls the former footballer.

Boca 2024 requires the same bonhomie from Zenón, Medina, Merentiel and company. The opportunity to turn the page will be this Sunday, starting from 7.15pm at the Bombonera, when Cavani will take the field to face Belgrano. The credit remains open, at least for now.