Demichelis faced with the “5” problem in River: Enzo Pérez’s sequel and why it still doesn’t have a solution

In River There are still consequences from the departure of Enzo Perez. This time inside the courthouse. The thing is Martin Demichelis He hasn’t yet managed to define the “5” of his team and it certainly seems so the missing piece to build the spine. And again: without a starting central midfielder, the midfield changes every match. And in the long term it can be a big complication.

“Tell me who the central midfielder is and I’ll tell you how you will play.”, is one of the greatest footballers. And who is the “5” in River? That’s the big question. It is therefore difficult to say what Demichelis’ team will play. Precisely what is happening to Núñez’s team these days, beyond the positive numbers this season.

The team axis is covered in the other central positions. They have definite names. FrancoArmani He is the archer; Leandro Gonzalez Pirez AND Paolo Diazthe central rear; Nacho Fernandez the organizer of the game e Miguel Borja the center forward. And the “5”?

“It’s an internal struggle between them., all three are very competitive, both Nicolás (Fonseca) and Rodrigo (Villagra) and Matías (Kranevitter). Also joining that position is Rodrigo Aliendro, who is more mixed. “I try to put what I think is appropriate to the situation,” he said. Demichelis on this topic in the press conference after the victory over Rosario Central.

And he adds: “Nico (Fonseca) started with the quick offensive transitions, but then Rodrigo (Villagra) did very well. “We will continue to analyze week by week, game by game, who I think deserves to play.”

So, if Demichelis had a clear idea of ​​who should be the “5” or if one of the three fighting for that position was of a superlative level, would this internal struggle be fought? And also would the coach continue to analyze game by game? of your team’s three central midfielders – or four, if you add Aliendro – to put in?

In almost every match this semester, ‘Micho’ has not only changed his central midfielder, but also changed the midfield. Logical. It’s not the same to play with the Uruguayan Fonseca, with faster transitions, with a good vertical pass but more tactically disorganized and without as much clearance; with Villagra, with a better position, with more recovery and a “Pacman” style when it comes to going and stealing; with Kranevitter, more positional, with a good first pass and short touches; or with Alienderwith great intensity in defending and attacking.

Not only did the River coach try different names when setting up the midfield, but he also did so with different tactical systems. He used an average with four players in diamonds or with a “5” and three players in front; or with five midfielders, in which he used the following variations: 2-3 (two central midfielders and three more advanced midfielders), 3-2 (one midfielder, two inside and two wider ones) and 1-4 (one central midfielder, two internal ones in front and the ends transformed into steering wheels).

And in those schemes it didn’t have a defined “5”. In fact, if we take into consideration some paradigmatic matches of the semester, this situation will be clearly seen. In his debut in the League Cup, against Argentinos Juniors, Fonseca played; In the first in the Argentine Cup, against the Excursionistas, Aliendro was there; Villagra appeared in the Superclásico with Boca; in the classic match against Independiente in Avellaneda there was a “double five” (Villagra-Aliendro); In the final of the Argentine Super Cup against Estudiantes de La Plata, Kranevitter performed; and in the first match of the Copa Libertadores, visiting Táchira in Venezuela, Fonseca.

Evidently, beyond the “internal struggle” that Demichelis underlines and the competition, which can give power to the players, the River coach has a fundamental problem having not yet been able to define who his new “5” is after the departure of Enzo Pérez. And this could be one of the reasons that explain the team’s collective uneven performance.