Such are the Argentines, we live by comparison. Menotti or Billiards back in time; Bianchi or Bielsa with Riquelme as a common point to start the 2000s; Guardiola or Mourinho with the explosion of modernism; and now Argentine football in the Professional League Cup combines those two positions from the strategy and concept of the sport are contradictory under a common denominator: The goal.

They are Ricardo Ruso Zielinski’s Estudiantes de La Plata and Sebastián Beccacece’s Defense and Justice. The old school of resources is logically applied against the statistics and technology applied to relaxed and flexible football. But those two forms, so far, have dominated the LPF scene as the teams that converted the most goals (20), in the first nine dates. In addition, both teams started well in the Copa Libertadores and Sudamericana.

First, let’s examine what we are talking about when we refer to these two trainers. In mid -2019, in an interview with Clarín, Zielinski himself explained what led to him being labeled as “defensive” of the environment: “You know what’s going on? There’s misinformation. And misinformation is annoying. If I’m defensive there’s nothing wrong, but I’m not. I like to play well, I like to attack; I’m not stupid, then. What it comes to. I defend Of course, I don’t drop any rings. And I don’t say certain phrases so that people think I’m lyrical. No, I’m not lyrical. The truth is, I think that in the long run, It’s ridiculous to say I’m defensive. We’ve come a long way that you don’t get on defense. “.

Although it is not mentioned, he may have launched a shot by elevation for the group with one of its greatest exponents in Beccacece: “Sometimes people think that having the ball with the goalkeeper and central defenders makes you an attacking coach. And they talk about possession … I like English football, for example. In fast transitions , changing the rhythm.30 passes to get to half court.It’s against my nature, I don’t want to.And my teams score a lot of goals, huh.Some choose to say tough words to justify they’re defending like everyone else. I’m angry. “.

In her turn, just over a month ago, Beccacece spoke about her technique: “I think, more than that, it’s an idea. We’re looking for teamwork, at the value of the individual put into collective service. And from there we start to get to know each other by exchanging ideas and opinions to have a North. In my work team, in the different places where we are present, we emphasize ball management, of the organization … “.

With this clear, let’s move on to the analysis. How did the 20 goals scored by Estudiantes de La Plata in Zone B happen? They will be shocked when they see that eight of them were from positional attackstage of the game in which the ball is mastered, and probably cannot be attributed to a Zielinski team if we classify it as explained previously.

Ang the ball stopped -including the “middle” sides- and the kickbackwith five each, are the other items that complete the podium of the Pincha repertoire, which in zone B are leader with 19 points, product of five wins, three draws and one loss. The remaining two goals are penalties.

In a common scheme more “tough” since 4-4-2Students are supported by a strong backbone with Mariano Andujar in the arch, the giant Augustine Rogerthe desired Jorge “Corcho” Rodriguez which is the thermometer in the middle and the marking force of Leandro Diaz and Mauro Boselli.

In the statistics provided by the Professional League, Pincha is the 21st team holding (average 46% per match), 26th passing (309.6) at 6th in center effectivenesswith 29 percent.

In Defense and Justice, perhaps even logically, more than half (11 out of 20) of his goals came from positional attack Y seven from kickbackanother of the most powerful offensive weapons, because recover and “expand” quickly to end generally with low centers finding deflections on first touch. That’s one of the features of the Beccacece Manual.

One from a stopped ball (which was not a header, but a volley against Banfield) and another from a penalty gives the total of twenty goals scored by Halcón, who is third in zone A with 17 points – two behind Racing -, then five wins, two draws and the same number of defeats. One detail: on date 9, the latter, the Defense is the team that is least shot on goal (7), but defeated Talleres de Córdoba 5-1.

From the tactical Beccacece demands more versatility from his playersa game without too many positions, but with roles and readings. he tries to dominate from construction and the patience to find profit, but his intensity makes him recover a lot of balls and try direct attacks, from the decisive capacity of his forwards.

Professional League numbers have it on 13th place for ownership (49% per game) and 4th in passing effectiveness (78%).

So even is everything between both coaches that even they are historically tied between the two: They played six games against each other with two wins on each side and another two draws. The last match was on the first date of the 2021 Professional League, when Halcón defeated Pincha 2-1.

So, in a week where from the cross between Diego Pablo Simeone and Pep Guardiola in different ways or strategies to win games, it is clear that football is attractive because it is indeterminate. It includes and accepts all forms, as permitted by regulations, and usually rewards those who, from belief, manage to include players in their plan, either attack to defend or defense to attack.