Boca Juniors have continued to underwhelm under the tutelage of Gustavo Alfaro with a devastating loss against Union de Santa Fe in his first game. They went on to beat Aldosivi but were probably a little lucky with the 13-9 shot count favouring their opponnents who also boasted five shots on target.

The game against Newell’s Old Boys was definitely a must-win. Although Boca didn’t, there were some very positive signs for the team with some interesting and positive tactical tweaks throughout the game that turned the tide for the away team. A win for Newell’s was also a priority here with The Lepers languishing down in 13th place in the Superliga. This match analysis will look at the tactics employed by both teams.

Lineups

There were some major changes for Boca from the Aldosivi game with Pavon, Barrios, Tevez, Benedetto, Mas and Goltz coming into the lineup. Agustin Almendra was still missing through injury. Both teams lined up in a 4-2-3-1 and sent out what seemed like fairly attacking teams.

Boca pressing

The immediate pattern in Boca’s pressing which stood out was their tendency to press with three players when the opposition had possession on the wing. When coming out of the defensive third on the right, Mas, Marcone and Reynoso pressed quite aggressively. It was effective with dispossessions occurring frequently.

Mas pushed up and left his space and Marcone tucked in. The opposition tried to exploit the space vacated but the press in these instances was so aggressive the runner usually couldn’t see his teammate in the right half-space.