Only Juan Roman Riquelme, Not Martin Palermo, Can Lead Boca Out of Slump

When all is said and done, the consensus could be that Juan Roman Riquelme had more to give to the game of football. For Boca fans (The Barra Brava aside), he will always be seen as an idol, but to the rest of us, his career has been splashes of brilliance with clashing with coaches, players, fans, and everyone else in between. What cannot be denounced is that the world-class talent is there, and if anyone can lead Boca Juniors out of their current slump it is Riquelme.

“Roman” and Boca are accustomed to fighting for, and winning important trophies, but after missing out on this year’s version of the Copa Libertadores, Los Xeneizes currently sit in 15^th position, and could miss out on the 2011 Copa should they not turn things around in the 2010 Aperatura following the World Cup.

On the pitch, Boca defense has been the issue, allowing more goals than any other team other than Arsenal, but off it Riquelme and star striker Martin Palermo have been involved in a tabloid soap opera that has captured the nation.

Anyone who has followed Riquelme’s career knows he is not the easiest guy to get along with, and furthermore is well aware that “el diez” does have a relationship with “el nueve.”

As the bad results continued, the friction between Boca’s two biggest ideals grew greater, but the question is actually, why?

Was Palermo concerned that the team was falling apart, or was he more concerned about breaking Roberto Cherro’s record of 218 goals for the club? After equaling the mark (he could have broken it had he not missed a penalty) against Velez Sarsfield, “El Loco” went six games without scoring.

In addition to the record, Palermo’s anger could have stemmed from his desire to make Diego Maradona’s World Cup squad. The two are great friends, and Palermo has an inside track on the spot after scoring a last second goal against Peru in the penultimate qualifier, but Palermo must have been looking over his shoulder at the stars in Europe racking up the goals and putting his position in jeopardy.

When the record finally did come, thanks to a pass from Riquelme, Roman did celebrate with Palermo, later stating that the reason was not because of his poor relationship with Palermo, but rather because he did not wish to celebrate in front of La Doce, who had apparently threatened Riquelme.

A week later, with Riquelme out injured, a banner appeared in the section of La Doce calling Palermo their only hero.

The position of La Doce to Palermo is certainly political, and more specifically economical. The Barras in Argentina are trying to push their way to South Africa, and there are rumors that Palermo and Maradona may have a hand in getting Boca’s Barra there.

It wasn’t so long ago that Riquelme was the Barra’s hero, having donated 30 thousand pesos and appearing at one of its events in 2008, but with the World Cup involved, the tables have turned.

There are those who have speculated that Maradona recalled Palermo after ten years in the international wilderness to the Argentine set up to appease Boca’s fans, and now the relationship has turned everyone against Riquelme.

It is obvious that in any country, the biggest fans of the clubs are not those that profit from it or use it two their advantage (whether they are mafiosos or business executives), but those who show up and pay for a ticket week in week out. For the Barra, the benefits they are currently receiving from Palermo (whatever they may be) vastly outweigh the performance of Riquelme.

For that reason, the Platea at La Bombonera support both players, specifically Riquelme. Although Palermo is the club’s all time leading scorer, Riquelme is the most talented player to grace the club since Maradona himself.

Riquelme is also a Boca fan, while Palermo supports Estudiantes. Riquelme always calls La Bombonera his home, and made it a permanent one in 2008 despite having the chance to continue playing in Europe, while Palermo failed across the pond for a variety of reasons, including injuries.

For all these reasons, and also their age (Palermo will turn 37 during the Aperatura while Riquelme will turn 32 in June), Roman is the man who must continue at Boca to dig them out of trouble.

The team should be built around the best player in Argentina at the moment, not an aging striker who is rendered helpless without great service. This would automatically rule out Guillermo Barros Schelotto, who stated one stipulation should he take the job, would be that Riquelme leaves.

Carlos Bianchi, who has won everything at Boca, is a name that always resonates when discussing the future coach of the club, but it is time for Boca to move on. He walked away from the club this summer when it was in need, and there is no reason to expect he would come back after finishing commentating duties during the World Cup.

Marcelo Bielsa, current coach of Chile, has also been mentioned, but the ex Newell’s Old Boys manager does not have the strongest relationship with Riquelme, having excluded him from the 2002 World Cup squad.

The right man is Jose Pekerman, who won a Youth World Cup with Riquelme at the healm in 1997 before building the National Team around the former Barcelona and Villareal star at the 2006 World Cup.

Riquelme and Argentina played brilliant attacking football for much of that tournament before crashing out in the quarterfinals against Germany, and there is now doubt that Pekerman could help get the best out of the enigmatic playmaker.

Pekerman is also the man who built the Argentine youth system that won five out of seven World Youth Cups between 1995 and 2007, and there is no question he could help revive the Boca inferiors, who have fallen off in recent years.

As for Palermo? His presence is not needed at the club any more. Two weeks ago, Palermo was left eating grass (literally) while Riquelme was out injured, but last night against San Lorenzo he was back and scoring again thanks to yet another sublime pass from Riquelme.

Palermo could be well suited to finish his career at his home town club Estudiantes, or even finish with Boca, albeit in a much more reduced role.

Riquelme has another three or four years playing at a high level, and Boca must do everything they can to get the best out of him, or it could mean seeing him do it at another club.