The former Juventus star was key in taking the Xeneize to a double during 2015, but off-field strife and an alarming drop in form have seen both player and club enter tough times
Nothing lasts forever in football, and even less so in Argentina. Just four months ago Carlos Tevez was the toast of Boca Juniors, the club he rejoined from Juventus, turning down millions to play elsewhere, as he led the Xeneize to glittering success. Fast forward to 2016, however, and neither the club nor their most acclaimed idol seems to know how to stop the rot.
A 0-0 draw in Sunday's overwhelming Superclasico against River Plate is by no means a disastrous result for Boca. Marcelo Gallardo's men have won the Copa Libertadores and Sudamericana in recent years, establishing themselves once more as one of South America's most accomplished sides, and after falling to home defeat in the same fixture last year revenge was foremost in their minds.
The manner of the tie, however, is what will keep new Boca coach Guillermo Barros Schelotto up at night. Drafted in following an abortive spell at Palermo when double-winner Rodolfo Arruabarrena was unceremoniously dumped over the phone last week, 'El Mellizo' has had just four days to mould a demotivated, ramshackle side into something approaching worthy opponents.
The job is far from done. River dominated the Superclasico for long spells, and only a lack of precision in front of goal denied them victory. Gabriel Mercado missed possibly the best chance of the game early on, when Ignacio Fernandez's free-kick found the defender blissfully unmarked in the area but a scuffed shot slipped past the far post.
Rodrigo Mora then should have wrapped up all three points in the dying stages. The Uruguayan, however, seemed surprised to see a cross beat everyone in the box as he lurked out wide, and goalkeeper Agustin Orion reacted well to close the angle and keep him out. Although he will not admit it, Barros Schelotto would have been rather relieved to hear the final whistle blow with the scores still deadlocked.
Tevez was by no means the only culprit for desperately disappointing Boca. But the former Juve, Manchester City and Manchester United star was a pale shadow of the striker who, with vibrancy, tenacity and his undying commitment to victory, dragged the Xeneize to the title after the chaos left by that famous pepper spray-induced Libertadores exit.
He covered the hard yards, of course, chasing down River's backline hard and constantly looking for the ball. But the spark we have come to expect from Tevez was sorely missing. He had victory at his feet with a dangerous free-kick, but the ball spiralled harmlessly over Marcelo Barovero's crossbar. Worse was to come when he received a cross free in the area, as he absent-mindedly controlled the ball with his hand before shooting weakly at Barovero as the whistle blew.
Of the four shots the forward managed, not one managed to test the River keeper. Jonathan Maidana kept Tevez quiet for almost the entire 90 minutes, and with their star went Boca timidly into the night.
"If you don't play well, you at least have to make sure you don't lose," a disappointed Carlitos told reporters at the final whistle. But the problem goes far beyond the final result. Boca have now failed to score for four hours of football, while Tevez has netted just twice in nine matches.
Off the pitch, accusations that his agent was interfering in the appointment of the next coach in favour of Jorge Sampaoli were followed by a photo of the star apparently toasting with members of the violent 'La 12' barra brava hooligan group. It is clear that something is affecting Tevez's judgement, and those issues are starting to spill over on the pitch itself.
It is of course too early to write off either Tevez or Boca, who in any case are concentrating fully on the Libertadores after the pain of seeing their arch-rivals prevail in 2015. But the portents for the future of club and player are hardly promising. Carlitos is not in Argentina to retire in peace, that is for sure; now is time for him to show it, and rediscover the form that made him one of the best players in the world over the past 12 months.
- Goal