March 2015
Huracan 1-0 Boca
Milano (pen 4)
A great win against one of the powerhouses of Argentine football. It was important we got the early goal, as it gave us something to hang onto, and after that we defended bravely. The goal came from the penalty spot, as Lentini did brilliantly to dribble past the last defender who then brought him down. That makes it seven points from my first three games, and we are yet to concede a goal.
Godoy Cruz 1-1 Huracan
Lentini (pen 90)
We conceded our first goal with me as manager today, and came so close to losing our first match. But Lentini saved us again with a last minute goal. Godoy Cruz finished 18th in the opening stage, so this was a match I would have liked to have won, but at 1-0 down going into injury time I will take the draw.
Independiente 0-1 Huracan
Lentini (31)
A very good win against a side who, on paper, have a very good squad, but appear to have been underachieving in recent years. It was Lentini again with the goal, after the Independiente ‘keeper rushed out and failed to clear the ball, allowing Lentini to pass it in from 25 yards.
Huracan 0-0 Banfield
In the frost, and playing with an orange ball, we could only manage against Banfield. They had the better of the first half, but in the second half we came out more positive and caused them some problems of our own. But Banfield are a quality team, and this has to go down as a decent result.
Huracan 1-0 Chacarita
Machin (9)
We dominated the match, but it took a wonder goal from midfielder Machin to win the game. I would have liked to have scored another couple of goals, but we got the victory and kept another clean sheet.
It has been a fantastic, unbeaten month. The win over Boca was a particular highlight, and the results have pushed us up to 7th in the closing stage. We also only conceded one goal, due to great defending which has been key to our success. However, we only scored four goals, and we are going to need to find the net more often if we are to continue to push up the table. Although, the day after the Chacarita match, Claudio Bruno returned to full training, leaving me with a tough decision to make next month. Lentini has been fantastic this month, so do I continue to play him up front on his own? Or do I change the tactics to incorporate two strikers?
Player of the month: Ramon Lentini
He has led the line brilliantly, and looks like a very good player.
Algeria
Sudan 0-1 Algeria
Boudebouz (67)
We also had one African Cup of Nations qualifying match for Algeria, and it was one we could have won by three or four. We could only score one goal, but that still makes it three wins from three, meaning we are in a great position to qualify.
I also gave a debut to French player who was eligible to play for Algeria. Feghouli is a great coupe for us, and I am sure he will go on to become a vital part of the team. He also seems very down to earth. He agreed to play the first time I tried to call him up, and after giving him his debut I became one of his favoured personnel.