River goes four games without a goal as Coudet warns he'll walk away if things don't turn around fast

River arrives at this stretch of the season walking a tightrope. The elimination in Salta against Aldosivi in the Copa Argentina was the first serious warning sign, but what followed set off the alarms for good: four Torneo Clausura games without a win and, worse still, without scoring a single goal. For a club with River's history, that kind of drought is essentially unheard of.

The latest loss, 0-1 to Tigre, left Eduardo Coudet under more fire from the fans than ever. The Chacho, though, didn't dodge the subject and was blunt about his future if the situation doesn't improve soon.

If things don't work out, I'm not going to hurt River. If I can't turn it around quickly, I'll go home.Eduardo Coudet

With that backing from the club's leadership but the clock ticking, River now heads into a stretch that could define the rest of the season: four matches in ten days, roughly one every two and a half days.

A schedule reshuffled by the earthquake in Colombia

The first leg of the Copa Sudamericana round of 16 against Independiente Santa Fe was set to be played this week, but it was postponed after an earthquake struck Colombia. That rescheduling, ironically, gave Coudet a full week of training without travel or wear and tear, time he used to work in Thiago Almada, who could see minutes as soon as this Sunday.

The slate ahead is demanding. This Sunday the 16th, at 6:00 p.m., River hosts league leaders Argentinos Juniors at the Monumental, with a fan base ready to voice its frustration over the team's poor form. Had it not been for the earthquake, the AFA likely would have moved this match up to Saturday, as it did with the Tigre game, to give River more rest before traveling. But the continental schedule ended up rearranging things differently.

Three days later, on Wednesday the 19th at 9:30 p.m., River travels to Bogota to face Santa Fe at El Campin. Back home with no break, they'll host Velez, leaders of Zone A, on Sunday the 23rd at 7:15 p.m. The run closes out on Wednesday the 26th, also at 9:30 p.m., with the second leg against Santa Fe at the Monumental.

After that comes a road trip to Banfield on Sunday the 30th, and only then a week off before hosting Independiente Rivadavia in matchday eight. In between, it's not just the 12 points up for grabs in the Clausura that are at stake: a good chunk of the confidence Coudet has left is on the line too.

The coach arrived nearly a month ago building a squad designed, as he put it, "for three transfer windows." Now, with several reinforcements still not fully up to speed and the World Cup final looming over the football calendar, River needs these four matches to start turning around a story that, if it continues this way, could make the season feel endless.